7 Sunah to observe before Eid prayer

Having observed the commandment of Allah for a month in Ramadan, it is time to celebrate with friends, family and neighbors. Eid-ul-Fitr is here!

Eid-ul-Fitr literally is the festival of breaking of fast which is observed at the end of Ramadan fasting.

It is a day for Muslims to rejoice, praise and glorify Allah for seeing us through Ramadan and granting us the strength to observe the holy month.

Alhamdulillah, Ramadan is coming to an end and every Muslim home is preparing for the festival that comes after it. Allah has granted us this day to celebrate and rejoice, it would be dull to deny ourselves the enjoyment therein.

However, while we are thinking about how we'll spend the day, let us remind ourselves the prescribed sunah of Eid-ul-Fitr.

1. Wake up early in the morning: To prepare for Eid-ul-Fitr, it is ideal for us to wake up very early. Observe Subh (the early morning prayer) and do other things that need to be done.

2. Miswak: Personal hygiene is very paramount in Islam. In fact the prophet said that cleanliness is part of faith. So cleaning your teeth with miswak or brush is encouraged before going to Eid prayer. It is not proper to attend Eid prayer with stinking mouth because you were running late. This is one of the reasons you have to wake up early.

3. Take a bath: Taking ritual bath is another sunah of the prophet. This bath is done the same way we do Jumu'ah and Janabah bath.

4. Wear your best clothes. Eid-ul-Fitr is a day to celebrate and rejoice with one another. The prophet enjoined us to put on our best available clothing to the Eid ground. Everyone deserves to be happy on this day.

5. Wearing Perfume. Wearing of perfume is one of the beautiful things the sunah of the prophet encouraged on this day. It is permissible for men to wear nice perfume to Eid ground but Islam discourages women from wearing perfume in public.

6. Eating sweet food. It is also the sunah of the prophet to eat sweet foods preferably dates before the Eid prayer.

7. Reciting Takbir. Remembrance of Allah is important in Islam. On our way to the prayer ground we should silently remember Allah with this Takbir.

Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La illaha Illa Allahu Akbar, Walillahil hamd.

This is the practice of prophet Muhammad (SAW) regarding Eid-ul-Fitr prayer. And as we prepare to celebrate this festival, let us not forget to observe these sunah of the noble prophet.

Eid Mubarak !