UAE on Sunday announced that the first day of Ramadan in the country will be marked on Monday, March 11, following the sighting of the Ramadan crescent moon.
President Sheikh Mohamed took to X to share his wishes as the announcement was made.
“With the start of Ramadan, I extend my best wishes to all those observing the holy month,” he said.
“May this period of reflection and prayer bring us closer together and strengthen our bonds of unity and compassion. I wish you a blessed Ramadan filled with peace, harmony, and spiritual growth.”
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, also shared his wishes on X.
“We congratulate the people of the Emirates and all the Arab and Islamic peoples on the advent of the holy month,” he said, adding a prayer for contentment and victory.
He went on to say that Ramadan is an opportunity to “strengthen the cohesion of our societies, renew our family ties”, as well as to foster the values of goodness and giving within ourselves.
“Ramadan is not only a month of prayer and fasting… but also a month of love, peace and unity among Muslims,” he said.
Islamic months last 29 or 30 days depending on when the Moon is sighted. Since the Moon was sighted this evening, the month that precedes Ramadan in the Hijri calendar — Sha’ban — ended at 29 days. Ramadan 1, therefore, is on March 11.