Riyadh, (S.A);- The moon sighting committee in Saudi Arabia Monday evening confirmed that the Shawwal crescent could not be sighted in the Kingdom meaning Tuesday, 9 April will mark the completion of Ramadan (30 days) and Eid al-Fitr will fall on Wednesday, 10 April 2024.
Customarily, the sighting of the Shawwal moon marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid Al Fitr.
The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia had earlier on Monday called on all Muslims across the Kingdom to sight the Shawwal crescent on the evening of the 29th day of Ramadan, the fasting period which started on March 11.
The crescent moon was however not sighted by the Muslims in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Turkey, Iran and other countries in the Middle East on April 8 evening, after breaking the Ramadan fast at maghrib.
This therefore means there will be Ramadan on Tuesday, April 09 and the day of Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated the next day i.e. on April 10, 2024, which will see Muslims observe a 30-day fast this Ramadan instead of 29 days.
“Eid” which means “celebration” and “Fitr” means “breaking of the fast,” is celebrated by Muslims worldwide although the exact date of the festival varies each year, as Islam follows a lunar calendar that is based on the sighting of the new moon.
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