Eid-ul-Fitr is one of the most important festivals for the Muslim community. People who practice Islam dedicate an entire month to seeking peace from Allah and thanking him for the blessings. The fasts, known as Roza, end with the celebrations on the crescent moon night that usually occurs on the 30th day of Ramzan.
The timings and dates of the Eid-ul-Fitr celebration depend on the country to country. The crescent moon is first sighted in Saudi Arabia after the rest of the world assumes when to celebrate the festival.
On Tuesday, May 11, many countries expected to sight the crescent moon, marking the beginning of Eid-ul-Fitr. But as Muslims in UAE, Qatar and other Arab states did not see the moon on Tuesday night, Eid 2021, is expected to fall on May 13 or May 14.
In Saudi Arabia, the Shawwal Crescent search continued when no moon was found in the sky on May 11. While the attempts to search for the Shawwal Crescent have officially begun at different observatories in Saudi Arabia, no moon was sighted at the Tumair observatory and others.
In India, Muslims might observe the crescent moon today (May 12), in the sky. According to the Fiqh Council of North America, the Astronomical New Moon, North America expects Eid-ul-Fitr to fall on May 13.
Eid falls on the first day of the month of ‘Shawwal’, and it is a day on which no fast needs to be observed.
Muslims follow the lunar calendar, and fast and offer prayers for the entire month. The festive day begins by offering Eid prayer at the mosque, this time at home. The Islamic prayer, known as salat, comprises two units of prayer known as rakats along with six incarnations. The Eid prayer is followed by the sermon after which Muslims ask for Allah’s forgiveness, mercy, peace, and blessings for all living beings across the world. They also perform charitable acts like feeding the poor and providing them with alms. On seeing the moon they wish each other Eid Mubarak.
