Nafl Salah on the day of Eid

Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) recommended performing two Rak'aat Salah after sunrise. According to a Hadith found in Tirmizi, Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:

"The one, who performs the Salah of Fajr in congregation and then remains sitting while making Zikrullah until sunrise and then he performs two Rak'aat, will get the reward similar to the reward of a complete Hajj and 'Umrah."

However, despite that, Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) did not perform any Nafil Salah on the day of Eid and Baqr’eid before performing the Salah of Eid, neither at home nor at the "Musallah" (Eid-gah).

According to a Hadith found in Saheeh Bukhari, Hazrat Abdullah Bin Abbaas (Radiyallahu Anhu) reported that Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) had performed two Rak'aat of Salah on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr. He did not perform any Salah (Nafl) neither before nor after that. However, according to another Hadith found in Ibn Maajah, Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) was performing two Rak'aat on his return home.

This shows that if a person wants to perform Nafl Salah, he can perform it when he return back home after the Salah of Eid. This means that he cannot perform Nafl Salah at home before performing the Salah of Eid. Similarly, he cannot do it at the Eid-gah or in the Masjid before the Salah of Eid. And after the Salah of Eid also, he cannot perform it in the Masjid nor in the Eid-gah. It is only after the Salah of Eid that he can perform it when he returns back home.

[English version of "Namaz Nafil jour Eid" – Al Jamiat – Vol.3 No.9]