Eid 2023 date & time of moon sighting in Kerala, Kashmir and other states; when is Eid

Muslims across the globe are prepping up to celebrate their one of the most important festivals Eid-ul-Fitr which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Ramadan is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar and Muslims worldwide observe a month of fasting (sawm), prayer and spiritual reflection. The holy month comes to an end after the sighting of the new moon which paves way for the beginning of the Islamic month of Shawwal.

Hence, the sighting of the moon for the month of Shawwal holds a great significance for Muslims as it determines the date of Eid-ul-Fitr. There will be committees to sight the moon and Eid date will be announced based on their announcement.

However, there are often disagreements among Islamic scholars over the exact method for determining the date of Eid. While some rely on actual moon sightings, others use astronomical calculations.

As a result, the date of celebration might be different from region to region.

Eid-ul-Fitr in Kerala

The date of Eid al-Fitr in Kerala is determined by the sighting of the moon in Saudi Arabia while it will be celebrated a day later in rest of the country. The state government announces Eid holiday based on the decision of the moon sighting committee.

Going by the official website, Eid will be celebrated on April 21.

Eid-ul-Fitr in Kashmir

The date of Eid-ul-Fitr in Kashmir will be declared by the Grand Mufti of Kashmir, highest religious authority in the region. "Shab-e-Qadr will be observed on April 17. Moon sighting will be done on April 20 and if moon is sighted, people will have to offer one day Qaza fasting after Eid," Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam had said.

It may be recalled that there was a controversy around the Ramzan date in Kashmir as two different announcements were made by Kashmir's Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam and Pakistan's Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee.

Grand Mufti had claimed that it had not witnessed the Ramadan crescent but the majority of people followed Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee's announcement, The Hindu reported.