Dubai: In UAE, the Moon sighting committee will meet on Thursday after Maghrib prayer to determine the first day of Ramadan.
The meeting will be held under the chairmanship of Sultan bin Saeed Al Badi Al Dhaheri, the Minister of Justice.
Moon sighting in Saudi Arabia
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia has urged all the Muslims residing in the Kingdom to look out for Moon. Anyone who sights the crescent must inform the nearest court.
If the crescent is sighted on Thursday, UAE and other Middles East countries will start observing Ramadan fast on Friday.
Threat of coronavirus lingers
It may be mentioned that this year, Muslims across the Middle East are bracing for a bleak month of Ramadan fasting as the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic lingers. Millions are in lockdown due to the outbreak.
Several countries’ religious authorities, including Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, have ruled that prayers during Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr be performed at home.