The UAE has announced working hours for federal government employees during Ramadan.
On Thursday the authorities confirmed that Ramadan working hours would be from 9am until 2.30pm from Monday to Thursday and from 9am until midday on Fridays.
Federal departments will be permitted to implement flexible and remote working practices on Fridays, state news agency Wam stated.
Under the directives, up to 40 per cent of government employees will be allowed to work from home on Fridays.
Those who live far from their workplaces or have specific conditions which make such travel challenging will be given priority for remote duties.
The holy month is expected to start on April 2, but the final date will be confirmed by the UAE's Moon-sighting committee.
The Moon-sighting committee – a group of astronomers, court officials and advisers from the country's Islamic authority – typically convenes after maghrib, or sunset, prayers on the 29th day of Sha’ban to look for the new crescent moon.
If they spot it, Ramadan begins the following day. If not, Sha'ban will last 30 days and Ramadan will begin thereafter.
What is Ramadan?
Ramadan is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. It is believed to be the month when the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed.
Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, abstaining from both food and drink during this period.
Ramadan is a time when Muslims strengthen their faith through prayer and increased recitation of the Quran.
The last 10 days of the holy month are the most special, coinciding with Laylat Al Qadr, commemorating the night the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed.
The rewards for acts of worship carried out on this night are said to be more than the rewards of 1,000 months of worship.
