Eid-ul-Fitr the festival of breaking the fast has come around the corner and debates are spreading everywhere that when the Eid Moon will be sighted? Eid is observed to commemorate prophet Muhammad’s victory, his faith in Allah during struggles and his journey from Mecca to Madina. Prophet Muhammad celebrated the first Eid after Ramadan with his family and friends. To commemorate this occasion muslims around the world observe Eid with great enthusiasm and happiness. After a month-long rigorous fasting people finally eat in daylight and thank Allah for giving them strength and endurance and self-realization.
Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of the holy month Ramadan and the beginning of the 10th month of Islamic calendar, Shawwal. In a lunar calendar like Hijri, months change with the sighting of the new moon. Eid is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal month. That’s why the Eid festivities start the next day of moon-sighting. However the exact date of the Eid-ul-Fitr celebration can vary with country and region. This sparks the debate and speculations about the sighting of the moon among Muslims in various countries. Chand Raat is the term given to the night before Eid when the moon is sighted. In this article you will learn about what is the speculation about the moon sighting and Chand Raat 2024 around the world.
Chand Raat 2024: What is Moon Sighting?
Chand Raat is the night when Shawwal new moon is sighted in the sky. It marks the ending of Ramadan month and beginning of the new month Shawwal the next day which is celebrated as Eid-ul-Fitr. Generally Eid is celebrated for the first 3 days of the Shawwal, the 10th month of Hijri Calendar. Chand Raat term is mostly used in the South Eastern countries like India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The word Chand is a Urdu word, which means moon and Raat means night, so translation would be moon-night or the night when Eid moon is sighted. This night holds a great significance for the Muslim people as it marks the ending of the holy month Zul-Hijjah or Ramadan and the next day beginning of the month Shawwal.
Eid is an important and beautiful festival that makes people remember the value of relationships in life, compassion and brotherhood among all muslim people. It emphasizes the togetherness and unity among people along with the feeling of gratitude towards Allah. Because of regional differences this festival will be celebrated on different dates in different places across the globe but people are united by this blissful occasion with happiness and prosperity. It’s the time for reflection, charity and prayers. “The most important things in the world can not be seen but must be felt by the heart”, as Hellen Keller said truthfully can be similarly applicable to this occasion of love and care.
Chand Raat 2024: Date of Eid-al-Fitr moon sighting in India
The crescent moon decides the Eid celebrations around the globe. In India it is speculated that the moon will be sighted on 9th April 2024, in the evening. If these speculations are right and the moon will be visible on this day then Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated the next day on 10th April 2024 in India. However if the moon is not sighted then Eid will be observed on 11th April 2024. These traditions hold great significance in Islamic culture which emphasize on the lunar Hijri Calendar calculations. Because of this, this year’s Eid date will shift around 10-11 days from the last year’s date which was 22nd April 2023. Timings of moon sighting on various locations in India:
Delhi – 07:32 p.m.
Mumbai – 07:39 p.m.
Kolkata – 05:34 p.m.
Noida – 06:32 p.m.
Bengaluru – 07:13 p.m.
Chandigarh – 06:27 p.m.
Pune – 07:34 p.m.
Ahmedabad – 07:45 p.m.
Hyderabad – 07:14 p.m.
Lucknow – 07:15 p.m.
Patna – 05:49 p.m.
Agra – 06:19 p.m.
Chand Raat 2024: Date of Eid-al-Fitr moon sighting in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and other nations
The people of Saudi Arabia got AIDS from the supreme court of Saudi Arabia to keep watch for the New Moon on earth April 2024 Monday evening. The crescent moon sighting will mark the beginning of the Shawwal month from the next day and celebrations of Eid-ul-Fitr with the ending of the Ramadan. It was anticipated that the moon will be seen on 8th April 2024 in UAE Saudi Arabia United Kingdom Egypt Oman Turkey Kuwait Qatar Iran Bahrain and other countries across the Middle East and West. It was speculated that then the celebration of Eid ul fitr will fall on Tuesday, 9th April 2024. But the moon was not sighted on the night of 8th April 2024 that’s why it is not celebrated on the 9th April 2024. Now it is speculated that the moon will be seen on Tuesday 9th April and Eid ul fitr will be observed on Wednesday, 10th April 2024. Because of this month of Ramadan, days of fasting will increase by one day making the month 30 days long instead of the normal 29 days long.
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