At the time when Prophet Muhammad honored Madina with his presence, there were two Eids being celebrated there. On those days, there were games and celebrations. The Prophet, who witnessed these, said:

"Almighty God has allotted the Eid alFitr (the Festival of Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice) as more blessed than these two festivals."^[i]

Thus, from the Age of Happiness on, the Islamic world has celebrated two religious festivals.

Muslims receive a great blessing by being able to sense a shared spiritual air on the tranquil Eid morning.

By the end of Ramadan, for one month, Muslims have risen from their beds very early for the predawn meal; they have opened their hands to plead, to implore, to repent, to beg forgiveness from Almighty God at daybreak; and they have prayed and asked for mercy. They have endured a variety of hardships during the day, remaining without food or water, and showing patience and endurance. They have endured their fast with not only a physical, but also a spiritual asceticism—that is, they have controlled their stomachs, their tongues and their hearts, so they have successfully passed this test of servanthood. They have broken their fast with the evening call to prayer; they have climbed toward a joy of the spirit and the soul; they have fed the poor, the orphaned, the lonely, the stranger and they have shared their table with friends and relatives… They have gone to the tarawih: they have placed their heads to the ground in a joyful congregation; they have prayed together; vengeance, ambition, enmity have all been eliminated, one by one; and they have become humble, mature, sincere servants of God.

Thus, it is with these earnest efforts that the days have rolled up toward the day of the Eid; the Eid has arrived and today they will attain Divine forgiveness. Today their faces will smile, their hearts will be full of joy, and their houses will become places of celebration.

Eid days are days when the feelings of brother and sisterhood are most apparent. Those who have fallen out make up and friends are reunited, while everyone, adult and child, does what is required of them. Relatives and neighbors visit one another, respect is paid to elders, everybody’s health and general situation are enquired about, elders are visited and efforts are made to bring together those who have fallen out in the neighborhood—as everyone supports such efforts. On this day, the children put on their best clothes; and orphans, the poor and those without homes are not forgotten. We should never forget, when the thorn was pulled from the foot of the orphan that Almighty God let roses blossom in its place and blessed the charitable soul who performed the action with happiness in his grave.

In a word, any act of charity, goodness or help will never go unanswered.

In many Muslim societies people get up early on Eid. If possible, they have a bath; if this is not possible, then they make wudu and put on clean garments. They walk to the mosque in an unhurried, sedate manner, remembering God and glorifying His Name. On Ramadan Eid, it is the tradition of the Prophet to eat something sweet before leaving the house for the Eid prayer, but on the Eid of Sacrifice, it is best if the first thing to be eaten  is from the sacrificed animal. (But, nowadays in big cities the sacrificing of an animal does not happen quickly; therefore, this may not be possible.) In the same way, the young, the old, even children all go to the mosque together, or follow one another in quick succession; this helps the younger generations, in particular, desire to participate in the prayer.

Muslims attend the Eid prayers in great masses; this prayer only occurs twice a year and it is observed as a congregation. Therefore, it is likely that the Eid prayer could be the first occasion for many Muslims to come to the mosque.

After the Eid prayer has been prayed and the sermon has been listened to, the people pour out of the mosque and congratulate one another on the Eid, either in the garden of the mosque, or in their neighborhood, or in the local halls, according to the custom of the place.

[i] at-Taj, I, 309