Eid-ul-Fitr 2022: Muslims in Saudi Arabia to sight Shawwal crescent on this date
Eid-ul-Fitr 2022 date: Saudi Arabia Supreme Court calls on Muslims to sight the Shawwal crescent moon on this date to mark the end of Ramadan and the onset of Eid celebrations
Ramadan takes place for 720 hours i.e. four weeks and two days during which the followers of Islam or Muslims fast between dawn and sunset, pray for peace and guidance, give back to the community in the form of charity or zakaat or engaging in humanitarian activities such as feeding the underprivileged and introspect to enlighten their souls. During the end of Ramadan, intense prayers take place during the Laylatul Qadr or the Night of Power, which is believed to be the holiest night of the year.
It generally falls on the 27th day of Ramadan and is a commemoration of the night when the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. The end of Ramadan is marked by Eid-ul-Fitr or the first day of the month of Shawwal, which is the starting of the next month and its translation means, ‘festival of breaking of the fast.’
While the West culturally follows the Gregorian calendar, the Islamic calendar is lunar which means it is based on the sighting of the crescent moon and every year, Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr occur approximately 10-11 days earlier depending on when the crescent moon is sighted. This is because the lunar months are shorter than solar months and so it varies from country to country by about a day.
Usually, the crescent of Ramadan is first sighted in Saudi Arabia and some parts of India along with UK, US, Australia and some other Western countries and then usually a day later in the rest of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other South Asian countries.
This year, Eid-ul-Fitr is expected to fall on May 2 and the Saudi Supreme Court has called on the Muslims in the Kingdom to sight the crescent of Shawwal on Saturday night, April 30 2022, which will be Ramadan 29 1443 AH. In an announcement, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the Supreme Court said that anyone who can sight the crescent of Shawwal with the naked eye or through binoculars must report to the nearest court and register their testimony.
Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif Bin Abdulaziz Al Al-Sheikh, Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance, has reportedly directed the ministry' branches to prepare all mosques and outdoor chapels to receive worshipers to perform Eid Al-Fitr prayers as the Eid holidays will start from the end of the working day on Saturday, April 30, 2022 which will correspond to Ramadan 29.
This is because the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) announced earlier that a four-day Eid-ul-Fitr holidays will be marked in the Kingdom by the private and non-profit sectors. This year i.e. 1443 Hijri, Al Al-Sheikh has reportedly set the time for Eid Al-Fitr prayers at 15 minutes after sunrise according to the Umm Al-Qura calendar.
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