Eid 2022: Saudi Arabia urges Muslims to sight moon on Saturday night

Muslims are urged to report their sighting of the moon

Al Ghamama Mosque is one of the oldest in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. SPA Twitter

The site of Al Ghamamah is believed to be where the Prophet Mohammed performed an Eid prayer. SPA Twitter

People break their fast at Quba Mosque, Madinah. SPA

Saudi Arabia's holy city of Makkah during the climax of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. AFP

Saudi Arabia said it will permit one million Muslims from inside and outside the country to participate in this year's Hajj, after two years of restrictions enforced by the pandemic. AFP

Muslim pilgrims visit Quba Mosque. Getty Images

Masjid Al Haram in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, as seen from the International Space Station. Photo: Hazza Al Mansouri

Prayers at Masjid Al Nabawi in Madinah. Getty Images

Muslim worshippers around the Kaaba, the holiest shrine in the Grand Mosque complex in Makkah. AFP

Rising in the background is Al Shaf'i Mosque in the Old City of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. AP Photo

Saudi Arabians pose for a German tourist in front of Al Shaf'i Mosque. AP Photo

Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has called on people living in the kingdom to sight the Shawwal crescent on Saturday night, the 29th night of Ramadan.

Those who spot the moon with their naked eye or using binoculars are urged to report it to the nearest court and register their testimony.

If the moon is observed over the kingdom on Saturday, Eid will begin the next day. If not, it will start on Monday.

Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr Abdullatif Al Sheikh has called on authorities to prepare all mosques for Eid Al Fitr prayers.

He said they would be 15 minutes after sunrise.

This year, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced that worshippers who wish to perform Eid Al Fitr prayer at the Grand Mosque in Makkah or the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah would not need a permit, nor would numbers be restricted as they have been in the past two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic.