ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s moon sighting body met on Monday to view the Dhul Hijjah moon and announced that Eid Al-Adha would be observed in the country on Thursday, June 29.
Eid Al-Adha is one of the two most important festivals of the Islamic calendar. The other, Eid Al-Fitr, occurs at the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting.
Muslims mark the Eid Al-Adha holiday by slaughtering animals such as sheep and goats. The meat is shared among family and friends and donated to the poor.
The faithful across continents mark the festival which comes as the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia draws to a close.
“Reliable testimonies of the moon sighting were received, therefore, Zil Hajj 01, 1444 A.H, will fall on June 20,” Chairman Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Pakistan Maulana Syed Abdul Khabir Azad was quoted by state-run APP news agency as saying as he announced that Eid would fall on June 29.
Meetings of zonal and district Ruet-e-Hilal Committees were also held at their respective headquarters on Monday. Testimonies of moon sightings were received from various cities including Karachi and Lahore, the Ruet-e-Hilal committee chairman said.
The committee meets on the 29th of every Islamic month and makes the announcement of the new month after sighting the moon.
On Sunday, the crescent moon for Dhul Hijjah Hajj was sighted in Saudi Arabia and the first day of the month was being observed there today, June 19. In the kingdom, the day of Arafah — considered the holiest in Islam — will be on Tuesday, June 27, while the first day of Eid Al-Adha will be celebrated on Wednesday, June 28, in Saudi Arabia.
