Grand Mufti of Palestine: Friday is the First Day of Eid al-Fitr

SadaNews - The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories, Chairman of the Supreme Fatwa Council, Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, announced this Wednesday evening that tomorrow, Thursday, is the completion of the blessed month of Ramadan, and therefore, the day after tomorrow, Friday, March 20, will be the first day of Eid al-Fitr.

He clarified that the decision was made after the crescent moon of the month of Shawwal could not be sighted during the investigations conducted by the Fatwa House in Jerusalem, with the participation of religious scholars, and by taking into account the astronomical estimates related to the birth of the crescent and the possibility of its observation.

Accordingly, the Fatwa House has approved the completion of the month of Ramadan to thirty days and adopted Friday as the official date for Eid al-Fitr in Palestine, in accordance with the established procedures for determining the beginnings of the lunar months.

The Mufti added in a congratulatory statement on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr: "From the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, the first of the two qiblahs, the second of the two mosques, and the night journey of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, we extend our congratulations to the Muslims in the East and the West."

He continued: "We congratulate our Palestinian people in the homeland and in the diaspora on this happy occasion, as well as the Palestinian leadership, headed by His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas, on the blessed holiday."

He added: "We call upon Almighty God to grant our people and our nation goodness, guidance, dignity, and empowerment, and to bestow upon us the liberation of our land, our holy places, and our prisoners from the yoke of occupation."

Earlier, Saudi Arabia announced that Thursday is the completion of the month of Ramadan and that Friday is the first day of Eid al-Fitr. The timing of the holiday is determined based on the sighting of the moon, according to the lunar Hijri calendar.

The Saudi Press Agency stated that "the Supreme Court decides that tomorrow, Thursday, is the completion of thirty days of Ramadan and that Friday is the day of the blessed Eid al-Fitr."

This year, the holiday comes amid a regional war that erupted following the American-Israeli attack on Iran, and in light of the suffering of our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, where the violations of the occupation continue.