Eid-ul-Adha in India to be observed on May 28 after Zil Hijja moon not sighted

Muslim clerics in India said Eid-ul-Adha will be celebrated on May 28 after the Zil Hijja crescent moon was not sighted in most parts of the country. Mufti Mukarram Ahmed and Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Shaban Bukhari cited no confirmed reports, with Imarat-e-Sharia Hind echoing the decision.

Muslim clerics said Eid-ul-Adha will be observed in India on May 28. The decision followed the absence of confirmed reports of the Zil Hijja crescent on Sunday evening. Several religious bodies checked information from different areas. Most regions did not report a sighting, leading to a common date for the festival.

Eid-ul-Adha is linked to the Islamic month of Zil Hijja and falls after the moon is sighted. Clerics noted that, unlike Eid-ul-Fitr, the festival is kept on the 10th day after the sighting. With the crescent not seen in most places, the calendar moved to May 28 for celebrations.

Eid-ul-Adha date in India set after Zil Hijja moon check

Mufti Mukarram Ahmed, Shahi Imam of Fatehpuri Mosque in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, described the verification process. Religious authorities contacted multiple parts of the country on Sunday evening. No confirmed sighting came from any location. Based on that, the date was fixed for May 28.

Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Syed Shaban Bukhari, also shared the same date through a video statement. Syed Shaban Bukhari said the crescent was not reported from anywhere in India. The announcement aligned with other clerics. It reinforced May 28 as the day for Eid-ul-Adha observance.

Eid-ul-Adha observance and Bakrid timeline in India

Muslim organisation Imarat-e-Sharia Hind issued a statement with a similar conclusion. The group said no authenticated moon sighting report was received from any part of India. Imarat-e-Sharia Hind said this led to the May 28 observance. Eid-ul-Adha is also called Bakrid in many places.

The festival takes place two months and nine days after Eid-ul-Fitr. Islamic belief links Eid-ul-Adha to Prophet Ibrahim’s readiness to sacrifice son Ismail. The narrative says Allah granted life and accepted an animal instead. This account is widely cited during the days of prayer and remembrance.

Eid-ul-Adha lasts three days, according to community practice described by clerics. During this period, members of the Muslim community offer animal sacrifice. The animals must be permitted under Indian laws. The scale of sacrifice varies, and families act according to their means and local arrangements.

With inputs from PTI