Hotels, bars and restaurants will not serve alcohol on Wednesday. Victor Besa / The National
Hotels, bars and restaurants will not serve alcohol on Wednesday. Victor Besa / The National
Hotels, bars and restaurants will not serve alcohol on Wednesday. Victor Besa / The National
Hotels, bars and restaurants will not serve alcohol on Wednesday. Victor Besa / The National

Government

Dry night announced on Wednesday as UAE marks Israa Wal Miraj

No alcohol will be served in hotels, bars or restaurants for 24 hours

Nick Webster
Nick Webster

March 09, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

A dry night has been announced across the UAE this Wednesday on the occasion of Israa Wal Miraj.

It has not been declared a public holiday but no alcohol will be served in hotels, bars or restaurants from 6pm, Wednesday, March 10 until 7pm, Thursday, March 11

Israa Wal Miraj has not been included in the UAE's official holidays since 2019, when the Cabinet released a unified list of public holidays for government and private sector workers.

According to the Gregorian calendar, the occasion is expected to fall on Thursday, March 11.

The next public holiday in the UAE will be Eid Al Fitr.

The four-day-break is expected to start on Wednesday, May 12, marking the end of Ramadan.

What is Israa Wal Miraj?

Also known as the Ascension to Heaven, the day marks a religious occasion in Islamic history.

On this night, the Prophet Mohammed travelled from Makkah to Jerusalem, where he met all the prophets who preceded him at Al Aqsa Mosque and led them in prayer. He then travelled to the heavens, and received divine instructions on acts of worship, such as prayers. On that day, Muslims were instructed to pray five times a day.

Three ways to limit your social media use

Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.

1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.

2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information. 

3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.

UAE