The Crescent Sighting Committee of the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf)
and Islamic Affairs in Qatar has announced that July 5 will be
the 30th day of Ramadhan, as the new moon for the following month of Shawwal had not been sighted.
The next day, July 6,
will therefore be the first day of Eid al Fitr, the Qatar News Agency has reported.
WAM, the news agency for the UAE, has also stated that due to no moon sightings reported to the moon-sighting committee in UAE, leading to Wednesday being the
first day of the month of Shawwal and the first day of Eid al Fitr.
Sultan bin Saeed Al Badi, Minister of Justice and chair of the
committee, was cited in a statement following at meeting at Abu Dhabi
Judicial Department that the committee has not sighted the Shawwal
crescent moon for the Islamic year 1437 and ruled that 5
July 2016, will be the last day of Ramadhan and Wednesday 6 July, will
be the first day of Shawwal 1437.
The Bahrain News Agency has likewise reported that Eid will begin on Wednesday. The
Supreme Islamic Affairs Council (SIAC) moon-sighting committee met on Monday and received no testimonies
confirming the birth of Shawwal crescent, the agency reported. The Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) has also said that the Shawwal moon was not sighted on Monday evening, making Wednesday the first day of Eid. KUNA also noted in a separate report that it will be a Wednesday Eid for Iraq and Lebanon.
Ramadhan will end on 5 July, the KSA Royal Court
has announced. In a statement reported by the Saudi Press Agency, the Royal Court said that it has
been notified by the Supreme Court that, following reports received
from courts based on monitors who are devoted to verify personally whether the
lunar month of Ramadhan is over or to go on for another day, as per the instructions of the Prophet Mohammed (ﷺ), the moon heralding the month of
Shawwal was not seen with the naked eye. Tuesday 5 July is thus the 30th day of Ramadhan 1437 and the next day is the first day
of Shawwal 1437, and the first day of Eid al Fitr, a three-day celebration following Ramadhan.
Today is 29 Ramadhan in Oman, and the moon-sighting committee will be in session in the evening to determine if Eid falls on Wednesday or Thursday.