Shiite authorities in Iraq declare Monday to be Eid al-Fitr
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani and other Shiite leaders in Iraq have determined Monday to be the first day of Eid al-Fitr.
The office of Sistani declared in a statement on Sunday night they had clearly seen the Shawal moon, meaning that Monday would be the first day of the feast of Ramadan.
The date for the start of any lunar month in the Islamic calendar is based on the observation of the new moon by local religious authorities.
Iran, Oman and Morocco also have decided to make Monday the first day of feast, while Iraqis again were divided on the which day should be the first day of Eid.
Sistani took the same stance. He asked people to watch the moon in the skies of Najaf during the sunset.
Saudi Arabia along and other Sunni authorities chose Sunday as the first day of Eid al-Fitr.
Home to a majority of Sunni Muslims, the Kurdistan Region's fatwa committee has determined Sunday, June 25, to be first day of the Ramadan Feast, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Depending on the faith, the breaking of the fast is accompanied by a number of prayers.
The office of Sistani declared in a statement on Sunday night they had clearly seen the Shawal moon, meaning that Monday would be the first day of the feast of Ramadan.
The date for the start of any lunar month in the Islamic calendar is based on the observation of the new moon by local religious authorities.
Iran, Oman and Morocco also have decided to make Monday the first day of feast, while Iraqis again were divided on the which day should be the first day of Eid.
Leading Shiite authorities in Iraq, Sistani and Muhammed Yahqubi, the head of Al-Sadr Religious University in Najaf and a prominent Iraqi Twelver Shiite Marja Ayatollah, along with Jawad Khalisi, the Imam of Al-Khadhimiya Mosque in northern Baghdad, decided that Sunday is a continuation of the Islamic holy month Ramadan.
The office of Yahqubi said in a statement on Saturday evening that the new moon wasn’t seen in Islamic and Arab countries in the region. Hence, they regarded Sunday as the continuation of Ramadan and made Monday the first day of Fid.
Sistani took the same stance. He asked people to watch the moon in the skies of Najaf during the sunset.
Saudi Arabia along and other Sunni authorities chose Sunday as the first day of Eid al-Fitr.
Home to a majority of Sunni Muslims, the Kurdistan Region's fatwa committee has determined Sunday, June 25, to be first day of the Ramadan Feast, which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Depending on the faith, the breaking of the fast is accompanied by a number of prayers.