Eid 2026 Moon Sighting in Saudi Arabia Today
The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Justice UAE, Religious Authorities and Moon Sighting Committees in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Morocco, Jordan and other Arab states in separate appeals have called upon the local residents to sight the Crescent, the New Moon, of the month of Shawwal 1447 AH today i.e. Wednesday 29th of Ramadan 1447 AH corresponding to March 18, 2026.
Eid 2026 Moon Sighting Live Updates: The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia, Ministry of Justice UAE, Religious Authorities and Moon Sighting Committees in Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Morocco, Jordan and other Arab states in separate appeals have called upon the local residents to sight the Crescent, the New Moon, of the month of Shawwal 1447 AH today i.e. Wednesday 29th of Ramadan 1447 AH corresponding to March 18, 2026.
Eid al Fitr marks the end of the Holy Month of Fasting, Ramadan.
"Local residents should report to the nearest court in case the Eid crescent or the New Moon is spotted Wednesday, so that a decision to confirm the first day of Eid al Fitr 2026 is taken", the appeals issued by Saudi Arabia and other countries said.
The Royal Court of Saudi Arabia called on whoever spots the Crescent with naked eyes or through binoculars to report to a nearest court and register his testimony, or report to an authority of a region's centre in his area.
As per the normal practice, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has also announced the formation of a Moon Sighting Committee to spot the crescent.
"The committee will meet after Maghrib prayers on Wednesday 29th of Ramadan 1447 AH corresponding to March 18, 2026 at Abu Dhabi Judicial Department to spot the crescent", the government sources said.
Eid al Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting
Special arrangements have also been made and general appeals issued by the authorities in Qatar and other Gulf states including Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Muscat, Yemen, Sudan, Egypt, Tunisia, Iraq, Syria and Palestine to sight the Eid Moon today on Wednesday 29th of Ramadan 1446 AH of the Islamic Calendar corresponding to March 18, 2026.
"Eid will be celebrated on Thursday March 19, 2026 if the new moon is spotted today. If the moon is not sighted today, then Thursday will mark a regular fasting day, and Eid will be celebrated on Friday March 20, 2026", the Saudi Royal Court said.
However, the Muslims in America and Canada will celebrate Eid on Friday March 20, 2026. In a statement, the Fiqh Council of North America said the Astronomical New Moon will be born on the evening of Thursday, March 19, 2026. On that evening the elongation is more than 8 degrees and the moon is more than 5 degrees above the horizon.
"Hence the first day of Shawwal (ʿEid al-Fitr) is Friday, March 20, 2026, inshā’Allāh", the Council said.
How Eid Moon is confirmed
Islamic Calendar is based on lunar system. Under this system, a new month begins with sighting of the New Moon on 29th of every month. If the crescent is spotted on 29th, the prevailing month ends and the new month begin on the next day.
However, if the moon is not spotted on 29th, the next day is counted as the 30th day of the prevailing month and the new month starts a day later.
Accordingly, Eid al Fitr celebrations in Saudi Arabia will commence on Thursday March 19, 2026 if the New Moon is spotted in the Kingdom today. Else, the first day of Eid will be Friday March 20, 2026.
As for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq, Syria, Bahrain, Yemen, also for Turkey, Egypt and Palestine, Eid al Fitr is normally celebrated in these countries along with Saudi Arabia.
Though these countries have their own observatories and moon committees, they normally go with the announcement made by Saudi Arabia.
Eid al Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting in other countries
Muslims in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries will spot the Eid Moon on Thursday March 19, 2026, which coincides with the 29th day of Ramadan in these countries.
Similarly, Muslims in United Kingdom (UK), Australia, Austria, New Zealand, Russia, Indonesia, Malaysia, France, Germany and other countries too will confirm the first day of Eid al Fitr today i.e. Wednesday March 18, 2026.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Palestine and other Arab countries have also announced Eid holidays.
In Saudi, the public holiday for Eid Al Fitr is set to begin on Wednesday, March 18, which corresponds to 29th of Ramadan, 1447 AH, and will last four days for all employees. Normal work will resume on Sunday, March 22, the authority stated.
The UAE has already announced the Eid Al Fitr public holiday for employees in the federal and private sectors. For federal government entities, the Eid Al Fitr holiday will begin on Thursday, March 19, 2026, and continue until Sunday, March 22, 2026. Official working hours will resume on Monday, March 23, 2026.
For the private sector employees, the holiday will run from Thursday, March 19, 2026, until Saturday, March 21, 2026. Employees who normally work on Sundays will be required to return to work on Sunday, March 22.
Eid al Fitr 2026 celebrations in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and other Arab states this year will be held amidst the war between Iran, United States and Israel. However, the Spirit of Eid al Fitr has already taken into its grip the local residents despite the tense situation.
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