What is the prescribed time for performing the Eid prayer?
Chapter on the Two Eid Prayers
Al-Mughni
Book of Friday Prayer
Primary text
The time for the Eid prayer is from when the sun rises to the height of a spear's length until the zenith (*qayamat al-dhahirah*), which is between the two prohibited times for voluntary prayer. This is based on the Prophet's ﷺ prohibition on praying when the sun is rising until it has risen significantly, as reported by 'Uqbah ibn 'Amir. If the prayer were permissible before that time, fixing the time to the rising of the sun without textual basis would be arbitrary, which is impermissible.
Supporting text
The companions of Al-Shafi'i hold that the earliest time is sunrise, based on the report of 'Abdullah ibn Busr being displeased by the Imam's delay, suggesting they were finished by that time (the time of *Salat al-Tasbih*). However, this is refuted because the Prophet ﷺ would not habitually perform a disliked or less preferable act, and the consensus is that performing it earlier is disliked.