No public holiday for Al Isra Wa Al Miraj, UAE ministry says

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation clarifies holiday with tweet

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Al Isra Wa Al Miraj will fall on Wednesday but it will not be marked with a public holiday in the UAE this year. Chris Whiteoak for The National

There will be no public holiday in the UAE for Al Isra Wa Al Miraj this year or the next, a UAE ministry has said.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, on Monday, extended its greetings on the Islamic occasion and issued a reminder on Twitter that Al Isra Wa Al Miraj is not a paid holiday this year.

It accompanied its tweet with the list of official public holidays released by the UAE Cabinet last month.

The list does not include Al Isra Wa Al Miraj or the Prophet's birthday but there had been some speculation over whether or not there would be a last-minute announcement of a holiday nonetheless.

"In regards to the public holidays, they have been specified in the UAE Cabinet’s decree," the ministry tweet said.

Previously, the UAE marked Isra Wa Al Miraj with a public holiday, for both government and private sectors.

Oman and Kuwait have announced a holiday for their workers and Saudi Arabia does not typically mark the date with a day off.

Al Isra Wa Al Miraj, also known as the Prophet’s Ascension or the Night Journey, marks the journeys of Prophet Mohammed from Makkah to Jerusalem and to heaven in a single night on the back of a winged beast.

The holiday will be dry in Dubai. No alcohol will be served from 6pm on Tuesday, April 2 to 7pm on Wednesday, April 3.

The next public holiday the UAE can look forward to will be for Eid Al Fitr, which occurs at the end of Ramadan - around June 3, depending on the length of the holy month.