Eidgah

Piazza of Masjid al Nabawi sheltered by shading umbrellas
Farhad Khan's Shahi Eidgah in Sylhet, Bangladesh
Shahi Eid Gah Mosque, Multan, Pakistan

Eidgah or Idgah, also Eid Gah or Id Gah (Persian: عیدگاه "site of Eid [observances]"; Bengali: ঈদগাহ; Punjabi: عید گاہ; Urdu: عید گاہ; Hindi: ईदगाह) is a term used in South Asian Islamic culture for the open-air enclosure usually outside the city (or at the outskirts) reserved for Eid prayers offered in the morning of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. It is usually a public place that is not used for prayers at other times of the year.[1] On the day of Eid, the first thing Muslims do in the morning is gather usually at a large open ground and offer special prayers,[2][3] in accordance with the Sunnah (traditions of Muhammad).[4] Although the usage of the term Eidgah is of Indian origin, it may be used for the musalla, the open space outside a mosque, or other open grounds where Eid prayers are performed, due to the lack of a specific Islamic term for a site of Eid observance. The Eidgah is mentioned in the famous Bengali poem by Kazi Nazrul Islam, O Mon Romzaner Oi Rozar Sheshe.

  1. ^ "Special prayers in Idgah seeking divine blessings, eternal peace". The Hindu. 2010-09-10. Archived from the original on 19 September 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  2. ^ "Traffic curbs on Eid". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  3. ^ "Traffic restrictions imposed for Eid prayers". Siasat Daily. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  4. ^ "Eidgah". islamsa.org.za. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 23 April 2018.