The Saudi Arabia Government has approved Thursday for Eid-el-Fitri celebration, signifying end of Ramadan (Islamic fasting) after the country’s moon-sighting committee and astronauts failed to sight the crescent moon in Saudi and neighbouring countries on Tuesday.
Sighting of the new crescent moon of ‘Shawal’ every year signifies the end of Ramadan fasting all over the world and approval for Eid prayers the following day.
Eid al-Fitr also called the “Festival of Breaking the Fast”, is a religious festival celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan. This religious Eid is the first and only day in the month of Shawwal during which Muslims are not permitted to fast.
Approving Thursday for Eid celebration, the kingdom’s moon-sighting committee on Tuesday confirmed that the crescent of the month of Shawwal could not be sighted from the Tamir observatory as well as from the observatory of Majmaah University in Hautat Sudair.
It added that failure to sight the moon meant that the 2021 month of Ramadan would be 30 days and the first day of Eid Al-Fitr would be celebrated on Thursday (May 13).
It would be recalled Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court had called on all Muslims throughout the Kingdom to sight the crescent of the month of Shawwal on Tuesday evening (May 11).
In a statement on Sunday, the Supreme Court called on whoever sights the crescent by naked eyes or through binoculars to report to the nearest court and register his testimony, or report to the nearest center to help reach the nearest court.
