Missed Eid Prayer

Q: What should I do regarding the Eid prayer if I miss the entire service altogether?

A: The Eid prayer is considered a communal obligation (farḍ kifāyah), not an individual obligation upon every single person.

The jurists therefore state that it is recommended for the person who missed the Eid prayer with the imam to make it up later that same day, whether before or after zawāl, and to pray it in its normal manner with the additional takbīrs. This is based upon the practice of Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) and because it is treated as the making up of a prayer, which is therefore performed according to its original description.

The prayer may be performed individually or even with a small congregation (less than 40), since the communal obligation has already been fulfilled by the original congregation. The jurists therefore describe the make-up prayer as taking the ruling of a voluntary act in this circumstance.

Sources: Sharḥ Muntahā al-Irādāt, Kashshāf al-Qināʿ, Maṭālib Ūlī al-Nuhā.