Its Time
The sunnah for the khutbah (speech) is to follow the Eid prayer. Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be please with him) said:
"I attended the Eid with Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him), Abu Bakr, `Umar, and `Uthman (may Allah be please with him); all of them would pray before the khutbah."
Ibn `Umar (may Allah be please with him) said:
"The Prophet (peace be upon him), Abu Bakr, and `Umar prayed the Eid (prayers) before the khutbah."
Al-Bukhari headed these Hadiths with the title, "The Chapter on Holding the khutbah after the Eid Prayer." Waliyyullah ad-Dahlawi commented on this by saying:
"He means that this (performing the prayer before the khutbah) was the sunnah of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him), and the practice of the Righteous Khulafa' (Successors, may Allah be please with him) after him. The change that came later (switching the khutbah and the prayer) is an innovation done by Marwan."
This is stated clearly by Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allah be please with him) who said:
"On the day of al-Fitr and al-Adha, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to go out (from his house) to the musalla, and the first thing that he did was perform the prayer. Then he turned around and stood facing the people, while they were sitting in their rows. He admonished, advised, and commanded them.
After that, if he wished to send an expedition, or give some orders, he would do so; then he would depart.
The people followed this tradition until I went out with Marwan, when he was the amir (ruler) of al-Madinah, for the prayer of Eidul-Adha or Eidul-Fitr. When he reached the musalla, I found a minbar (raised steps to address people from), which was built by Kathir Bin as-Salt. Marwan started to mount the minbar before the prayer. I grabbed his shirt, but he yanked it back, ascended the minbar, and delivered the khutbah before the prayer. I said to him, 'By Allah, you have changed (the sunnah).' He replied, 'O Abu Sa'eed, that which you know is gone!' I said, 'By Allah, that which I know is better than that which I do not.' So he explained, 'People would not sit to listen when it was after the prayer, so I made it before it.' "
Imam at-Tirmithi commented:
"This is the acceptable practice among the people of knowledge among the Prophet's (peace be upon him) companions and others: that the Eid prayer should precede the khutbah. It is reported that the first one to offer the khutbah before the prayer was Marwan Bin al-Hakam."
Takbir At The Beginning Of The Khutbah?
Some imams start this khutbah with Takbir. This does not have any basis in the Sunnah. There is a weak Hadith that some people use as their evidence. Al-Albani said in this regard:
"The Hadith reported from Sa`dul-Qarz that, "The Prophet (peace be upon him) would say Takbir often during his khutbah, and he said it more often during the Eid khutbahs." - is a weak Hadith. Besides, it does not indicate starting the khutbah with Takbir, but only that he used to say it frequently during it."
Thus, this khutbah, like any other one, should be started with praising and glorifying Allah. Ibnul-Qayyim said:
"Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) used to begin all of his khutbahs with al-hamdu lillah. Not even one authentic Hadith indicates that he started the Eid's khutbah with Takbir."
One Or Two Khutbahs?
There is no authentic Hadith indicating that the Eid khutbah is to be divided into two parts separated with a sitting (as for Jumu`ah). The only report in this regard is very weak.
Thus, the khutbah should be kept as one unit, which is consistent with the original understanding and practice.
Standing On A Minbar?
It is not permissible to bring out a minbar to the musalla or to build a fixed one. This follows from the above mentioned Hadith of Abu Sa'eed (may Allah be please with him) where he said, "... Then he (peace be upon him) turned around and stood facing the people, while they were sitting in their rows. He admonished, advised, and commanded them," which makes it clear that he did not mount a minbar. Also, he (May Allah be please with him) said to Marwan, "By Allah, you have changed (the Sunnah)." His objection here refers to two things: building the minbar, and delivering the khutbah before the prayer.
Also, Jabir Bin `Abdillah (may Allah be please with him) reported:
"I witnessed with Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) the prayer on an Eid day. He started with the prayer, before the khutbah, without Athan or Iqamah. Then he stood, leaning on Bilal, and commanded people to fear Allah..."
This clearly indicates that he was not standing on a minbar during the khutbah.
Listening To The Khutbah
Attending the khutbah is not wajib, as is the case for attending the prayer. `Abdullah Bin as-Sa'ib reported that he attended the Eid with the Prophet (peace be upon him); and when he (peace be upon him) finished the prayer, he said:
We shall have a khutbah; so let whoever wishes to sit for the khutbah do so, and whoever wishes to leave.
Ibnul-Qayyim commented:
"He (peace be upon him) gave choice for those who attended the Eid to either sit for the khutbah or leave."
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