Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting highlights: Crescent moon not sighted in India, Eid to be celebrated on Saturday

• The crescent moon marking the beginning of the month of Shawwal was not sighted in India on Thursday. Following this, clerics have announced that Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated in the country on Saturday.

• The crescent moon marking the beginning of the month of Shawwal was sighted in UAE on Thursday, Khaleej Times reported. UAE had earlier officially announced that the festival would begin on Friday, after the crescent moon was not sighted on Wednesday.

• Eid-ul-Fitr prayers will be held at more than 900 mosques in Dubai at 6 pm, Dubai media office said in a post on X.

• Pakistan and Afghanistan declared a temporary pause to fighting till Eid. No exchanges of fire were reported, marking the first lull since late February, when clashes erupted.

• Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have restricted open-air congregational prayers ahead of Eid al-Fitr, directing worshippers to perform prayers only inside mosques and officially designated prayer halls, according to local directives issued before the festival.

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: The crescent moon marking the beginning of the month of Shawwal was not sighted in India on Thursday.

Following this, clerics have announced that Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated in the country on Saturday.

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: The crescent moon marking the beginning of the month of Shawwal was sighted in UAE on Thursday, Khaleej Times reported. UAE had earlier officially announced that the festival would begin on Friday, after the crescent moon was not sighted on Wednesday.

UAE's Astronomy Center announced that the crescent was observed at 5.10pm from the Khatm Astronomical Observatory, affiliated with the International Astronomy Center, in Abu Dhabi, Khaleej Times reported.

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: Bangladesh will celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr on Saturday after the moon of Shawwal month of 1447 was not sighted in the country on Thursday, BSS news agency reported.

“The moon of Holy Shawwal month of 1447 Hijri was not sighted in the sky of the country today. The holy Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on Saturday,” the country's religious affairs minister said, according to BSS.

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: Indonesia officially announced March 21 as the first day of Eid-ul-Fitr. The crescent moon sighting has not yet been confirmed.

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: While the Chand Raat is expected on March 19, those living in Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad can look towards the western sky between 6 pm and 7 pm.

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: Given that Eid-ul-Fitr, which marks the end of the month of Ramadan, will fall on March 20 or March 21, it is likely that schools and educational institutions may mark March 21 as a day off.

However, if the moon is sighted earlier, March 20 will be marked as a holiday.

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: UAE has announced timings for Eid-ul-Fitr prayers across seven emirates. Here are the timings:

Abu Dhabi: 6:44am

Dubai: 6:40am

Sharjah: 6:39am

Ajman: 6:40am

Umm Al Quwain: 6: 40am

Ras Al Khaimah: 6:38am

Fujairah: 6:37am

Al Ain: 6:38am

Dhafra: 6:48am

Eastern Region: 6:37am

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: Bahrain has confirmed the date of Eid-ul-Fitr as Friday (March 20). This came after the crescent moon marking start of Shawwal was not sighted on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday confirmed that that moon was not visible, thus meaning that the month of Ramadan will complete 30 days this year.

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: Eid-ul-Fitr prayers will be held at more than 900 mosques in Dubai at 6 pm, Dubai media office said in a post on X.

“The Eid Al Fitr prayer in Dubai will be held at 6:40am with full readiness ensured across more than 900 mosques, in coordination with the Dubai Resilience Centre. The ‘Muezzin Al Freej’ initiative will continue, with Eid Takbeerat raised and the call to prayer delivered across mosques,” the post said.

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: A key outlawed Pakistani militant group behind numerous gun and bomb attacks announced a three-day ceasefire early Thursday ahead of a key Muslim holiday, hours after Pakistan and Afghanistan also declared a temporary pause to escalating fighting. No exchanges of fire were reported, marking the first lull since late February, when clashes erupted.

Mohammad Khurasani, a spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, said the ceasefire was intended to allow people to observe Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have restricted open-air congregational prayers ahead of Eid al-Fitr, directing worshippers to perform prayers only inside mosques and officially designated prayer halls, according to local directives issued before the festival.

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have extended Eid al-Fitr greetings to Muslims across the United States.

In a statement released by the White House, Trump said, “The First Lady and I send our warmest wishes to all Americans celebrating Eid al-Fitr.”

He noted that the festival, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, brings together families, friends and communities in celebration and reflection. Trump also said the occasion highlights the American principle of religious freedom.

“We wish everyone celebrating a blessed Eid al-Fitr,” the statement added.

Normally, Lilian Jamaan would have been shopping for clothes for her daughter and buying meat and sweets in preparation for the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of Ramadan.

But now, “there’s no joy for Eid or for Ramadan or for anything,” Jamaan said by phone from a school-turned-shelter in the Lebanese city of Sidon, where she’s been displaced with her family.

“Everything is difficult,” she said.

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: As Eid al-Fitr approaches, marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, delivery riders on Karachi's streets say they're working longer hours, but earning less, with little left for the new clothes and treats that usually mark the festival.

A few weeks ago, 23-year-old Mohammad Mohsin could make around 1,500 rupees ($5.38) a day.

Now, with the US-Israeli war on Iran choking oil supplies, petrol prices have surged above 320 rupees per litre and Mohsin's earnings have shrunk to around 1,100 rupees.

"Before it was all mine," he said. "Now, a huge sum goes into petrol." The rising cost of fuel is hitting some of Pakistan's lowest-paid urban workers hardest, and many riders are making barely enough to cover the essentials, let alone the Eid celebrations.

Eid ul-Fitr is right around the corner as the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end. Here are some wishes, images, and more to celebrate. Read full story here

Pakistan and Afghanistan have decided to temporarily halt their clash on the occasion of Eid after deadly airstrikes in Afghanistan this week sparked global alarm and calls for ceasefire.

The pause in fighting is being done for Eid, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in separate posts on X. Both mentioned similar requests from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. The pause shall be applicable from March 19 to 24, said Tarar.

The decision comes after Pakistan’s attack on a medical facility in Kabul this week triggered calls for ceasefire, as the world grapples with the implications of another major conflict near Iran. The two sides have clashed repeatedly since February.

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) senior executive member Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli on Tuesday disagreed with appeals to forgo Eid celebrations or offer prayers with black armbands in protest against the US attack on Iran.

Speaking at a meeting held at Eidgah in Lucknow to review preparations for Eid-ul-Fitr, he said the festival is a reward from Allah for those who observe fasting during Ramzan and should not be linked to any "human event."

"Eid is an ibadat and a divine reward for roza observers. It is not associated with any single human incident," he said, referring to calls in some places to scale down celebrations as a mark of protest.

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: Several countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East are still waiting for the sighting of the Shawwal crescent moon to finalise the date of Eid-ul-Fitr 2026. The festival marking the end of Ramadan is officially declared only after the new moon is sighted, as per the Islamic lunar calendar.

While Saudi Arabia and several Gulf countries have already confirmed Eid on March 20, many nations will announce their final decision after local moon-sighting committees review reports later in the evening.

Countries still awaiting the Shawwal crescent announcement include:

India

Indonesia

Malaysia

Brunei

Bangladesh

Pakistan

Iran

Oman

Jordan

Syria

Egypt

Libya

Tunisia

Algeria

Morocco

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: Muslims in Canada are expected to celebrate Eid al Fitr on Friday, March 20, following confirmation of the Shawwal crescent in several countries.

Eid al Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and its date is determined by the sighting of the Shawwal crescent moon, in accordance with the Islamic lunar calendar.

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: For the first time since war began in Gaza, Raeda Abu Diya has bought special clothes for her daughter for the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Bu while a fragile ceasefire now holds in the Israel-Hamas war, Palestinians in Gaza fear the Iran war will make the world forget their suffering, and lead to prolonged shortages of crucial aid.

"This year I decided that my children and I would be happy and celebrate with what is available to us," 38-year-old Abu Diya, who lives with her daughter and husband in a tent after their home was destroyed, told AFP.

"The shelling is much less than before."

Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 Moon Sighting LIVE updates: The ongoing US-Iran war has severely affected business activity in Tehran’s historic Grand Bazaar. Nearly three weeks of war have forced many shops to close and driven up prices, adding to economic pressure already caused by years of sanctions.