A leading Muslim organisation has been one of the first in the UK to officially announce the day of Eid.

The month of Ramadan began on March 23 and is due to end next week on Thursday April 20 or Friday April 21 with Eid taking place the day after either of these two dates.

As the Islamic calendar is based on the lunar cycle, Ramadan can be 29 days or 30 days in length depending on the sighting of the new moon. The exact date for Eid leads to a great deal of discussions in the lead up to the festival and normally the festival date will not be announced until much closer to the exact date.

The Minhaj ul Quran Manchester said they would be celebrating Eid-al-Fitr 2023 on Friday 21 April and stated today (April 14) will be last Jummah during Ramadan.

Minhaj ul Quran is a worldwide Muslim organisation and has locations across the north west and Yorkshire. Presently only the Manchester branch has made the announcement.

In a statement the Manchester mosque added: “We have officially announced the Eid and like all years there is a misunderstanding among the community about the dates.

“We at Minhaj ul Quran Manchester follow the birth of the moon to determine the Eids and not the physical sighting of it.

“We have officially announced the dates for both Eids in our Ramadan Calendar 1 month ago and in our annual calendars at the beginning of the year.

“According to the scientific data here are the timings of birth and disappearance of the moon on Thursday, 20 April.”

The mosque went on to explain that the new moon  will be visible for 44 minutes on the UK horizon after the sun sets, and adds: “According to Scholars the moon has to be available on the UK horizon for 5 minutes after Magrib (sunset prayers) however on 20th the moon will be on the UK for 44 minutes.

“Hence, why we have decided the right day for the Eid is Friday, 21 April.”

The mosque is not alone in making this announcement.

The Scottish Hilal Forum (SHF) has announced the dates for both the start of Ramadan and Eid ul-Fitr back in February.

Media personality and commentator Mohammed Shafiq posted several updates concerning the announcement overnight.

 

 

The UK Government took the step this year to post an update for those interested in the new moon on a link.

According to the data: “The instant of new Moon takes place on Thursday April 20 2023 at 04:13 UT or 05:13 BST.

"A telescopic sighting of the crescent moon with small, conventional amateur-sized telescopes is possible from north easternmost parts of Canada and northern parts of South America on April 20th. 

“Optical aid may be needed to find the crescent moon on the same day from the southern Caribbean region, north-eastern parts of North America, north western parts of South America and southern Polynesia. 

“Naked-eye sightings under excellent conditions on the same day are possible from the northern Caribbean region, Central America and southern and western parts of North America. Easy sightings are possible from northern Polynesia including the Hawaiian Islands. 

“On Friday April 21 the overwhelming majority of the globe should be able to make easy sightings of the crescent moon with one or two very small exceptions in the southern hemisphere. Naked-eye sightings are likely almost globally on Friday April 21, Saturday April 22 and Sunday April 23.

“For those observers in the Middle East, North Africa and the United Kingdom, easy sightings of the crescent moon should be possible with the naked eye on Friday April 21, Saturday April 22 and Sunday April.”