Acts of Worship for the Eve and Day of Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha is the glorious manifestation of absolute submission to the Divine will — a transcendence of the "self" to reach the "Beloved." It stands as the symbol of slaughtering the ego, a sacred rite that severs the human being from the shackles of worldly attachments through the union of faith-driven reason and transcendent love.

Eid al-Adha presents the opportunity to reenact the Abrahamic epic within the arena of the soul; to sacrifice petty material attachments and thereby attain the lofty station of servitude and the reality of God-consciousness — the ultimate goal of nearness to the Almighty.

The prescribed acts for the eve and day of Arafah are as follows:

Acts for the Eve of Eid al-Adha

• Ziyarat of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him)
• Recitation of the supplication: "Ya Da'im al-Fadl 'ala al-Bariyyah..."

يا دائِمَ الْفَضْلِ عَلَى الْبَرِيَّةِ

Acts for the Day of Eid al-Adha

• Ghusl (ritual bath)
• The Eid al-Adha prayer, performed in the same manner as the Eid al-Fitr prayer
• The 48th supplication of al-Sahifah al-Kamilah al-Sajjadiyya:

اللّٰهُمَّ هٰذَا يَوْمٌ مُبارَكٌ

"O God, this is a blessed day..."

• The 46th supplication of al-Sahifah al-Kamilah al-Sajjadiyya:

يَا مَنْ يَرْحَمُ مَنْ لَا يَرْحَمُهُ الْعِبَادُ

"O You who show mercy to those whom the servants show no mercy..."

• Dua al-Nudbah
• Sacrifice (Qurbani), which is a highly emphasized recommended act
• Recitation of the Takbirat:

For those present in Mina, these takbirat are recited after fifteen prayers, beginning with the noon prayer on the Day of Eid and concluding with the dawn prayer on the 13th of Dhu al-Hijjah. For those in other cities, the takbirat are recited after ten prayers, from the noon prayer on the Day of Eid until the dawn prayer on the 12th. According to an authentic narration in Usul al-Kafi, the takbirat are as follows:

اللهُ أَكْبَرُ اللهُ أَكْبَرُ، لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ اللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلّٰهِ الْحَمْدُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَانَا، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ عَلَىٰ مَا رَزَقَنَا مِنْ بَهِيمَةِ الْأَنْعَامِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ عَلَىٰ مَا أَبْلَانَا.

"God is the Greatest, God is the Greatest. There is no god but God, and God is the Greatest. God is the Greatest, God is the Greatest, and to God belongs all praise. God is the Greatest for that which He has guided us. God is the Greatest for that which He has provided us of the grazing livestock. And all praise belongs to God for that which He has tested us."

It is recommended to repeat these takbirat after the prayers to the extent one is able.