The International Astronomical Center announced today that the crescent moon that marks the end of Ramadan was spotted in Abu Dhabi. The image was captured by the Al Khatim Astronomical Observatory on Friday, March 28, at 12:00 PM UAE time and shows that the moon’s distance from the sun was 16 degrees.
“There is no relationship between the shape of the crescent moon in this image and the possibility of seeing it tomorrow, Saturday, and determining the date of Eid al-Fitr,” stated the center.
This year, Eid al-Fitr is expected to take place either on Sunday, March 30, or Monday, March 31, depending on the sighting of the moon. Unlike the widely used Gregorian calendar, the Islamic calendar operates on the lunar cycle. The sighting of the moon determines the end of the month-long period of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid.
هلال آخر الشهر (لشهر رمضان 1446هـ) كما تم تصويره نهارا قبل قليل من أبوظبي، بواسطة مرصد الختم الفلكي التابع لمركز الفلك الدولي، وقت التصوير الجمعة 28 مارس 2025م الساعة 12:00 ظهرا بتوقيت الإمارات. بعد القمر عن الشمس 16 درجة.
ملاحظة: لا توجد علاقة بين شكل الهلال في هذه الصورة وبين… pic.twitter.com/X19YOqVfoV
— مركز الفلك الدولي (@AstronomyCenter) March 28, 2025
If the crescent moon is sighted on Ramadan 29, the holiday will begin on Sunday, March 30. However, if the moon is not sighted on the 29th, the month of Ramadan will be 30 days, and the 30th day will be considered a holiday in addition to the first three days of Shawwal. In this case, Eid al-Fitr 2025 will begin on Monday, March 31.
Most countries around the world will observe the Shawwal crescent moon on Saturday, March 29, to mark the beginning of Eid al-Fitr 2025. But according to a previous statement from the International Astronomical Center, “Sighting the crescent moon on that day is impossible from the eastern part of the world, and it is not possible from the rest of the Arab and Islamic world using all observation methods, including the naked eye, telescopes, and astronomical photography technology.”
In the UAE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization (MoHRE) has already announced that Sunday, March 30, 2025, to Tuesday, April 1, 2025, will be a paid holiday for all private-sector employees across the country on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr 2025. The Ministry added that if the month of Ramadan concludes on the 30th day, the holiday will be extended to Wednesday, April 2, 2025.
