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Eid al-Fitr is celebrated on Monday, May 2 in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Press Agency quoted the court as saying that Sunday was the last day of Ramadan and that Monday would be the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr. Eega festival was celebrated on Sunday in Afghanistan.
Taken in India, Ramadan is celebrated here on Tuesdays.
In this context, the question may arise to some as to why not all Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Fitr on the same day.
BBC Bengali correspondent Raqeeb Hasnat explains.
Eid-ul-Fitr, the largest festival of the Muslim community, is set to be celebrated on the crescent moon by the Islamic Foundation’s Crescent Moon in Bangladesh. Usually the group meets on the afternoon of the 29th of the month of Ramadan to determine the day of Eid ul Fitr.
The Foundation declares the 29th day of the month of Ramadan as Eid, the day after the crescent moon appears in the country. If that does not happen then Eid is celebrated thirty days after the end of the month of Ramadan.
Eid is usually celebrated in Bangladesh a day after Eid in Saudi Arabia. Eid is celebrated on the same day as Saudi Arabia in some parts of the world. Every year there is a discussion about the appearance of the crutch.
Dr. Shamsher Ali, a renowned physicist and Islamic and science writer from Bangladesh, says that all Muslims around the world can celebrate Eid on the same day by following Islamic rules.
He says he is not obliged to show the crutch in his own country.
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“Imam Abu Hanifa and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that he should not look at the crescent in his own country. He should start fasting on the same day and finish it on the same day. The lunar month begins when the moon rises.” He noted.
“Mecca is a holy place for Muslims. If the moon is there, then Eid al-Adha should be celebrated in Muslim countries. The time difference between countries is not a big issue,” said Shamsher Ali.
In addition, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has recommended the start of fasting and Eid al-Fitr on the same day.
Nevertheless, Eid is celebrated in Bangladesh a day after Saudi Arabia. This is because the National Crescent Monitoring Committee argues that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that fasting should begin and end only after seeing the crescent.
What are the different arguments?
For geographical reasons, it appears in Bangladesh a day after the crux of the Arab world. In Arab countries, the moon can be seen even before Bangladesh.
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Malaysia and Indonesia, which are ahead of Bangladesh in terms of time, celebrate Eid just like the Arab countries. Some Muslim countries in Africa follow suit.
According to Islamic law, the appearance of the moon in any Muslim country applies to all Muslims, says Jubair Mohammed Ahsanul Haq, a professor of Arabic at the University of Dhaka.
Everyone agrees that the lunar month of the Hijri year begins with the mere sight of the moon. This is the law of Islam.
For this reason many Islamic religious leaders still insist on seeing the moon with the naked eye in their respective countries.
AFM Akbar Hussain, a professor in the Department of Al-Quran and Islamic Studies at Kushtia Islamic University, said he did not think there would be any confusion if Eid al-Adha was set on the recommendation of the Sharia Board.
What is the result internationally?
In May 2016, an international conference was held in Istanbul on the initiative of Turkey. Islamic scholars from 50 countries, including Turkey, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, gathered here.
This conference is called the International Hijri Calendar Union Congress. At this conference, decisions were made regarding the differences between different Muslims around the world regarding the Hijri calendar.
Most of those present at the conference said that all Muslims in the world should be included in the same calendar and if this happens, all Islamic countries would be able to celebrate the start of Ramadan fasting and Eid on the same day.
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