Rabat – The Oman Islamic Affairs Ministry has officially announced that Eid Al Fitr will be on May 2 in Oman.
“The committee has received evidence of sighting the crescent, therefore it decided after reviewing the evidence to approve the sighting of the crescent of month Shawaal 1443 AH,” the ministry said.
Eid Al Fitr is the first date of Shawwal, the tenth month in the Islamic calendar.
Muslims around the world celebrate this day after a month of fasting in Ramadan.
The International Astronomy Center had expected Eid Al Fitr to be on Monday, May 2 in Oman and most other Arab countries.
The International Astronomy Center said that countries that observed the start of Ramadan on Saturday, April 2, should have been able to see the crescent on April 30.
But because of cloudy skies on April 30, these countries will only see the crescent on May 1.
In Oman, Eid Al-Fitr begins with a breakfast of sweets such as halwa and dates with milk, followed by communal prayer and listening to a sermon in a mosque. All members of the family, men, women, and children, are encouraged to participate in the prayers.
People greet each other with ‘Eid Mubarak’ and hugs, and strangers stopping people on the street to wish each other ‘Eid Mubarak’ is a common occurrence. It is also customary to make two types of charitable contributions. The first is a voluntary ‘Sadaqah’ with no fixed amount, and the second is a mandatory ‘Zakat Al Fitr’ to the poor on this day.
The charity that Muslims are required to pay at the end of Ramadan is known as Zakat Al Fitr, and according to the council’s statement, citizens and residents in Morocco can pay the religious charity three days before Eid Al Fitr.
According to the Moroccan High Council of Ulemas, the monetary value of Zakat Al Fitr in 2022 is estimated to be MAD 20 ($2).
