Salat al-Eidayn
- Author died
- 1440 AH
- Editions
- Maṭba'at Safīr
Salat al-Eidayn: Mafhum, wa-Fada'il, wa-Adab, wa-Shurut, wa-Ahkam fi Daw' al-Kitab wa-al-Sunnah ("The Two Eid Prayers: Concept, Virtues, Etiquettes, Conditions, and Rulings in Light of the Qur'an and Sunnah") is a concise legal treatise on the Eid prayers by the Saudi scholar Saeed bin Wahf al-Qahtani (d. 1440 AH / 2018 CE) .
Composition and Methodology
The work forms the thirty-seventh treatise in the author's series of published writings . Al-Qahtani completed the text on the night of Saturday, 5 Rajab 1422 AH (2001 CE) . In compiling the legal rulings and preferences in the book, he relied extensively on the positions and determinations (taqrirat wa-tarjihat) of his teacher, Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz . His methodology relies on grounding each topic directly in textual evidence from the Qur'an and the prophetic Sunnah .
Contents and Scope
The treatise covers the essential jurisprudence of the two annual Islamic festivals—Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha—and their congregational prayers . Its primary topics include:
- Definition and Legal Status: Examining the linguistic and technical meanings of Eid, and establishing the basis of the prayer in the Qur'an, Sunnah, and consensus (ijma'). After presenting the scholarly disagreements over whether the Eid prayer is a Sunnah, a communal obligation (fard kifayah), or an individual obligation (fard 'ayn), the author argues that it is an individual obligation for men, citing the Prophet's regular practice and the command for all people—including women—to attend the prayer ground .
- Etiquettes and Sunan: Detailing prescribed acts on the day of Eid, such as performing ritual bathing (ghusl), wearing one's finest clothes, applying perfume, and the sunnah of eating dates before departing for the prayer on Eid al-Fitr while delaying eating on Eid al-Adha until after returning to eat from the sacrificial animal .
- Prayer Mechanics and Timing: Clarifying the appointed time for the prayer, its conditions of obligation, the additional takbirs (takbirat al-zawa'id), and establishing that the sermon (khutbah) is delivered after the completion of the prayer rather than before it .
- Eid Takbir and Related Rulings: Explaining the different types and formulas of takbir recited during the Eid season, and the legal ruling when an Eid falls on a Friday .
- Associated Rites and Prohibitions: Outlining the basic rules governing the charity of breaking the fast (Zakat al-Fitr), the sacrificial offering (udhiyah), as well as warning against common religious innovations and objectionable practices that occur during Eid celebrations .
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