Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar announce Friday as the first day of Eid al-Fitr 2026

Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar announced that Thursday is the completion of the month of Ramadan, after the failure to sight the crescent of Shawwal, making Friday the first day of Eid al-Fitr for the year 2026.

Saudi Arabia: Supreme Court Decision

The Royal Court in Saudi Arabia reported that the Saudi Supreme Court decided to complete the month of Ramadan with thirty days, following the failure to sight the crescent this evening, confirming that Friday is the first day of Eid al-Fitr, according to the conclusions reached by the moon sighting committees in various regions of the Kingdom.

United Arab Emirates: Official Announcement from the Investigation Committee

In the United Arab Emirates, the Shawwal Crescent Investigation Committee affiliated with the Emirates Council for Islamic Fatwa announced that Thursday is the completion of the month of Ramadan, and that Friday is the first day of Eid, after the committee's meeting in Abu Dhabi.
The committee confirmed that the investigation procedures were carried out according to an institutional methodology relying on Islamic and astronomical observation to ensure the accuracy of announcing the beginning of the Hijri months.

Qatar: Unified Announcement with Gulf Countries

Similarly, the Crescent Investigation Committee in Qatar announced that Thursday is the last day of Ramadan, and that Friday is the first day of Eid al-Fitr, following its meeting this evening at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs headquarters.

Unified Eid Date

This announcement reflects an agreement among several Gulf countries on the date of Eid al-Fitr this year, based on relying on the Islamic sighting as the basis for confirming the beginning of the month of Shawwal.
It is expected that the majority of Islamic countries will celebrate Eid on Friday, with the possibility of limited differences in some countries depending on the sighting criteria they adopt.