Eid ul-Fitr 2027

Also called and spelled: Eid al-Fitr, Choti Eid, Meethi Eid, the festival of breaking the fast, Eid al Fitr, Eid ul Fitr, Eid-ul-Fitr, Choti Eid, Meethi Eid, Ramzan Eid.

Eid ul-Fitr is the festival that ends Ramadan. It falls on the 1st of Shawwal, the day after the last fast, and begins with a special Eid prayer in the morning. In Pakistan, India and Bangladesh it is also called Choti Eid or Meethi Eid, after the sheer khurma and sewaiyan cooked in almost every home.

Chand raat: how Eid is confirmed

Eid cannot be fixed months ahead, because Ramadan has 29 or 30 days. On the evening of 29 Ramadan, moon sighting committees look for the Shawwal crescent. In Pakistan the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee meets that evening with its zonal committees; in India announcements come from city Ruet-e-Hilal committees and bodies such as the Imarat-e-Shariah.

• If the crescent is seen, Ramadan ends with 29 fasts and Eid is the next morning. That evening is chand raat, with its bazaars, mehndi and last-minute shopping.
• If it is not seen, Ramadan completes 30 days and Eid is a day later.

The date above is the one expected by the calendar, which is right in most years. Keep the 30th fast possible in your plans until the committee announces.

The Sunnahs of Eid day

1. Ghusl and your best clothes. Abdullah ibn Umar used to bathe before going out for the Eid prayer (Muwatta Malik), and wearing your best clothes is the practice of the Companions.
2. Eat before the prayer. The Prophet (ﷺ) did not go out on the morning of Eid ul-Fitr until he had eaten some dates, an odd number of them (Sahih al-Bukhari 953). This is the reverse of Eid ul-Adha.
3. Pay Sadaqat al-Fitr before the prayer, if you have not already.
4. Say the takbir on the way to the prayer: Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, la ilaha illallah, wallahu akbar, Allahu akbar wa lillahil hamd.
5. Go one way, return another. The Prophet (ﷺ) took a different road back from the Eid prayer (Sahih al-Bukhari 986).
6. Greet each other. The Companions greeted one another with Taqabbal Allahu minna wa minkum, "May Allah accept from us and from you". "Eid Mubarak" is the everyday greeting in South Asia.

Sadaqat al-Fitr (fitrana)

Sadaqat al-Fitr is a small charity due from every Muslim who has the means, on behalf of themselves and those they support, including children. Ibn Umar reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) made it obligatory as a measure (sa') of dates or barley on every Muslim, young or old, and ordered that it be given before people go out to the prayer (Sahih al-Bukhari 1503).

• When: before the Eid prayer at the latest. Many scholars, including the Hanafis, allow paying it earlier in Ramadan, which gives poor families time to prepare for Eid.
• How much: in Pakistan and India religious bodies announce the amount each year from the local price of wheat or flour, barley, dates and raisins. Pay at least the amount for wheat, or more if you can.
• Who receives it: poor and needy Muslims, the same people who may receive zakat.

The Eid prayer

The Eid prayer is two rak'ahs in congregation, prayed after the sun has risen and before midday. It has no adhan and no iqamah (Sahih Muslim 887). The khutbah comes after the prayer, not before as on Friday.

• Extra takbirs: in the Hanafi way, three extra takbirs are said in each rak'ah, before the recitation in the first and before ruku' in the second. The Shafi'i way has seven in the first rak'ah and five in the second. Follow your imam.
• Is it obligatory? Hanafi scholars hold the Eid prayer to be wajib for those who must attend Jumu'ah; the Shafi'i and Maliki schools call it a stressed Sunnah.
• Women and children: the Prophet (ﷺ) told women, including those not praying, to come out to the Eid gathering to share in the good and the dua (Sahih al-Bukhari 324).

Eid in Pakistan and India

Eid morning starts with the prayer in the Eidgah or the mosque, then embraces and "Eid Mubarak" with neighbours. Children collect Eidi, gifts of money from elders. Sheer khurma, sewaiyan and biryani go round the family, and the day is spent visiting relatives, often over two or three days. The Pakistani government usually announces several days of public holiday, and many people travel home to their villages for Eid.

After Eid: the six fasts of Shawwal

Fasting on the day of Eid itself is not allowed; the Prophet (ﷺ) forbade fasting on the two days of Eid (Sahih Muslim 1137). From the next day, many Muslims keep six voluntary fasts in Shawwal. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that whoever fasts Ramadan and follows it with six days of Shawwal, it is as if he fasted the whole year (Sahih Muslim 1164). They can be kept together or spread out before the month ends. If you owe fasts from Ramadan, scholars advise making those up first where you can.

Eid ul-Fitr 2027 date by country

The Gregorian date of Eid ul-Fitr depends on whether a country follows its own moon sighting or the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia.

Eid ul-Fitr dates for the next five years

Like every Islamic date, Eid ul-Fitr comes about 11 days earlier each Gregorian year. Dates are expected by the calendar and confirmed by moon sighting.