Ramadan Kareem!

The Holy Month of Ramadan will begin on Thursday, March 23, after the crescent moon was not sighted on Tuesday March 21 by the UAE’s moon sighting committee.

This means Thursday will be the first day of fasting for all Muslims.

The news was confirmed by Emirates News Agency (WAM) in a tweet.

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The Holy Month is typically 29 or 30 days long, again this is dependent on the sight of the moon, and is then followed by a public holiday, Eid Al Fitr.

In 2023, Eid Al Fitr is expected to fall from Friday April 21, and the Eid holidays will be from Ramadan 29 until Shawwal 3, based on the Islamic calendar.

If Friday April 21 does mark the first day of Eid, then it looks set to be a four-day weekend for those who have adopted the new UAE weekend, with public and private sector residents off for their regular weekend on Saturday April 22 and Sunday April 23, as well as Monday April 24. Work would then resume on Tuesday April 25, which again remains to be confirmed by UAE Government.

What is Ramadan?

The ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Ramadan is a time when Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking or smoking between sunrise and sunset.

Lasting about a month, it marks the time when the Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). Extra tarawih prayers are performed at the mosque throughout Ramadan and each evening 1/30th of the holy book is recited. By the end of Ramadan, many observers have read the entire Qur’an.

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