Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest shrines, and other Muslim countries are celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr on Friday marking the end of holy month of Ramadan. However, keeping up its tradition, some areas in district Khyber in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are also celebrating Eid with Saudi Arabia today despite the announcement by the central as well as KP Ruet-e-Halal committees that Eid-ul-Fitr in Pakistan will fall on Saturday. District Khyber continued the tradition of celebrating two Eids in the country. Though Eid will be celebrated across the country tomorrow, Eid prayers were offered in several mosques in Khyber. People hugged and wished Eid Mubarak to each other after saying Eid prayers in the morning.

Several countries including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan, Turkey, America, Canada and European countries including United Kingdom have announced Eid-ul-Fitr today. However, Muslims in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Japan, Australia, Jordan, India, Bangladesh and many other countries will fast on Friday and celebrate Eid on Saturday (tomorrow) as Shawwal moon was not sighted in these countries on Thursday.

In Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries Eid is being celebrated with traditional religious fervor. Big Eid prayer gatherings were observed in Masjid-ul-Haram and Masjid-e-Nabvi in which millions of Muslim worshippers participated. After offering Eid Nimaz, the worshippers prayed for the peace and wellbeing of the Ummah. The timing of Eid-ul-Fitr is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, in accordance with the Muslim lunar calendar.

The holiday is normally celebrated with family gatherings. In Lebanon, Sunni clerics said the holiday will begin on Friday, while some Shiite leaders announced a Saturday start to the holiday. Libya, ruled by two rival administrations, will mark Eid on Friday in the country's east and on Saturday in areas under the control of the Tripoli-based government. Statements from Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iraq's highest Shiite authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, said Eid would start on Saturday in their countries.

In Oman, too, the holiday will start on Saturday. The daytime fasting month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. Observant Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk, and traditionally gather with family and friends to break their fast in the evening. It is also a time for prayer, with the faithful converging in large numbers on mosques, especially at night. Fasting is widely practised in Saudi Arabia, home of the holiest shrines in Islam in Mecca and Medina.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP