Moon sighted: Saudi Arabia celebrates Eid al-Fitr on Sunday

Shafaq News/ The crescent moon marking the start of Shawwal had been sighted, Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday, confirming March 30 as the first day of Eid al-Fitr.

The Sudair Astronomical Observatory reported the sighting, with testimonies submitted to the Supreme Court for official validation.

Religious authorities in Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Iraq confirmed Sunday as Eid, aligning with Saudi Arabia. Egypt’s National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics also endorsed the same date based on astronomical data.

In Iran, Grand Ayatollah Kamal Al-Haydari designated Sunday as Eid using astronomical calculations, diverging from traditional moon-sighting practices.

Meanwhile, Oman, Syria, Jordan, Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta, Australia, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Brunei scheduled Eid for Monday, March 31, citing no verified sightings or unfavorable conditions.

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and is observed based on either local visual sightings or astronomical criteria, resulting in different start dates across countries.

This story was updated to include newly announced Eid al-Fitr start dates from additional countries.