UAE residents are scheduled to observe Eid Al Adha on Friday, June 6, as the IAC predicts the crescent moon that begins Dhul Hijjah will be observable on Monday, May 27.
Director of the IAC, Engineer Mohammed Shawkat Odeh, noted that from Central and Western Asia, most of Africa and Europe, the crescent moon could be spotted in the sky with a telescope. In some parts of the Americas, you can see it with the naked eye. Should the moon be seen on May 27, Arafat Day will happen on Thursday, June 5 and the following day is Eid Al Adha.
The Chairman of the Emirates Astronomical Society, Ibrahim Al Jarwan, agreed that Wednesday, May 28 was expected to be Dhul Hijjah 1, with Eid to begin on June 6.
But if the moon is not seen on the 27th, Dhul Hijjah starts from May 29, pushing Arafat Day to June 6 and Eid to Saturday, June 7.
The UAE Cabinet has confirmed that residents will be given a four-day public holiday, covering Arafat Day and the three days of Eid Al Adha (Dhul Hijjah 10 to 12). If the moon is sighted, the holiday will probably occur from June 5 to June 8 and if it is not, from June 6 to June 9.
The data for Abu Dhabi shows that the moon will change places with the sun 38 minutes after sunset, aged 13 hours and 29 minutes and 7.7 degrees away—meaning we will only see it through a telescope. We can expect to see similar things taking place in Makkah.
Because the Islamic calendar relies on the phases of the moon, the final dates for Eid will be set by official moon observers.
