Saudi scholar says Eid Al Fitr will start Thursday
Sheikh Abdullah Bin Al Manea says Ramadan will last 30 days
Abu Dhabi: Sheikh Abdullah Bin Al Manea, a member of Saudi Arabia’s Council of Senior Scholars and an advisor to the royal court, says Ramadan will last 30 days, until Wednesday, May 12, local media reported.
“Ramadan 1442 H has started on Tuesday, April 13, and it will last 30 days (until Wednesday, May 12), because the birth of [the moon of] Shawwal is on Tuesday at 9.59pm, and the sun on Tuesday sets at 6.51pm, while the moon sets, 13 minutes earlier, at 6.38pm,” Al Manea said.
This makes sighting the moon on Tuesday unlikely.
“So Wednesday completes Ramadan 30 days, and Thursday, May 13, will be the first day of Shawwal, which is Eid Al Fitr,” Al Manea said.
However, Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has called on all Muslims throughout the Kingdom to sight the crescent of Shawwal on Tuesday evening, Ramadan 29, 1442 H, which corresponds to May 11.
If the moon is seen, the committee will announce the end of Ramadan and the start of Eid Al Fitr.
Eid Al Fitr marks the end of Ramadans.
It is marked by Zakat Al Fitr, which every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of their needs must pay to the poor, before a special prayer is offered on the morning of the first of Shawwal.