The Prophet ﷺ said in Madinah:

I came to you, and you had in the days of ignorance two days for play and amusement. Indeed, Allah has replaced them for you with that which is better than them: the day of Nahr (slaughtering), and the day of Fitr (breaking fast).

{Ahmad, Abu Dawud}

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Stay safe, save lives

This year Eid day will be different from any before. All mosques will remain closed, and we will not be visiting family and friends, as the rules for social distancing remain in force. Do not risk your health or the health of others, we can celebrate Eid whilst adhering to Government guidelines.

When is Eid al-Fitr?

For those of us who started fasting on Friday 24 April, the 29th day of Ramadan is Friday 22nd May, which is when after sunset people in different parts of the world will try to sight the new Moon. We will then find out whether Eid is on Saturday 23rd May or Sunday 24th May. This will be announced on our website and social media, insha’Allah.

Celebrate and be grateful

وَلِتُكْمِلُوا۟ ٱلْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

“… and [He wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.” {Qur’an, 2:185}

The day of Eid al-Fitr is not only a time to celebrate, it is a day to be grateful to Allah for enabling us to complete the month of Ramadan, and to appreciate all that He has given us and all that we take for granted.

The Takbir of Eid

It is a Sunnah to say the takbir of Eid from the time of Fajr:

اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ وَاَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْد

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La Ilaha Ilallahu Wallahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Wa Lillahil Hamd.

Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest.
There is no deity besides Allah,
and Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest,
and all praises are for Allah only.

Paying Zakat al-Fitr

Unless you are personally giving food to a poor person on the morning of Eid, you should make sure you arrange to pay Zakat al-Fitr before Eid day, so that there’s enough time to make sure it goes to feeding someone on the day of Eid. Zakat al-Fitr is £6 for every member of the family, and can be paid online here.

All the Sunnahs of Eid

We will be able to observe all the Sunnahs of Eid, except the usual congregational Eid prayers.

Normally on Eid al-Fitr, we eat before setting out for Eid prayers. Although we won’t be going out for prayers on this occasion, we should still have something to eat at the start of our day.

We should perform ghusl, wear perfume, and put on our nicest clothes.

Eid prayers at home?

The scholars have different opinions on whether we should perform the Eid prayer at home. Some take the view that there is no Eid prayer at home. Others say you can pray at home; some say individually, and some that the household can pray together led by the head of the household.

There is no sermon if praying at home, but we can give each other good advice and Islamic reminders.

How to perform the Eid prayer

If you do decide to pray at home, then this is a reminder on how to perform the prayer. There are two rak‘ahs, each with extra Takbirs; the number and timing depends on which school of thought you follow:

Hanafi: in the first rak‘ah, after the opening Takbir and before you recite Al-Fatihah, there are 3 extra takbirs; in the second rak‘ah, before ruku‘ there are also 3 extra takbirs, followed by the takbir for ruku‘. This is the way we perform the Eid prayer at the East London Mosque (as the majority of our congregation follow the Hanafi school of thought).

Others: in the first rak‘ah, after the opening Takbir and before you recite Al-Fatihah, there are 7 extra takbirs; in the second rak‘ah, at the start after the Takbir for standing up and before you recite Al-Fatihah, there are 5 extra takbirs.

At the end of this page there are videos about how to perform the Eid prayers, the takbir for Eid, and the Eid greeting.

Celebrating Eid al-Fitr

The East London Mosque will be broadcasting special Eid messages from our Imams on that morning, in at 11:00am, then Bangla at 11:30am. You can listen through our Adhan radios, or on this website using Mixlr here.

For the rest of the day, stay safe and make sure you adhere to the Government’s guidelines. You can enjoy nice food at home, and connect with your family and friends through video and phone calls. You can even go out for exercise, but make sure you maintain social distancing.

May Allah bless your Eid, may He keep us all safe and healthy, and may He soon bring us back together again in our Mosque.

Finally, please don’t let your day of Eid pass without an act of charity, by helping the Mosque with your sadaqah: