Millions of residents in the United Arab Emirates are awaiting official confirmation of the date of Eid Al Fitr 2026, one of the country’s most important religious and public holidays, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.The Sharjah Academy of Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology, represented by the Sharjah Astronomical Observatory, has released its early prediction on when the festival is expected to begin.According to the academy, the first day of Eid Al Fitr in the UAE is likely to fall on March 20.Calculations revealed that Ramadan 1447 AH will complete 30 days, making Friday the first day of Shawwal and the start of Eid Al Fitr in the UAE.
Moon sighting timeline
On Wednesday, March 18, the 29th day of Ramadan and the traditional night for moon viewing, the crescent moon will not be visible as the moon will set before sunset in the western skies. Thus, the astronomers explained that the country will observe Ramadan that night, that is, Thursday, March 19, will be the date on which the holy month will end. The observatory shared that the new moon will occur over Sharjah at 4:24 am UAE time on March 19, 2026. At the time of sunset, the crescent moon will be approximately 14 hours and 6 minutes old with an angular separation from the sun of 6.5 degrees, an altitude of six degrees above the western horizon and a visibility window of around 29 minutes after sunset.
Sighting the moon will be difficult
According to the observatory, Moon viewing conditions in the United Arab Emirates will be “critical” or unfavorable. He added that detecting the crescent locally would be extremely difficult even with the help of telescopes. The view may only be captured using advanced techniques such as image stacking and would not be possible to observe with the naked eye in the UAE. Some Arab and Islamic countries further west might enjoy the chance to view the crescent as geographical and astronomical conditions may be more favourable. Based on these calculations, the academy concluded that Friday, March 20, will likely mark the beginning of Shawwal and the first day of Eid Al Fitr in the UAE and most Islamic countries.