**How to offer Eid prayer:
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Ibn Abbass (ra) reported: " I participated in the Eid-ul-Fitr prayer with the Messenger of Allah (saw), Abu Bakr (ra), Umar (ra) and Uthman (ra), and all of them held Eid prayer before Khutbah, and then the Prophet Muhammad (saw) delivered the Khutbah (sermon)." ( Muslim )
**Structure of Eid prayer:
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Eid prayer is wajib (strongly recommended, just short of obligatory). It consists of two Rakaat (units) with six or thirteen additional Takbirs. It must be offered in congregation. The prayer is followed by the Khutbah. The Khutbah is part of the worship and listening to it is Sunnah. During the Khutbah, the Imam must remind the community about its responsibilities and obligations towards Allah, fellow Muslims and the fellow human beings. The Imam must encourage the Muslims to do good and ward off evil. The Muslim community must also be directed to the state of the community and the Ummah at large and the feelings of sacrifice and struggle should be aroused in the community. At the conclusion of the prayer the Muslims should convey greetings to each other, give reasonable gifts to the youngsters and visit each other at their homes. Muslims should also take this opportunity to invite their non-Muslims neighbors, co-workers, classmates and business acquaintances to Eid festivities to expose them to Islam and Muslim culture.
Source:IslamiCity - The Global Muslim eCommunity
**Description of the Eid Prayer: ** Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: **“The prayer of Eid is two complete rakahs, not shortened. This is according to the words of your Prophet, and the liar is doomed.” **
Abu Sa`id (r.a) said: **“The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to come out to the prayer-place on the day of Fitr and al-Adha, and the first thing he would do was the prayer.” **
The Takbeer is repeated seven times in the first rakah and five times in the second, the Qur’an is to be recited after each. It was reported from A’ishah: the Takbeer of al-Fitr and al-Adha is seven in the first rakah and five in the second, apart from the takbeer of ruku. (Reported by Abu Dawud)
If a person joining the prayer catches up with the imam during these extra takbeers, he should say “Allahu Akbar” with the imam, and he does not have to make up any takbeera he may have missed, because they are sunnah, not wajib. With regard to what should be said between the takbeers, Hammad ibn Salamah reported from Ibrahim that Walid ibn Uqbah entered the mosque when Ibn Masud, Hudhayfah and Abu Musa were there, and said, **“Eid is here, what should I do?” **Ibn Masud said: **“Say ‘Allahu Akbar’, praise and thank Allah, send blessings on the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and make du`a’, then say, ‘Allahu Akbar’, praise and thank Allah, send blessings on the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him,…etc.” **(Reported by at-Tabarani).
**Recitation of Qur’an in Eid Prayers: ** It is recommended (mustahabb) that in the Eid prayers the imam should recite Qaf [Surah 50] and Iqtarabat As-Saah [al-Qamar, Surah 54], as it is reported in Sahih Muslim that Umar ibn al-Khattab asked Abu Waqid al-Laythi, “What did the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to recite at Eid] al-Adha and al-Fitr?” **He said, **“He used to recite Qaf. Wa’l-Qur’an al-Majeed [Qaf 50:1] and Iqtarabat As-Saah wa inshaqq al-Qamar [al-Qamar 54:1].
Most of the reports indicate that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to recite Surah al-Ala [87] and Surah al-Ghashiyah [88], as he used to recite them in the Friday prayer. An-Numan ibn Bashir said: **“The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to recite on the two Eids and on Fridays, Sabbih isma rabbika’l-Ala [al-A`la 87:1] and Hal ataka Hadith al-Ghashiyah [al-Ghashiyah 88:1].” **(Sahih Muslim, 878).
Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to recite on the two Eids, Sabbih isma rabbika’l-Ala [al-A`la 87:1] and Hal ataka Hadith al-Ghashiyah [al-Ghashiyah 88:1].” (Reported by Ahmad and others, 3/116)
Source: http://www.cambridgemuslims.info/Eid/rulings_on%20Eid.htm