‘Moon not sighted’: Saudi Arabia declares Wednesday Eid-el-Fitr

Saudi Arabia has announced that the Eid-el-Fitr marking the end of the Ramadan fast would hold on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Saudi Arabia, on Monday, April 8, said the new moon of Shawwal 1445AH has not been sighted, indicating that the fasting will continue on Tuesday.

“Supreme Court declares tomorrow the last day of Ramadan and Wednesday the first day of Eid Al-Fitr,” the official Saudi Press Agency said on its X account.

The timing of Eid-el-Fitr is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, in accordance with the Muslim lunar calendar.

However, the crescent moon was not visible on Monday.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar also announced that Eid-el-Fitr, a holiday normally celebrated with family gatherings, would begin on Wednesday.

The daytime fasting month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam.

Observant Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk, and traditionally gather with family and friends to break their fast in the evening.

Eid-el-Fitr: Sultan orders Muslims to look for new moon on Monday

Ramadan is also a time for prayer, with the faithful converging in large numbers on mosques, especially at night.

Fasting is widely practised in Saudi Arabia, home of the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.

Saudis are expected to observe a four-day holiday for Eid-el-Fitr.

In Nigeria, the Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the National Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Sa’ad Abubakar, on Sunday, directed the Muslim faithful to look for the new moon of Shawwal on Monday.

Across the Muslim world, Ramadan festivities this year were overshadowed by the war in Gaza, where Israel’s military campaign to eradicate Hamas has killed at least 33,207 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

The war was sparked by the October 7 attack against Israel by Hamas militants that resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, Israeli figures show.

Palestinian militants also took more than 250 Israeli and foreign hostages, 129 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the army says are dead.

Talks on a ceasefire have resumed in Cairo, Egypt, but no breakthrough has yet been announced.

Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar, follows Ramadan, marking the commencement of the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.

The month symbolises a new beginning and spiritual rejuvenation after a month of purification, offering ample opportunities to sustain the positive habits cultivated during Ramadan.

The Star