Question:
If the mosque where I pray does not conduct the Eid prayer according to the Sunnah, should I still follow them? Or should I pray alone at home? Is it correct to oppose the mosque congregation?
Answer:
According to the Hanafi madhhab, they say three extra Takbirs in the first rak‘ah and three in the second, totaling six. Their justification comes from a statement attributed to Abdullah ibn Mas’ud. In their legal books such as Al-Hidayah, they mention that Ibn Mas‘ud said the Takbirs should be three and three.
But notice something important. They do not present a hadith from the Prophetﷺ saying three and three.
Instead, they say: Ibn Mas‘ud said this, therefore we follow it. But authentic hadith reports state that the Prophetﷺ said seven Takbirs in the first rak‘ah and five in the second.
So, the Sunnah is seven and five, totaling twelve.
The Hanafi practice reduces this to six.
Therefore, the numbers differ. They also differ in when the Takbirs are said.
According to hadith, the Takbirs should be said before recitation in both rak‘ahs. But the Hanafi method changes the order.
Additionally, in their madhhab they usually do not raise the hands during certain movements like going into ruku‘ or rising from it. But during Eid prayer they raise their hands repeatedly, claiming that the Prophetﷺ raised his hands at seven places, including Eid Takbirs.
However, there is no authentic hadith stating that Eid Takbirs are among those seven instances. So that claim has no authentic basis.
Therefore, confusion arises. If the prayer method itself differs from the Sunnah, what should a person do?
Eid prayer occurs only once or twice a year. If the method itself is altered, it becomes difficult to maintain the Sunnah while following them. In such a case, it is permissible to pray with your family or a small group, performing the Eid prayer according to the Sunnah.
You do not necessarily have to follow an imam whose method contradicts the Sunnah.
Even if two or three people gather together, one of them can lead the prayer and perform the Eid prayer properly.