With official news from Saudi Arabia that the new crescent moon has been sighted a date has been set for Eid al-Fitr – but not in every country. Many countries are yet to declare a sighting of the moon and some will celebrate a day later anyway due to differing dates for the first day of Ramadan.
Eid al-Fitr falls on either the day after the 29th or 30th night of Ramadan depending on when the moon is spotted. But some countries began Ramadan on March 23, like the UK, while others including India and Bangladesh started Ramadan on March 24 and will only start looking for the moon on Friday, April 21.
Many mosques and Muslim organisations in the UK have wished a Ramadan Mubarak and accepted the sighting of the moon in Saudi Arabia as confirmation Eid al-Fitr will begin on Friday. Others may wish to wait for a sighting in the UK, which is still not forecast until Friday, meaning Eid would be celebrated on Saturday.
Read more: Follow live updates on moon sightings here
This year there was always the risk of a "divided Eid, due to the fact a moon sighting was more likely in Saudi Arabia than in the UK. Dr Raja Zahid Nawaz told BirminghamLive: "Unfortunately this year it is very likely that we will have a divided Eid within the UK. This stems from following external countries blindly without even realising or understanding what their moon-sighting systems are."
Around the world some countries have declared Eid al-Fitr will start on Friday following a sighting of the Shawwal moon. Others have already confirmed Eid will begin on Saturday as the moon has not been seen on Thursday night.
We have put together a guide on which countries have recorded moon sightings correct at the time of publishing:
United Kingdom
The new moon has not yet been sighted in the UK, and according to the UK Government it will only be visible on Friday evening. The official forecast includes the relevant sunset and moonset times across the UK.
In Cardiff the sun will set at 8.19pm and the moon should be visible from 10.24pm. In London these times are 8.07pm and 10.11pm respectively.
Saudi Arabia
Although the UK Government's data indicated a sighting in Saudi Arabia was unlikely – something also indicated in a map posted by Al Jazeera – an official sighting has been declared. Saudi Holy Mosques Masjid Al Haram and Masjid Al Nabawi jointly declared the moon was seen in Tumair and Sudair meaning Friday will be the date of Eid al-Fitr in Saudi Arabia and those who follow the Saudi dates.
The Supreme Court had sent observers to Sudair, Tumair, Riyadh, and other cities to sight the moon. It relies mostly on reports from Sudair, where the main moon-sighting committee is based because the town has an ideal elevation and good weather for moon visibility, and also from Tumair, BirminghamLive reports.
UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait
BirminghamLive also reports that many of Saudi Arabia's neighbouring countries have announced a Friday date for Eid but there's an exception in Oman. Eid al-Fitr in the Sultanate of Oman will be on Saturday assuming – as is almost certain – the moon will be sighted there.
Pakistan
News sources in Pakistan indicate Eid will be celebrated on Saturday, April 22, in Pakistan. Pakistan is one of the countries that could in theory celebrate Eid on Friday should the moon be spotted but Arab News reports the head of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee – the moon-sighting committee in Pakistan – said there was no sighting.
He is quoted as saying: "We did not receive any testimonies of the sighting of the moon for the month of Shawwal. Hence it was decided with consensus that the first of Shawwal shall be on Saturday, April 22, and God willing will be the day of Eid Al-Fitr."
India and Bangladesh
India and Bangladesh are examples of countries that will celebrate Eid later than the UK anyway owing to the fact they started the month of Ramadan a day later. This means people in India and Bangladesh will only look for the moon on the night of Friday, April 21.
This means Eid has not yet been declared in India or Bangladesh. The date for the start of Eid is expected to be declared as Saturday, April 22, when the new crescent moon is sighted on Friday evening.
Morocco
Many people have been keeping an eye out for news of a moon sighting in Morocco. It has now been declared, reports Morocco World News, that April 22 will be Eid al-Fitr.
The outlet reports the Ministry of Islamic Affairs in Morocco did not see the crescent moon on Thursday evening meaning Eid would not be celebrated the next day. The moon will be seen in Morocco on Friday night
Australia
In Australia the Australian Fatwa Council has announced Eid al-Fitr will take place on Saturday. The council announced: "Friday, April 21, 2023, will be the last day of the Month of Ramadan. The Day of Eid al-Fitr will be on Saturday, April 22, 2023 and the first day of the Month of Shawwal."
Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Japan, Philippines
The moon-sighting committee of Japan has announced its Eid will be on Saturday as the moon has not been sighted on Thursday night. The Japanese ruling follows that of the Malaysian Islamic authorities and other nearby countries including Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, and Thailand have made the same announcement.
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