“The Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, prayed two rak‘ahs on the day of ‘Īd al-Fiṭr, performing no prayer before or after them. Then, accompanied by Bilāl, he went to the women and commanded them to give in charity. They began to cast (their jewelry); a woman would cast her earrings (Khurs) and her necklaces (Sikhāb).”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī (No. 964) and Muslim (No. 884), from the ḥadīth of Ibn ‘Abbās, may Allah be pleased with them both.
Brief Explanation of the Hadith
This ḥadīth clarifies a number of rulings and etiquettes related to the ‘Īd prayer, including matters pertaining to its sermon and the rulings concerning women therein.
The first ruling it indicates is that the ‘Īd prayer consists of only two rak‘ahs, with no addition, upon which there is consensus. The second ruling is derived from the statement: “He did not pray before it nor after it”—that is, when the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, came to the musallā of ‘Īd, he confined himself to the ‘Īd prayer alone, performing no prior or subsequent prayer—neither a sunnah, greeting of the mosque, nor otherwise. This ruling is specific to the musallā of ‘Īd.
As for performing voluntary prayer outside the musallā, there is no harm in it; rather, it is a sunnah, for prayer is a virtuous act. This is indicated by the ḥadīth of Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī, may Allah be pleased with him: “He did not pray anything before ‘Īd; when he returned to his home, he prayed two rak‘ahs.”
Then, after he, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, completed the prayer and the sermon, he went to the women, admonished and reminded them, and commanded them to give charity. Another ḥadīth clarifies the reason for this command: it is because women tend to frequently complain and show ingratitude toward their husbands (yakfurna al-‘ashīr). ‘They then began to cast...’—meaning that they (may Allah be pleased with them) hastened to give charity in immediate response to the Prophet’s call to them. The women would cast their khurṣ—the earrings of gold or silver—and their sikhāb—a necklace of scented paste shaped like beads—into Bilāl’s garment.
In the ḥadīth there is evidence for the permissibility of women attending the ‘Īd prayer, observing the proper legal guidelines, and for the recommendation of addressing them with admonition if they do not hear or fully comprehend the sermon.
It also indicates the virtue of the female companions, may Allah be pleased with them, for they hastened to give charity out of desire for what is with Allah, the Exalted.
It further demonstrates the permissibility for a mature, sound-minded woman to manage her own wealth without the permission of her husband.