According to the Committee on Religious Affairs under the Government of Tajikistan (CRA), the Islamic holy month of Ramadan is expected to last 29 days this year, and Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated on March 30.
An official source within the CRA says the Council of Ulema (Tajikistan's highest Islamic institution) is holding a meeting today to make a final decision regarding Eid al-Fitr.
“Since the months of Rajab and Sha'ban this year were 30 days long, it is highly likely that Ramadan will last 29 days. All countries in the region, including Russia, Saudi Arabia, and other Muslim countries, hold the same position at the moment," the source said, emphasizing that the final conclusion was made based on the findings of the Astrophysical Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan and is acceptable from the perspective of Islam.
According to the officials from the Committee, “The Prophet (PBUH) himself observed fasting for 10 years, of which 6 years had Ramadan lasting 29 days and 4 years lasting 30 days.”
It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (RA) that he said: "The years we fasted with the Prophet (PBUH), our 29-day fasts were more than the 30-day fasts" (Narrated by Abu Dawood).
It is worth mentioning that Ramadan officially began on March 1 this year.
Eid al-Fitr is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. Eid is an Arabic word meaning “festivity”, while Fitr means “to purify”; and so the holiday symbolizes the purification after completing the fasting month, which is after the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan, on the first day of Shawwal.
Eid al-Fitr is one of the major religious holidays that followers of Islam have been observing for centuries. By closing the holy month of Ramadan, it carries a deep moral meaning, encapsulates the joy of renewal, commitment to self-improvement, readiness to do good and help the needy.
Eid al-Fitr lasts for one day of celebrations and is sometimes also known as the “Smaller Eid": as compared to the Eid al-Adha that lasts three days following the Hajj and is casually referred to as the “Greater Eid.”
On this day, Muslims attend the special Eid prayer (salah). An obligatory charity is paid to the poor and the needy before performing the ‘Eid prayer by all those adult Muslims who are required to pay Zakat. Eid prayer is performed in congregation in open areas like fields, squares or at mosques.
After the prayers, people visit their relatives, friends and acquaintances. Gifts are frequently given; it is common for children to be given small sums of money by adult relatives or friends. It is also common for children to salam parents and adult relatives; they usually get sweeties or money from the adult relatives or friends.
