Rabat – Eid al Fitr, a fast-breaking feast marking the end of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic Calendar, will be celebrated Wednesday, June 05 in Morocco, the ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs announced on Tuesday evening.
A statement by the ministry said that the moon-sighting committee confirmed, on Tuesday, Ramadan 29, 1440 hegira, corresponding to June 04, 2018, after the prayer of Al Maghrib, the sighting of the crescent announcing the beginning of the month of Shawoual, 1440 hegira.
Sightings of the crescent moon took place on June 4, confirming previous astronomical calculations made by the Moroccan astronomer Abdelaziz Kharbouch Al Ifrani.
Al Ifrani told Morocco World News that Moroccans will celebrate Eid Al Fitr on Tuesday June 4 based on astronomical calculations.
Moroccans will have observed Ramadan for 29 days, abstaining from food and water from sunset to sunrise. Ramadan in Morocco started on May 6, a day later than in most Muslim countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Egypt.
Read Also: Eid Al Fitr in Saudi Arabia to Be Celebrated Tuesday
When determining the dates of religious celebrations, Morocco relies on a number of observatories besides naked-eye sightings, unlike other Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities have allegedly misjudged the correct time for almost 29 years between 1961 and 2004 according to experts.
Morocco, however, made zero error in announcing the official dates for Ramadan and Shawal, according to the Emirati astronomer Mohammed Shawkat.
The possibility of crescent moon sighting on June 4 is possible for all Muslim-majority countries, according to the Moonsighting.com.
According to experts from 12 Arab countries, moon sighting was impossible in Australia, Asia, Africa, and Europe on Monday, June 3.
In Morocco, Oman, Iran, Bangladesh, Brunei, and Pakistan, the moon was possible to observe on Monday. Therefore, Eid Al Fitr will take place Wednesday June 5.
