The Shawwal crescent, signalling the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid al-Fitr, has been sighted in the following nations:
- Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Kuwait and other parts of the Middle East. A few exceptions are Jordan, Palestine, Iran, parts of Syria and Yemen.
- In North Africa, all nations including Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco and Chad have sighted the crescent. Similarly, the entire central Africa region would be celebrating Eid on June 4. In the African continent, an exception remains South Africa, where the festival would be celebrated on Wednesday.
- In Europe, all nations with significant Muslim presence, including the UK, France, Germany and Turkey, have announced Eid al-Fitr tomorrow.
- The Islamic Society of North America has announced Eid al-Fitr tomorrow (June 4) in the United States. The 4th Canadian Division has also confirmed Eid tomorrow across Canada.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has sighted the hilal crescent, confirmed the officials of Haramain. Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated in KSA on Tuesday, June 4. Meanwhile, the moon remained unseen in Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Philippines and other parts of Asia.
The Haramain Support staff has been deployed to keep a close tab on the skies along with telescopes. An announcement on Shawwal hilal crescent sighting is expected in the next few minutes by Mecca Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia. Stay tuned here for the live news updates on Eid moon sighting 2019.
No crescent has been sighted in Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Australia and New Zealand. An announcement from Saudi Arabia is expected shortly.
Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's Mecca city will make a formal announcement on the Eid moon sighting in some time. If the moon is not sighted, Eid or Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated on June 5.
Muslims in Kerala may sight the moon at around 7 pm. The sighting of the moon will signal a farewell to Ramzan month and mark the beginning of Eid celebrations.
The moon is not sighted so far in New Zealand and Australia. It means Eid or Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated on June 5. Reports on the moon sighting in other countries are awaited.
Hilal committees in Kerala will soon make an announcement on sighting of the moon. If the moon is sighted, Eid will be celebrated in Kerala tomorrow. Eid al-Fitr in Kerala may coincide with that in Saudi Arabia.
According to astronomical society in Qatar, the moon is unlikely to be sighted in the country today. They expect Eid or Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated in Qatar on June 5.
A moon-sighting panel formed by UAE's Minister of Justice, Sultan Bin Saeed Al Badi, will hold a meeting after Maghrib prayer today at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. All Sharia courts have been directed to sight the moon of Shawwal and inform the committee.
Hilal committees in Kerala will meet this evening to take a final call on the sighting of the moon. If the moon is sighted, Kerala will celebrate Eid or Eid al-Fitr tomorrow. If the moon remains invisible, Eid will be celebrated on June 5. The sighting of the moon will mark beginning of Shawwal month.
The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia has called all Muslims residing in the Kingdom to try to sight the crescent moon of Shawwal month this evening. The sighting of the moon will mark the beginning of Eid or Eid al-Fitr celebration.
The National Imam Council in Australia has announced that Eid or Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated in the country on June 5.
Riyadh, June 3: Muslims in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, United States, China, Russia and other parts of the world, excluding India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, will attempt to sight the crescent moon this evening to mark the beginning of Eid or Eid al-Fitr festival. The moon sighting will also mark the end of Ramadan month. If the moon is sighted today (Chand Raat), Eid will be celebrated tomorrow i.e June 4 in countries in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, United States, China, Russia and other parts of the world. Catch live news and updates on the 2019 Eid moon sighting from across the world here. Watch: Eid Moon Sighting 2019 Live Streaming.
Under the Islamic lunar calendar, a new month begins upon the sighting of a crescent moon on the 29th day of the ongoing month. If the moon is not sighted, the month completes 30 days and a new month begins the next day. Eid is celebrated on the first day of the month of Shawwal. Muslims in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Jordan, Yemen, Oman, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Chad, Namibia, UK, Germany, Franch, Turkey, US, Canda, Australia, New Zealand, China, Xinjiang, Turkmenistan, Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Brunei will look for the crescent moon this evening. Eid Moon Sighting 2019: ‘How to Sight The Eid Moon’ And Other Questions Related to Hilal Crescent.
Upon sighting of the moon, Eid will be celebrated tomorrow in the above-mentioned countries. Muslims have observed 29 fasts of Ramadan month till today. If the crescent is not sighted this evening, the 30th fast would be observed tomorrow and Eid will be celebrated on June 5. Due to geographical reason, Muslims in India's Kerala and Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka started observing Ramadan fast with the rest of the world from May 6. However, in rest of the parts of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the fasts had begun from May 7.
Eid al-Fitr 2019: How to sight Eid moon:
Therefore, in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, attempt to sight the Eid moon will be undertaken on Tuesday, June 4. If the moon gets sighted, Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated on June 5. If not, the festival would be observed on June 6. Stay connected with us to get live news and updates on the 2019 Eid moon sighting in different countries.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 03, 2019 02:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).