Praying 'Eid in the Musallaa is the Sunnah

Praying 'Eid in the Musallaa is the Sunnah

AUTHOR:	Imaam Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaanee
TRANSLATED:	Al-Ibaanah Book Publishing
PRODUCED BY:	Al-Ibaanah.com

About the Book: This book is a complete translation of the booklet Salaat-ul-‘Eidayn fil-Musallaa hiya as-Sunnah (Praying ‘Eid in the Musallaa is the Sunnah) of Imaam Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaanee, published by Al-Maktab-ul-Islamee (3rd Edition, 1986).

We present this treatise to our noble readers, in the hopes to convey knowledge of this lost Sunnah, which is: Praying ‘Eid in the Musallaa. Imaam Al-Albaanee, in his own unique style, discusses this topic in depth providing the evidences and sayings of the scholars to support his view, all while being brief and concise in his presentation. This is one of the celebrated works of Imaam Al-Albaanee that reflects his vast knowledge and high understanding.

We ask Allaah to benefit the Muslims with this book, and to revive this important aspect of the Sunnah in the lands of the west.

Quotes from the Book: “If we assume that the Prophet’s Masjid wasn’t big enough for them, then surely they would have been able to pray in these other masaajid that existed (at the Prophet’s time), as the people do today. So their abandoning praying in these masaajid in favor of praying in the musallaa is a clear proof that the Sunnah is praying in the musallaa and not in the masjid. So the actual intent has been established and what they desired from negating (of this Sunnah) has been annulled.”

“So let’s say if we were to agree with them that the Prophet’s masjid was not big enough for the men and women, then this is the same case with our present-day masaajid in that not one of them is capable of holding all of those intending prayer. So what remains valid is the legality of going out to perform the prayer in the musallaa. This is the required outcome (from that argument). Furthermore, if according to them it is not correct for the menstruating women to attend the masjid, then this is an acknowledgement on their part that it is correct for them to attend the musallaa. So when they require that the ’Eid Prayer be performed in the masaajid, then this means that they are preventing these (menstruating) women from ‘witnessing the good and the supplication of the Muslims!’This is contrary to the command of Allaah’s Messenger found in the hadeeth, which they attributed to Al-Bukhaaree, for the hadeeth is one of our proofs that indicate that the ‘Eid Prayer should be held in the musallaa and not in the masjid. This is because the masjid, no matter how big it is, is incapable of accommodating the attendance of all of the men and women in it, according to their own acknowledgement.”

“What further supports what we have stated above is that: If praying the two ‘Eids in the masjid were better than praying them in the musallaa, but the masjid was too small, the Prophet would have taken the necessary steps to expand it, just as some of the Khaleefahs after him did, for he has more right to expand it than them. So if the masjid wasn’t ample enough for it, but yet the Prophet left off expanding it, it is not possible to imagine this (i.e. that the masjid wasn’t ample enough), along with the view that praying in the masjid is superior to the musallaa. This is unless someone claims that there was something that prevented him from expanding it. But I don’t think a person of knowledge would have the nerve to make such a claim.”

“The Muslims today, with regard to this prayer, have split up into numerous jamaa’aat (congregations), in contradiction to the Sunnah, as has been stated previously. So when we desire to unite them into one congregation, then there is no way possible for us to do this unless we go out to the open area of land, which is ample enough to accommodate all of those praying – both men and women. They can take this land as a musallaa, wherein they can perform this great act of worship [the ‘Eid Prayer]. This is what the Sunnah orders. So how can it be said after this: “Implementing this Sunnah will cause division to the Jamaa’ah?!” Yes. Indeed from the things in which there is no doubt is that reviving this Sunnah requires the creation of a new jamaa’ah (congregation), which will be separate from those other jamaa’aat (congregations) that are divided up in several masaajid. However, since the goal of this new jamaa’ah is to gather together those other jamaa’aat into one unified congregation, as the way it used to be during the time of Allaah’s Messenger and his rightly-guided Khaleefahs, there must exist this Jamaa’ah. This is since the one unified Jamaa’ah will never be established in a single bound, and it will never be established unless through them (i.e. those who break away and pray in the musallaa).”

Download the Text of this book in Arabic (Right Click and Save)
Salaat-ul-'Eidayn fil-Musallaa hiya as-Sunnah

 Praying 'Eid in the Musallaa is the Sunnah