UAE Moon Sighting Committee to meet today to announce Ramadan

The Holy Month is expected to start tomorrow… 

The UAE Moon Sighting Committee will meet this evening, Tuesday, March 21, to indicate the start of the Holy Month of Ramadan 2023.

According to Emirates News Agency (WAM), the committee will meet after the maghrib (one of the five mandatory Islamic prayers) prayer at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department under the chairmanship of Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, Minister of Justice. A number of other senior officials will also be present.

The Shariah courts across the nation will inform the committee of any sightings, while the Lunar Calendar Committee at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department will also continue to collect evidence and will inform the Moon-Sighting Committee with any findings.

As it stands, the first day of Ramadan is expected to fall on Wednesday, March 22. The Holy Month is typically 29 or 30 days long, 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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