Question 1191: Should the congregational prayers of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha be performed under the open sky?

Answer
✅Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:
1 عَنِ الْحَلَبِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ أَبِيه أَنَّهُ كَانَ إِذَا خَرَجَ يَوْمَ الْفِطْرِ وَ الْأَضْحَى أَبَى أَنْ يُؤْتَى بِطِنْفِسَةٍ يُصَلِّي عَلَيْهَا وَ يَقُولُ هَذَا يَوْمٌ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ يَخْرُجُ فِيهِ حَتَّى يَبْرُزَ لآِفَاقِ السَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ يَضَعُ جَبْهَتَهُ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ.
📚 Al-Faqih, Vol. 1, p. 508
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) narrated about his father that when he went out on the day of Fitr and Adha, he refused for a rug or mat to be brought for him to pray on and would say: This is a day that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) went out on until the horizons of the sky became visible, and then he would place his forehead on the ground!
2 عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ يَعْنِي لَيْثَ الْمُرَادِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّه قَالَ: لَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ تُصَلَّى صَلَاةُ الْعِيدَيْنِ فِي مَسْجِدٍ مُسَقَّفٍ وَ لَا فِي بَيْتٍ إِنَّمَا تُصَلَّى فِي الصَّحْرَاءِ أَوْ فِي مَكَانٍ بَارِزٍ.
📚 Al-Faqih, Vol. 1, p. 508
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: It is not proper for the Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha prayers to be performed in a roofed mosque or room, indeed it is to be performed in a field or in an open space!
3 عَنْ حَفْصِ بْنِ غِيَاثٍ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: السُّنَّةُ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْأَمْصَارِ أَنْ يَبْرُزُوا مِنْ أَمْصَارِهِمْ فِي الْعِيدَيْنِ إِلَّا أَهْلَ مَكَّةَ فَإِنَّهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ.
📚 Al-Faqih, Vol. 1, p. 508
Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) said: The tradition for the residents of cities is to come out of the cities to open and visible environments for the Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha prayers, except for the people of Mecca who pray in the Sacred Mosque!
4 عَنِ الْفُضَيْلِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّه قَالَ: أُتِيَ أَبِي بِالْخُمْرَةِ يَوْمَ الْفِطْرِ فَأَمَرَ بِرَدِّهَا ثُمَّ قَالَ هَذَا يَوْمٌ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّه يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَى آفَاقِ السَّمَاءِ وَ يَضَعَ وَجْهَهُ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ.
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 461
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: A prayer rug was brought for my father on the day of Fitr, so the Imam ordered it to be returned and said: This is a day that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) loved to look at the horizons of the sky and place his face on the ground!
5 عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّه فِي حَدِيثٍ أَنَّهُ سَأَلَهُ عَنْ صَلَاةِ الْعِيدَيْنِ فَقَالَ رَكْعَتَانِ إِلَى أَنْ قَالَ وَ يَخْرُجُ إِلَى الْبَرِّ حَيْثُ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى آفَاقِ السَّمَاءِ وَ لَا يُصَلِّي عَلَى حَصِيرٍ وَ لَا يَسْجُدُ عَلَيْهِ وَ قَدْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّه يَخْرُجُ إِلَى الْبَقِيعِ- فَيُصَلِّي بِالنَّاسِ.
📚 Al-Kafi, Vol. 3, p. 460
Mu'awiyah ibn Ammar asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha prayers; he said: It is two rak'ahs.... until he said: He comes out to the desert in such a way that he looks at the horizons and borders of the sky and does not pray on a mat and does not prostrate on a mat, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) would go out to al-Baqi' and lead the people in prayer!
6 عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كَانَ يَخْرُجُ حَتَّى يَنْظُرَ إِلَى آفَاقِ السَّمَاءِ وَ قَالَ لَا تُصَلَّيَنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَلَى بِسَاطٍ وَ لَا بَارِيَةٍ.
📚 Al-Tahdheeb, Vol. 3, p. 285
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) would go out (for the Eid prayer) to look at the horizons of the sky and he said: Never pray on a rug or a mat on that day!
✅ Based on the above narrations and others, the tradition is that people should go out to deserts, fields, and open and visible environments for the performance of the Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha prayers in such a way that they can observe the horizons of the sky, and they should not pray on rugs, spreads, and mats and should prostrate on the ground, and performing the congregational Eid prayer in a mosque, room, or roofed hall is forbidden.
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ