Write "Eid Mubarak", the person's name, a wish for a happy day with their family, and one detail that belongs to them. Sign with your first name. That is enough for either Eid. "Eid Mubarak" means "blessed festival" and is right for family, neighbours, colleagues and customers alike. Leave Quranic verses off the card. Twenty messages to copy follow, with the greeting in Arabic and Urdu.
What do you write in an Eid card?
Start with "Eid Mubarak". Add a wish: a happy day, good food, family close by, a good year. Then add the detail that makes it yours, such as the biryani your aunt is known for or the new clothes the children chose. Sign with your name. Three or four lines is plenty, and the same shape works for both Eids.
There are two Eids each year. Eid al-Fitr ends Ramadan, the month of fasting. Eid al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, comes about ten weeks later, at the time of the Hajj pilgrimage. The UAE's Astronomy Centre expects Eid al-Fitr on 9 or 10 March 2027 and Eid al-Adha on 16 or 17 May 2027, and the final dates depend on the sighting of the moon (Khaleej Times).
A great many people keep these days. Pew Research Center counts 2.0 billion Muslims worldwide in 2020, which is 25.6 per cent of the world's people (Pew Research Center). Pew's estimate for the United States was about 3.45 million Muslims in 2017 (Pew Research Center). In England and Wales, the 2021 census counted 3.9 million, or 6.5 per cent of the population (Office for National Statistics).
How do you write Eid Mubarak in Arabic and Urdu?
In Arabic, write عيد مبارك. In Urdu, write عید مبارک. Both are said "Eid Mubarak" and mean "blessed festival". The two look almost the same, but Urdu uses slightly different letter shapes. Arabic and Urdu are written from right to left. One line in the reader's script, then the rest in the language you share, is a kind touch.
| Language | Greeting | How to say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic | عيد مبارك | Eid Mubarak | Blessed festival |
| Arabic | عيد سعيد | Eid Saeed | Happy Eid |
| Arabic | كل عام وأنتم بخير | Kul 'aam wa antum bikhair | May you be well every year |
| Urdu | عید مبارک | Eid Mubarak | Blessed festival |
| Urdu | آپ کو عید مبارک | Aap ko Eid Mubarak | Eid Mubarak to you |
| Urdu, the reply | خیر مبارک | Khair Mubarak | Blessings to you too |
For Eid al-Adha you can write the same "Eid Mubarak". No separate greeting is needed.
MailMyCard writes with a real pen in 112 languages and scripts, Arabic and Urdu among them. Type the greeting in its own script and the pen writes it that way, right to left.
What should you not put on an Eid card?
Do not put Quranic verses or the name of God on a card. A card may end up in a bin, and many Muslims hold that paper carrying those words must be disposed of with care. "Eid Mubarak" carries neither, so it is safe. Also leave out pictures of people and animals, jokes about fasting, and anything that sells.
The care over disposal is real. A ruling published by IslamWeb says paper carrying Quranic verses or the name of Allah should be burned, buried or shredded, not thrown away (IslamWeb). If you print a verse on a card, you hand the reader that task. This is also why some spoken Eid greetings, which name God, are better said in person than written on card.
A few more things to leave off:
- Pictures of people or animals. Geometric patterns, a crescent moon, a lantern or flowers are welcome everywhere.
- Alcohol, or food you are not sure about, if the card travels with a gift.
- "Happy Ramadan" on an Eid card. Ramadan is the fasting month. Eid comes after it.
- A discount code. More on that below.
Eid messages for family
Dear Ammi and Abbu, عید مبارک. This is my second Eid away and I miss the noise of the house. Keep some sheer khurma for me. I will call after the prayer. Your son, Bilal
Dear Nano, Eid Mubarak. I wore the bangles you gave me last year. Everyone asked where they came from and I said Lahore, from the best grandmother. Love, Zainab
Dear Yusuf, Eid Mubarak, big brother. First Eid in your own home. I hear Amira made your mother's biryani and that it was nearly as good. Hamza
Dear Khala Samina, عید مبارک. The children still talk about the Eidi you slipped into their pockets when you visited. You have spoiled them for life. With love, Hina
Dear Fatima and Omar, Eid Mubarak to you and little Idris on his first Eid. May he sleep through the night as a gift to you both. Aunt Noor
Dear Baba, عيد مبارك. كل عام وأنتم بخير. I know the house in Amman is quieter this year. We are coming in the summer, all four of us. Your daughter, Layla
Eid messages for neighbours and friends
Dear Mr and Mrs Siddiqui, Eid Mubarak from number 14. Thank you for the plate of samosas last year. We have not stopped talking about them. Carol and Dave
Dear Aisha, Eid Mubarak. I hope the day is full of family and that someone else does the washing up for once. See you at the school gate. Emma
Dear Tariq, Eid Mubarak, my friend. Thirty days of fasting through exam season. I do not know how you did it. Enjoy every bite today. Josh
Dear Rukhsana, Eid Mubarak. It is your first Eid since your mother passed. We are thinking of you and we are here. Margaret next door
Dear Ibrahim, Eid Mubarak. Thank you for teaching our boys to fly a kite in the park this spring. Have a wonderful day with your family. The Patels
Eid messages for colleagues
Dear Mariam, Eid Mubarak. You ran the quarter-end close while fasting and never once complained. Enjoy the days off. You have earned them. Priya
Dear Ahmed, Eid Mubarak to you and your family. Five years on the team this spring. The night shift runs well because of you. Thank you. Stephen
Dear Sana, Eid Mubarak. Thank you for bringing in your mother's baklava last year. The whole floor is hoping for a repeat. Have a lovely break. Daniel
Dear Dr Hussain, Eid Mubarak. The ward noticed how many Eids you have worked so that others could be home. We hope this one is yours. Nurse Kelly
Dear Faisal, Eid Mubarak. I hope the drive to Bradford is quick and the table is full. See you on Thursday. Rachel
Eid messages for customers
Dear Mrs Rahman, Eid Mubarak from all of us at the shop. Thank you for ordering your Eid cake from us for six years running. It is an honour. Nadia
Dear Mr Qureshi, Eid Mubarak to you and your family. Thank you for trusting us with the new kitchen in time for Ramadan. I hope it fed a crowd. Tom
Dear Shazia, Eid Mubarak. You have been with our practice since we opened. Wishing you and the children a happy day. Dr Khan
Dear Mr Aziz, Eid Mubarak. Thank you for your business this year, and for the tea every time I call at the warehouse. Warm wishes, Anita
Keep a customer card free of offers. In a 2022 study of 1,232 customers of an online beauty shop, a handwritten thank-you note roughly doubled later spending, from $25.97 to $52.07. A typed note did nothing, and the effect faded when a coupon was attached (Science Says, summarising Kim, Choi and Kim). That was a thank-you note, not an Eid card, so do not expect the same number. The lesson carries over: a greeting with a discount code reads like an advert. For a fuller guide to business greetings, see our business holiday card messages.
People also hold back from writing because they think it will feel awkward. Amit Kumar and Nicholas Epley found in 2018 that people who wrote letters of thanks underestimated how pleased the reader would be and overestimated the awkwardness (Psychological Science). A neighbour who is not sure whether to send an Eid card should send it.
When should you post an Eid card?
Post so the card arrives in the week before Eid. The date can move by a day with the moon, so do not aim for the day itself. For an address in India, order about two weeks ahead. For an address abroad, order four weeks ahead, since international post takes one to three weeks. For Eid al-Fitr, that means ordering around the start of Ramadan.
| Moment | Order by | What can trigger it |
|---|---|---|
| Eid al-Fitr, family abroad | The first week of Ramadan | You, on the site |
| Eid al-Fitr, family in India | Two weeks before Eid | You, on the site |
| Eid al-Adha, either | Two to four weeks before | You, on the site |
| Customers | Four to five weeks before | A Google Sheet we watch, or Shopify, HubSpot, Zoho |
| Colleagues at home addresses | Four weeks before | A Google Sheet or Zapier |
MailMyCard posts from India and cannot promise an exact day. The delivery time calculator turns the window into dates for any country. Because both Eids move about eleven days earlier each year, a yearly Schedule needs its date checked each time.
A single card is $14.99. Businesses sending 50 or more agree a price per card, from $8.99 for a pilot of 50 and falling with volume, on the For business page. Teams with their own systems can use the API in the developer docs. A card can also carry a QR code that opens a voice note or photos, so a grandparent can hear the children say "Eid Mubarak" themselves.
Questions people ask
Can a non-Muslim send an Eid card?
Yes. "Eid Mubarak" from a neighbour, friend or colleague is welcome. You do not need any Arabic beyond those two words. Keep it plain, wish them a happy day with family, and sign your name.
Is the greeting different for Eid al-Adha?
No. "Eid Mubarak" is right for both. Some people write "Eid al-Adha Mubarak" to be exact. If the person has just returned from the Hajj pilgrimage, you can add a line to welcome them home.
What is the reply to Eid Mubarak?
"Khair Mubarak" is the usual reply in Urdu, and many people simply say "Eid Mubarak" back.
Is it all right if the card arrives after Eid?
A few days late is fine. Eid al-Fitr is kept for up to three days and visits go on through the week. If you are very late, write "belated Eid Mubarak" and send it anyway.
Sources
- Khaleej Times, likely 2027 dates for Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, from the UAE Astronomy Centre: khaleejtimes.com
- Pew Research Center (2025), "How the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020": pewresearch.org
- Pew Research Center (2018), "New estimates show U.S. Muslim population continues to grow": pewresearch.org
- Office for National Statistics, "Religion, England and Wales: Census 2021": ons.gov.uk
- IslamWeb, fatwa 85092, "Disposing of verses of Quran in publications": islamweb.net
- Kim, S., Choi, J. and Kim, S. H. (2022), Journal of Interactive Marketing, summarised by Science Says
- Kumar, A. and Epley, N. (2018), "Undervaluing Gratitude", Psychological Science: psychologicalscience.org
