Eid Moon Sighted In India, Celebrations On Monday

The Ruet-e-Hilal or the moon sighting committees in various Indian states have confirmed the sighting of crescent, which marks an end to the month of Ramadan and start of the next Islamic month of Shawwal. Eid-al-Fitr is celebrated on the first date of Shawwal.

Accordingly, the festival will be celebrated in India on Monday, March 31.

The Naib Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, Syed Usama Shaban Bukhari, said in a televised statement that the sighting of moon has so far been confirmed in various cities and states including "Delhi, Assam, Manipur, West Bengal, Bihar and UP".

Moon sighted in Kerala: The religious authorities in the southern coastal state have confirmed the sighting of the crescent, Online Manorama reported. Eid-al-Fitr will be celebrated in Kerala on Monday.

Moon sighted in Uttar Pradesh: Khalid Rashid Farangi, one of the state's top cleric, has confirmed the sighting of the crescent and, accordingly, the celebrations of Eid-al-Fitr on Monday, according to reports.

Moon sighted in Pakistan: In various cities of Pakistan, including Islamabad and Lahore, the new moon has been sighted, local media reports said. Accordingly, Eid-al-Fitr in the country will be celebrated on Monday.

Moon sighted in Jammu & Kashmir: The crescent has been seen in Srinagar in Kashmir Valley, local media reports said. The union territory's Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam was reported as saying that Eid-al-Fitr will be celebrated on Monday.

Moon sighted in Telangana: The Shawwal crescent has been sighted and Eid in Telangana will be celebrated on Monday, local news portal Siasat reported.

Moon sighted in Bihar: The Central Moon Sighting Committee of Khanquah Mujeebiah, a top religious body in Bihar, has confirmed the sighting of the crescent. Eid-al-Fitr will be celebrated in the state on Monday, it said in a statement.

Moon sighted in Sri Lanka: In neighbouring country, the sighting of moon has been confirmed by All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama - ACJU. Eid will be celebrated in the island country on Monday. An announcement from the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu is also expected shortly.

Moon sighted in West Bengal: The Kolkata-based Masjid-e-Nakhoda Markazi Rooyat-e-Hilal Committee, a top moon sighting authority of West Bengal, has confirmed the sighting of the crescent. In a statement, it said that Eid-al-Fitr will be observed on Monday.

The focus remains on the announcement to be made by the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid in Delhi, counted among the country's topmost Muslim scholars.

In Hyderabad, the meeting of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee of Sadar Majlis-e-Ulama-e-Deccan is underway. The authority will issue a statement on the sighting of the new moon based on the testimonies it receives from those who witness the crescent.

Moon sighted in Bangladesh: In neighbouring Bangladesh, the sighting of crescent has been confirmed and Eid-al-Fitr will be celebrated on Monday, April 1, the Dhaka Tribune reported. The new moon marks the start of Shawwal, the next Islamic month. Eid-al-Fitr is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal.

Ramadan, also referred to as Ramzan in Urdu speaking regions, began on March 2 in India and Pakistan— a day later than most other parts of the world. This is because the lunar cycle is generally a day later in the Indian subcontinent region.

On the other hand, the holy month began in Saudi Arabia, along with the rest of Middle East, and in most parts of the West and Asia Pacific region on March 1. As a result, their 29th day of fast was completed on Saturday, and upon sighting of the new moon, several of these countries celebrated Eid on Sunday, March 30.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and the rest of West Asia, along with Europe, the United States and Canada sighted the crescent on Saturday, but Islamic bodies in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Malaysia reported no moon sighting and decided to celebrate Eid on Monday.

With the new moon already sighted in the Middle East on Saturday, it was expected that the crescent would be visible in the Indian subcontinent region on Sunday. Officially, holiday has already been declared in banks, schools, colleges and government offices on Monday.