Eid ul Adha morning has a pattern reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him): the Eid prayer first, then the sacrifice. This guide lists three reports about what he did on that day, each checked on sunnah.com, and says what this guide does not rule on.
1. Not eating until after the prayer on Eid ul Adha
Abdullah bin Buraidah narrated from his father: “The Prophet would not leave on the Day of Fitr until he ate, and he would not eat on the day of Adha until he prayed” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 542, translation as shown on sunnah.com). Tirmidhi calls this hadith gharib, and the Darussalam grading shown on sunnah.com is Hasan. Tirmidhi also adds that some scholars preferred that on Adha a person does not eat until he returns (from the prayer).
2. Prayer first, then the sacrifice
Al-Bara’ reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The first thing we will do on this day of ours is to offer the (‘Id) prayer and then return to slaughter the sacrifice. Whoever does so, he acted according to our Sunna…” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5545, translation as shown on sunnah.com). The full text, and what it means for the time of Qurbani, is in our guide on the days and time of Qurbani.
3. Returning by a different way
Jabir bin Abdullah reported: “On the Day of ‘Id the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to return (after offering the ‘Id prayer) through a way different from that by which he went” (Sahih al-Bukhari 986, translation as shown on sunnah.com).
What this guide does not do
These are reports of what the Prophet did. This guide does not say how strong a recommendation each one is in each school of law, and it does not cover the Eid prayer itself or the takbeer. For those questions, ask a scholar of your school.
After the prayer: your Qurbani
If you arrange Qurbani through Qurbani Easy, the details of booking are on the Qurbani booking page; the rules are in the Qurbani rules hub; and the meat is described in how to divide Qurbani meat. The Eid ul Adha Qurbani 2027 guide has the estimated 2027 dates, which depend on moon sighting.
Citation sources
- Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 542 (Abdullah bin Buraidah from his father; “gharib” per Tirmidhi; Hasan per Darussalam) — checked on sunnah.com.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 5545 (Al-Bara’) — checked on sunnah.com.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 986 (Jabir bin Abdullah) — checked on sunnah.com.
- This guide reports the hadith only and gives no fiqh ruling on the strength of each act in any school.