The month of Ramadan is about to end and Muslims all over the world are now waiting for Eid. There is no clear information yet regarding whether Eid will be held after 29 fasts or for full 30 fasts this year. Meanwhile, a big update regarding the moon has come from Saudi Arabia. The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia has appealed to Muslims across the country to try to see the moon on the evening of Wednesday, March 18. This means that if the moon is visible on Wednesday then Eid can be celebrated in Saudi on Thursday i.e. 19th March. Because generally Eid is celebrated a day after Saudi Arabia in India, in such a situation if Eid is celebrated there on 19th then in India the festival of Eid can also be celebrated on 20th March i.e. Friday. However, the final decision is taken only after seeing the moon.
The Saudi Supreme Court said in an official statement issued on Monday that according to the ‘Umm al-Qura’ calendar, Wednesday will be the 29th day of Ramadan 1447 Hijri. In such a situation, in view of the possibility of seeing the moon on the same evening, citizens have been requested to cooperate in seeing the moon. According to the statement issued by the court, if the Shawwal moon is visible on Wednesday evening, then Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on Thursday. Whereas if the moon is not seen, the month of Ramadan will be of 30 days and Eid will be celebrated on the next day.
Saudi SC will make final announcement regarding Eid
The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia said that whoever sees the moon, whether with open eyes or with the help of a telescope, should inform the nearest court to record his testimony. For this, local administrative centers can also be contacted. The statement said that official committees will gather at high places in different areas of the country at sunset on Wednesday to see the moon in Saudi Arabia. The Supreme Court will make the final announcement regarding Eid only after confirming all the testimonies related to the sighting of the moon.
Eid will be held in India on Friday or Saturday
Eid is celebrated a day before India in Gulf countries. Actually, 29 fasts will be completed in India on Thursday. After this the moon will be seen. If the moon is visible then Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on Friday. Or if the moon is not visible then the 30th fast of Ramadan month will be observed on Friday and then Eid will be celebrated on Saturday. One thing has to be understood here that if the moon is visible in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, then Eid will be celebrated there on Thursday. In such a situation, Eid can be celebrated again on Friday in India.
How is the date of Eid decided?
The Islamic calendar is based on the moon, so the date of Eid-ul-Fitr changes every year. This festival is celebrated on the first date of Shawwal month, which announces the end of Ramadan. The most important way to decide the date of Eid is to sight the moon. If the moon is visible on the 29th day of Ramadan, then Eid is celebrated on the next day. But if the moon is not seen, then Ramadan is completed for 30 days and after that Eid is celebrated.
Eid is announced only on sighting of the moon
Because the time and position of the moon’s appearance varies from country to country, Eid is celebrated on different days in different parts of the world. Many Islamic countries form official committees for moon sighting, which take decisions on scientific and religious grounds. In some places people also celebrate Eid on the basis of Saudi Arabia’s announcement. Therefore, the exact date of Eid is decided only after the sighting of the moon.