How the end of Ramadan is calculated by new moon sighting

Muslims across the world are preparing for the end of the holy month of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid ul-Fitr celebrations. The month of Ramadan is the most sacred period on the Islamic calendar – Ramadan is the fourth pillar of Islam and is observed by fasting from dawn to dusk and prayer.

Across London there are over one million practising Muslims looking forward to the celebrations this year. Dependent on the Islamic lunar calendar, Eid ul-Fitr will likely fall on Sunday, May 1 or Monday, May 2 this year.

It is a time for families and friends to come together and rejoice with food and drink, gift each other presents and dress up in new clothes. People also spend the festival thanking Allah for the Qur’an and for the strength Allah has given to exercise the month of fasting.

READ MORE: Dad fed up at lack of Karachi food in London he started his own restaurant and now he has two

Also written as Eid al-Fitr and sometimes known as Little Eid and Sweet Eid, it means ‘festival of breaking the fast’. Celebrated by Muslims worldwide to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan, with all its daily fasting, and the start of the next month, Shawwal.

Eid ul-Fitr takes place on the first day of the tenth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, with the festival beginning the day of the first sighting of the new moon. Every indication so far is that Eid ul-Fitr will fall on Monday, May 2; the date falling also on Early May Bank Holiday which should make it easier to get to the celebrations for those who would otherwise not be able to have a day off during the working week.

The uncertainty around when the festival begins is because a verified moon sighting is needed to confirm the start date, and that can’t happen until nearer the time. Each month of the Islamic calendar begins as soon as its first faint crescent, called a hilal, is visible.

Officials look for the moon on the 29th day of the existing month and if seen then the next month with begin. However, if it can’t be seen the month goes on for one more day and the new month begins the day after that.

The Umm al-Qura Calendar of Saudi Arabia, which is drawn up in advance so the Saudi Government can plan national holidays and other events, has already forecast Eid ul Fitr for Monday, May 2, 2022. In the UK, HM Nautical Almanac Office, which provides astronomical data has predicted that the new moon will be born at 9.28pm on Saturday, April 30. But no sightings will be possible on that night from anywhere in the world because the sky won’t be clear enough.