Eid Al Adha and Friday prayers to be held separately on June 6, UAE Fatwa Council clarifies

Dubai: With Eid Al Adha this year falling on Friday, June 6, the UAE Fatwa Council has clarified that both the Eid prayer and the Jumu’ah (Friday) prayer will be held separately, each at its designated time.

In a statement released on Friday, the Council addressed the longstanding scholarly debate regarding prayer obligations when the two occasions coincide.

“While the issue of performing the Friday prayer on the same day as Eid has been a topic of scholarly discussion, the Council affirms that both sermons should be observed independently, in accordance with their respective Sunnah,” the statement read.

The ruling is based on verses from the Holy Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

The Council added that this position is supported by the majority of Islamic scholars and the leading schools of jurisprudence, further affirming its legitimacy.

The Eid prayer is performed shortly after sunrise and consists of two rak’ahs (units of prayer), with additional takbeerat (declarations of “Allahu Akbar”). In the first rak’ah, the imam recites seven takbeerat after the opening takbeer and before Surah Al-Fatiha. In the second rak’ah, five takbeerat are recited after rising from sujood and before the recitation.

The prayer is performed without an adhan (call to prayer) and is followed by a khutbah (sermon) that emphasises the values of Eid, such as gratitude, sacrifice, and social unity.

Worshippers typically gather in large open spaces or mosques, dressed in their finest clothes, to mark the spiritual and festive nature of the occasion.