Rabat – Australia’s National Imams Council announced that the country will celebrate Eid al Fitr will on Wednesday, June 5.
The National Imams Council took to Facebook to make the announcement, writing: “Tuesday the 4th of June, 2019 will be the 30th and the last day of the Month of Ramadan for the year 1440AH and the day of Eid ul Fitr and 1st of Shawwal 1440 AH will be Wednesday, the 5th of June 2019.”
The statement acknowledged the “different opinions amongst scholars” on when Eid at Fitr should start, and that not all imans agree on the “criteria and methodology” the council used to determine the date of Eid.
However, the council called for all Australian Muslims to respect different opinions by “avoiding debates that lead to disagreements and misunderstandings” amongst the Muslim community, instead calling for unity among the community in order to be closer to Allah.
The Grand Mufti of Australia, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed, wished the Muslim community a joyful and blessed Eid al Fitr and encouraged the community to “engage with their neighbors and friends in displaying the ‘true and peaceful image of Islam, and the true spirit of being an Australian Muslim.”
Eid al-Fitr celebrations start at the beginning of the month of Shawwal on the Islamic Calendar, which is based on the moon and lunar cycles. As a result, the date of Eid al-Fitr and the start of Shawwal changes every year.
According to the Islamic calendar, the start of the month is marked by the sighting of the first crescent of the full moon. Since the start of the month is marked by the moon, a new month begins in the evening. Astronomical charts and calendars are often used to determine the date in advance.
Moroccan astronomer Abdelaziz Kharbouch Al Ifrani announced that the crescent moon would be spotted in all Arab and most Muslim countries on Ramadan 29, 1440, which falls on June 4 on the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, the first day of Shawwal will fall on June 5 in most Muslim countries as well.
Muslims worldwide begin the Eid celebrations with prayers at dawn in mosques worldwide. Eid is usually a three-day holiday in Morocco, and most Moroccans spend the time being close with their families. After the Eid prayer, families gather around a table full of various Moroccan pastries, cakes, and bread, accompanied by mint tea, milk, and coffee.
