Festive prayer on Eid al-Adha: what time does it start, mosque addresses, transport schedules

On Sunday, March 30, Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid al-Adha, the holiday of the end of fasting in the holy month of Ramadan. On this day, mosques across Russia will recite Salat ul-eid, a special festive prayer that takes place only twice a year. Read the Izvestia article about what time the services will begin and which mosques in Moscow will be open to believers.

What time does Eid prayer begin on Eid al-Adha in 2025?

Eid al—Adha is one of the most important Muslim holidays of the year. According to legend, the end of fasting in the holy month of Ramadan was ordered by the Prophet Muhammad himself in 624. Traditionally, on this day, believers arrange lavish feasts, send treats to relatives and friends, "so that there is a smell of food in the house." Before the celebration begins, the head of each family must also pay zakat al-fitr, a speaking tax that is transferred to benefit poor Muslims and used for charitable purposes. It is paid for each family member.

On Eid al-Adha, Eid prayer is performed — a collective festive prayer. It starts 30-40 minutes after dawn.

Dawn in Moscow on March 30, 2025 will begin at 06:05. At the same time, according to the decision of the Council of Muftis of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Russia, festive prayers in honor of Eid al-Adha will be held in the capital's mosques at 07:00. In the Moscow region, divine services will begin at 08:00.

Salat ul-eid: how to perform prayer on Eid al-Fitr (Eid al-Fitr)

Eid prayer on Eid al-Adha is obligatory for all healthy adult male Muslims. Women and children may not perform it or pray at home.

The festive service is preceded by thorough preparation. Before dawn, believers should perform a complete ablution, put on clean clothes and have breakfast. At the same time, the first meal should not be too heavy. For example, you can eat some fruits or nuts.

On Eid al-Adha, it is recommended to go to the mosque by one way, and return from it by another. If possible, alms should be given on the way.

Eid al-Adha in 2025: the secrets of the feast of thanksgiving after holy Ramadan

In some regions of Russia, there will be an additional day off on this day.

Salat ul-eid consists of two rakats (a complete cycle of movements and words in prayer). It is read by all parishioners together with the imam.

Before performing prayer, it is necessary to state the intention (niyat): "I intend to recite two rakats of the Eid al-Fitr prayer, I follow this imam. For the sake of Allah Almighty. Allahu Akbar." Then the believers recite takbir (praise) and dua sana. After three repetitions, raise your hands to your earlobes and say takbir again.

At the next stage of the prayer, the imam reads aloud the surahs (individual chapters of the Quran), and also performs waist (rukug) and ground (sajda) bows. Then he raises his hands to his ears three times and says takbir, and on the fourth time he bows to the ground. After that, the prayer ends, followed by two sermons and instructions.

Which mosques in Moscow and the region will have prayer: address, metro, how to get there

The celebration of Eid al-Adha will take place in three metropolitan mosques: the Moscow Cathedral, the Historical and Memorial mosque "Shuhada" on Poklonnaya Gora. In each of them, the solemn service will begin at 07:00.

The Moscow Cathedral Mosque is located at 7 Vypolzov Lane. The nearest metro station is Prospekt Mira, but in order to avoid pandemonium, the Duma recommends that believers use other stations: Sukharevskaya, Dostoevskaya, Komsomolskaya, Tsvetnoy Boulevard, Trubnaya and Rizhskaya.

You can walk from Sukharevskaya to the mosque or take the m2 bus to the Aptekarsky Ogorod stop. In both cases, the journey will take about 20 minutes. Two trams run from Dostoevskaya station towards the mosque: No. 7 and No. 50. You need to get off at the Durov Animal Theater bus stop. Parishioners departing from Komsomolskaya station can use the same trams, but they will have to get off at the Shchepkina Street stop.

There are three buses running from Tsvetnoy Boulevard and Trubnaya to the Cathedral Mosque: M53, 538 and M5. The nearest bus stop to your destination is 1st Troitskiy Lane, and you'll have to walk about 500 m from there. You can get from Rizhskaya station by buses 903 and m2. The desired stop is called the Prospekt Mira Metro station.

The historical mosque is located on Bolshaya Tatarskaya Street, 28, building 1. Next to it, in a 6-7—minute walk, there are two metro stations - Tretyakovskaya and Novokuznetsk. You won't be able to get from Tretyakovskaya by public transport, and tram No. 3 runs from Novokuznetsk almost to the mosque itself.

The holy month of Ramadan in 2025: dates, strict prohibitions on what Muslims can eat

Ramadan will begin on February 28 and end on March 29, and Muslims will celebrate Eid al-Adha the next day.

The Shuhada Memorial Mosque is located at 2b Minskaya Street. The fastest way to reach it is from the Minskaya metro station and the MCD-4 station of the same name. Both of them are within walking distance — it will take about five minutes to get there.

In 2025, the Moscow government also allocated a special platform for the celebration of Eid al-Adha prayer. It is located in the Pechatniki district on the territory of the Technical Sports Park. The service there will begin at the same time as in the mosques, at 07:00.

Festive prayers will also be held in 33 urban districts of the Moscow region. Residents of Khimki, Ramenskoye, Pushkino, Podolsk, Pavlovsky Posad, Istra, Mytishchi, Balashikha and other settlements will be able to attend the services. The full list of addresses is published on the website of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Moscow region.

Transport schedules and traffic during the Eid al-Adha holiday

In connection with the celebration of Eid al-Adha in Moscow, the routes of some buses will temporarily change. This is necessary for the convenience of parishioners and ordinary citizens.

So, on March 30, from 07:00 until the end of the services, the stops "Olympic Sports Complex", "1st Troitskiy Lane" and "Samotechnaya Street" will not work on the routes m5, m53 and 538 towards the metro stations "Dostoevskaya" and "Maryina Roscha". The Mosgortrans press service recommends passengers to use the Durov Theater of Beasts, the House of War Veterans and the Tsvetnoy Boulevard metro station.

On the same day, from 06:00 to 10:00, bus 292 will temporarily run to the Kuryanovsky terminal instead of the Kuryanovo MDC station.

Significant changes in the movement of public transport are expected on Khachaturian Street in the Otradnoye district. From 03:30 until the end of the festive services, buses m54 and 803 will run along Altufyevsky Highway and Dekabristov Street. Instead of Khachaturian and Kargopolskaya Streets, the c6 bus will go along Dekabristov Street to Bestuzhev Street, and back along the usual route. Bus 598 will also bypass Khachaturian Street along Dekabristov Street.

The stops "Children's Polyclinic", "New Jerusalem", "Sannikova Street", "Kargopolskaya Street" and "Kargopolskaya Street, 10" will also temporarily stop working.

Earlier, Izvestia shared Eid al-Adha greeting cards and greetings.