As Eid al-Fitr 2025 approaches, the Supreme Court has called on Muslims across Saudi Arabia to sight the crescent of the Shawwal moon on Saturday evening, Ramadan 29, 1446 AH, corresponding to March 29, 2025.
In an announcement today, the Supreme Court called on whoever sights the crescent moon by naked eyes or through binoculars to report to the nearest court and register their testimony or contact the nearest center to help them get to the nearest court.
Will the Shawwal crescent moon be visible?
The Shawwal crescent moon marks the end of the month of Ramadan and the beginning of Shawwal. 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.
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 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.”
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GCC states announce Eid holiday
Saudi Arabia has already announced a four-day holiday for the private and non-profit sectors for Eid al-Fitr this year. According to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, the holiday will be from March 30 to April 2, with work resuming on April 3. In addition to the weekend on Friday and Saturday, private sector employees in the Kingdom will receive a 6-day holiday.
In the UAE, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization (MoHRE) 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.
Meanwhile, Oman announced that the Eid al-Fitr 2025 holiday for both the public and private sectors will begin on March 29. According to the Royal Orders, the end of the holiday is yet to be determined. If the first day of Eid al-Fitr 2025 is Sunday, official work will resume on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. However, if the first day of Eid falls on Monday, official work will resume on Sunday, April 6, 2025.
In Kuwait, if the first day of Eid al-Fitr 2025 is March 30, work in the public sector will be suspended for three days and resume on April 2. However, if Eid starts on March 31, Kuwait will suspend work from March 30 until April 5, with offices opening on April 6. This will give employees in the country a 9-day holiday when combined with the two weekends.
For Qatar, the Amiri Diwan announced that the Eid holiday for ministries, government agencies and public institutions will begin on Sunday, March 30, and end on Monday, April 7.
