Shawwal moon not sighted in Saudi Arabia, Eidul Fitr to fall on Wednesday

Saudi Arabia has announced that Eidul Fitr will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 10, as the Shawwal crescent moon was not sighted in the kingdom on Monday.

Islamabad: Shawwal moon not sighted in Saudi Arabia, Eidul Fitr to fall on Wednesday. Despite a pre-scheduled meeting of Saudi Arabia’s “Moon Sighting Committee,” no moon sighting was reported anywhere in the country.

Eidul Fitr marks the first day of Shawwal, the month following Ramadan in the Hijri calendar.

The timing of Eidul Fitr varies each year, typically occurring 10-11 days earlier than the previous year due to the shorter lunar months compared to solar months. Consequently, the exact date may differ by about a day from country to country.

The Saudi Supreme Court had urged all Muslims across the Kingdom to search for the crescent moon of Shawwal to confirm the start of the Eidul Fitr holiday.

On the other hand, central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will convene a meeting on Tuesday to witness Shawwal crescent in Pakistan.

Read More: Eid-ul-Fitr preparations gain momentum in Swat

Regional moon sighting committees would hold meetings in different cities of the country and collect witnesses to pass on to the central committee.

Eid al-Fitr  is the earlier of the two official holidays celebrated within Islam (the other being Eid al-Adha). Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide because it marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr falls on the first day of Shawwal in the Islamic calendar; this does not always fall on the same Gregorian day, as the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on when the new moon is sighted by local religious authorities. The holiday is known under various other names in different languages and countries around the world. The day is also called “Lesser Eid” , or simply Eid.

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