Riyadh: The moon sighting committee of the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia announced on Saturday that the Shawwal moon has not been sighted. Therefore, Sunday, May 1, will be the last day of the holy month of Ramzan, and Eid-al-Fitr will fall on Monday, May 2.
The Kingdom’s Moon Sighting Committee at all the observatories were unable to sight the crescent moon on Saturday, according to Haramain Sharifain.
Earlier, Abdullah al-Khudairi, director of the astronomical observatory at the University of Al-Majma’ah, said, “The atmosphere is suitable for observing the crescent Shawwal 1443 but mathematically the moon will set before the sun, and this means that there is little to no chance for the crescent to be seen today.”
It is noteworthy that the Supreme Court on Thursday had called on all Muslims in all parts of the Kingdom to sight the crescent of the month of Shawwal 1443, on Saturday evening.
On the other hand, Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations marks the end of the month-long fast. Eid al-Fitr is traditionally celebrated with large gatherings for worshippers to pray and break their fasts.
In Islam, Shawwal is the tenth month of the Islamic calendar, also known as the Hijri calendar or lunar calendar consisting of twelve months beginning with Muharram, and ending with Zul-Hijjah. Each month starts with the sighting of the moon.
