Ramadan 1438 - 2017

The ninth month of the Islamic calendar year, the month of Ramadan is held highly by the Muslims across the world. This month which is given great importance as the Noble and Glorious Quran was first revealed during this month to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). The importance of this event was more reinforced by having this month as the 'Month of fasting'. Also to reinforce a Muslim's Taqwa (God Consciousness), during this month one has to be generous and charitable. Also on a lighter note, it is said that all the divine books revealed to all the messengers were first revealed during the month of Ramadan.(Go Figure).

UPDATE on the exact date will be made after the ANNOUNCEMENT by Moon Sighting Committee.
Saudi Arabia - The High Judiciary Council of Saudi Arabia announces tomorrow,Friday to be 30th Shaban 1438 as the nascent moon was not sighted. The council observed the nascent moon on 26/05/2017. Therefore, 1st Day of Ramadan to start on Saturday, 27th May 2017.

The Month of Ramadan in Kuwait starts either on Friday 26/05/2017 (Friday) or 27/05/2017 (Saturday) .Since the previous Islamic month of Shaban completes 29 or 30 days is the deciding factor. This year the chances of Shaban being 30 days is high due to the previous month of Rajab being 29 and also based on the scientific astronomical calculations (ASTRONOMICAL not ASTROLOGICAL). In any case, always any decision for the start of any Islamic month can only be made based on the sighting of the Hilal moon (Nascent Crescent of the moon). Any other information made in advance is at best tentative. Wishing everyone a Ramadan Kareem, hoping for all of us to better ourselves as humans (as is the need of the hour).

Muslims fast from Dawn to Sunset.

• Dawn : the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise.
• Sunset : the time in the evening when the sun disappears.

In Kuwait the decision factor for announcing about the sighting of the nascent moon is done by the Hilal moon sighting committee comprising of Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and other key members. This year the committee will be gathering on 25/05/2017 around 7 pm after Maghreb (Sunset) prayers at Kuwait Institute for Judicial & Legal Studies.

Photo Courtesy to the Official Gazette for the State of Kuwait 'Kuwait Al Youm'

In Saudi Arabia, the decision factor is done by the High Judiciary Council of Saudi Arabia.

Twitter Handle of Fatwa Council in Madeenah, Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia update:

Moon not sighted on 25/05/2017 - Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia Update (26/05/2017)

1st Day of Ramadan on Saturday - 27/05/2017 - Saudi Arabia

CLICK HERE for my post on 'Ramadan 1437 - 2016 & Eid'

CLICK HERE for my post on 'Ramadan 2016 - 1437 Working Hours'.

CLICK HERE for my post on 'Ramadan 1436 - 2015'.
CLICK HERE for my post on 'Ramadan 2015 working hours in Kuwait'.

CLICK HERE for my last year's post 'Ramadan 1435 - 2014'.

CLICK HERE for my last year's post 'Ramadan 2014 working hours'.

CLICK HERE for my last year's post 'Masjids in Ramadan 2014'.

CLICK HERE for my post 'Ramadan 1434 - 2013'.

Eid Al Adha 1437 - 2016

The day for Eid Al Adha has been declared. First Day will be on 12th September 2016.

Photo Courtesy to E-Fatwa online

On the evening of Thursday, 1st September 2016, The High Judiciary Council of Saudi Arabia convened to observe the Hilal Moon sighting. As the moon was not sighted, the next day was declared as the 30th day of that Islamic month. Therefore, the start of the Islamic month, Dhul Hijjah is to be from 3rd September 2016. Based on this information the following is the important dates:

• 3rd September 2016 - 1st Day of Dhul Hijjah 1437
• 11th September 2016 - 9th Day of Dhul Hijjah 1437 - Arafat Day
• 12th September 2016 - 10th Day of Dhul Hijjah 1437 - 1st Day of Eid Al Adha
• 13th September 2016 - 11th Day of Dhul Hijjah 1437 - 2nd Day of Eid Al Adha
• 14th September 2016 - 12th Day of Dhul Hijjah 1437 - 3rd Day of Eid Al Adha

The countries that declared similarly to Saudi Arabia are Kuwait, UAE and Turkey. The Fiqh Council of North America and European Council of Fatwa and Research also declared 12th September 2016 as the 1st Day of Eid Al Adha (10th of Zul Hijja) (Source: Saudi Arabian Press Agency, Fiqh Council)

Photo Courtesy of The Fiqh Council of North America

The greatest next topic usually after the declaration of Eid Al Adha is how many days of holidays are people going to get. So let the list begin.

• Kuwait - 9 days - 9 September 2016, Friday - 17 September 2016, Saturday
• UAE - 9 days  (government) - 9 September 2016, Friday - 17 September 2016, Saturday
• UAE - 3 days (private) - 11 September 2016, Sunday - 13 September 2016, Tuesday
• Turkey - 9 days - 10 September 2016, Saturday - 18 September 2016, Sunday

Source: Gulf Business (UAE Private), Gulf Business (UAE Goverment)

Photo Courtesy to Twitter - HH Sheikh Mohammed Al Makhtoum UAE

Kuwait's Civil Service Commission has declared in their Circular 14-2016 that official holidays observed will be on Sunday 11th, Monday 12th, Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th. Thursday 15th will be given as rest day. Official working day resumes from Sunday, 18th September 2016.

Photo Courtesy to Kuwait Civil Service Commission (CSC)

About Eid Al Adha/Bakrid/Bakr-Eid/Eid Al Thani/Qurban Bayram:

The Islamic festival of Eid Al-Adha is celebrated in the Islamic month of Zul Hijjah. The yearly pilgrimage, Hajj to Makkah Mukkaramah / The Honored City of Mecca takes place during this month. From the 8th Zul Hijjah till the 13th Zul Hijjah, variously rituals takes place which are enactment of the events that took place by Prophet Ibrahim / Abraham (A.S), his wife Bibi Hajra / Hagar, their son Prophet Ismail / Ishmael (A.S). The muslims that do not participate in the pilgrimage, Hajj celebrate Eid Al Adha on the 10th, 11th and 12th. They perform the congregational prayer on the first day morning after sunrise. After that until the end of the third day, muslims that are financially sound sacrifice an animal and share it with their family, friends and others.

The first 10 days of Zul Hijjah are given a lot of importance and emphasis by indulging in the remembrance of Allah (SWT).

Photo Courtesy to Islamic Online University

Eid Prayer times for Kuwait on 12th September 2016 at 5:45 am. (All Eid prayers are to be held in Masajed, No outdoor arrangements this year)

Photo Courtesy of Kuwait Police Department

• Fajr - 4:10 am
• Sunrise - 5:31 am
• Eid Prayers - 5:45 am
• Zohar - 11:45 am
• Asr - 3:16 pm
• Magreb - 5:58 pm
• Isha - 7:17 pm

Photo Courtesy of Kuwait Police Department
Translation: Cancellation of Outdoor Eid Prayers due to Security Concerns.

42 Emergency Medical Center will be functioning during the Eid Holidays (24 hours) across all of Kuwait - All six Governorates.

Photo Courtesy to Ministry of Health and Kuwait Police Department

Also, the estimated time for the Eid Prayer to take place is 15 minutes after Sunrise (Sunrise at 5:31 am) Therefore time is 5:45 am). The prayer consists of 2 Rakats and is accompanied by a sermon after. It is highly recommended to listen to the Sermon. Some Masjids in Kuwait start the Eid Prayer a little later around 7 am - Urdu, Tamil, Telugu and Bengali (Check with the Masjids earlier to know the exact time). The only main condition for Eid Prayers is that it takes place after Sunrise. This year, the Ministry of Awqaf & Islamic Affairs has requested most of these masajed to perform the Eid prayers earlier. Most people prefer to pray earlier in the day as they will be busy with the sacrifice ritual immediately after the prayers.

The list of temporary slaughter houses have been put up by the Kuwait Municipality. These are to support the 5 main slaughter houses in reducing the burden. The 5 main slaughter houses will be working in full capacity throughout the Eid Holidays. The 12 temporary slaughter houses are in accordance to Environment Public Authority (EPA) rules and regulations. It is highly recommended not to take photography or videos (snapchat, instagram, vine, facebook, twitter, periscope and others) at the slaughter houses. (Another source : ARAB TIMES)

Temporary Abattoirs / Slaughter House (Asimah) City Governorate
S.No.	Area	Site Location
1	Shuwaikh	Next to the Car Park of Asimah Immigration Opposite Al Khaldiya Area
2	Kaifan	Block 3, Next Afrah Boodi Hall
Temporary Abattoirs / Slaughter House Hawally Governorate
S.No.	Area	Site Location
1	Salwa	Area 5, Next to the Co-op Society
2	Zahra	Opposite Public Authority for Housing Welfare
3	Rumaithiya	Opposite to the Main Co-op Society
Temporary Abattoirs / Slaughter House Farwaniya Governorate
S.No.	Area	Site Location
1	Farwaniya	Street 106, Near to Masjid Monawar Al Monawar
2	Abdulla Al Mubarak	2nd Street, Opposite to Masjid Taiba Al Rooeh
3	Ardhiya	Block 5, Street 55, Next to KFH, Opposite Saraj Al Muneer Center
4	Ishbilya	Street 216, Block 2, Opposite Amar Bin Rabeah Primary Boys School
5	Sabah Al Nasir	Street 106, Block 4, Masjid Al Marjah
Temporary Abattoirs / Slaughter House Ahmadi Governorate
S.No.	Area	Site Location
1	Ali Al Salem (Umm Haiman)	Entry into the area from Kind Abdulaziz Expressway Next to Main Co-op Society
2	Jaber Al Ali	Entry into the area from King Fahd Expressway Next to School near Co-op Society

Photo Courtesy to Kuwait Municipality - Baladia

Kuwait Municipality prepares 12 Temporary Abattoirs / Slaughter Houses for Eid

CLICK HERE if the above video does not work

Ramadan 1437 - 2016 & Eid

The ninth month of the Islamic calender year, the month of Ramadan is held highly by the Muslims across the world. This month which is given great importance as the Noble and Glorious Quran was first revealed during this month to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). The importance of this event was more reinforced by having this month as the 'Month of fasting'. Also to reinforce a Muslim's Taqwa (God Consciousness), during this month one has to be generous and charitable. Also on a lighter note, it is said that all the divine books revealed to all the messengers were first revealed during the month of Ramadan.(Go Figure).

CLICK HERE for my post on 'Ramadan 2016 - 1437 Working Hours'.

The Month of Ramadan in Kuwait started on  Monday 06/06/2016. Since the previous Islamic month of Shaban completed 29 days, then chances of having Ramadan for 30 days is high. In any case, always any decision for the start of any Islamic month can only be made based on the sighting of the Hilal moon (Nascent Crescent of the moon). Any other information made in advance is at best tentative. Wishing everyone a Ramadan Kareem, hoping for all of us to better ourselves as humans.

Photo Courtesy to eFatwa - Fatwa online

Photo Courtesy to Al Majlliss

Muslims fast from Dawn to Sunset.

• Dawn : the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise.
• Sunset : the time in the evening when the sun disappears.

Below shows how long the fast will be for people from different countries for Ramadan 1437. In Kuwait the average fasting time is 15:40 hours (based on my average calculation - not official). Fasting Times in the Countries are as below:

Photo Courtesy to Arabia Weather (dot) com

• Tunis 16:33 hours
• Tripoli 16:12 hours
• Al Quds 15:53 hours
• Cairo 15:51 hours
• Kuwait 15:40 hours
• Manama 15:21 hours
• Riyadh 15:12 hours
• Abu Dhabi 15:11 hours
• Muscat 15:06 hours
• Mecca 14:55 hours
• Djibouti 14:07 hours
• Mogadishu 13:29 hours
• Norway 21:25 hours
• Russia 20:47 hours
• Sweden 20:45 hours
• Holland 20:24 hours
• England 20:20 hours
• Canada 18:25 hours
• Italy 17:32 hours
• China 17:08 hours
• USA 16:57 hours
• India 15:35 hours
• Argentina 10 hours

Another subject matter is that the month of Ramadan keeps moving up by 13 days (give and take a day) every year, bringing the subject of Ramadan falling during summer OR fasting during peak temperatures & longer duration of hours. (Below is the tentative start date of Ramadan along with the average temperature of the day)

• 18 June 2015 - 36.4 C
• 06 June 2016 - 36.4 C
• 27 May 2017 - 34.1 C
• 16 May 2018 - 34.1 C
• 6 May 2019 - 34.1 C
• 24 April 2020 - 29.1 C
• 13 April 2021 - 29.1 C
• 2 April 2022 - 29.1 C
• 23 March 2023 - 24.7 C
• 11 March 2024 - 24.7 C
• 1 March 2025 - 24.7 C
• 18 February 2026 - 21.2 C
• 8 February 2027 - 21.2 C
• 28 January 2028 - 20.0 C
• 15 January 2029 - 20.0 C
• 5 January 2030 - 20.0 C
• 26 December 2030 - 22.3 C
• 16 December 2031 - 22.3 C
• 4 December 2032 - 22.3 C
• 23 November 2033 - 27.7 C
• 12 November 2034 - 27.7 C
• 1 November 2035 - 27.7 C
• 21 October 2036 - 33.1 C
• 10 October 2037 - 33.1 C
• 30 September 2038 - 36.5 C
• 19 September 2039 - 36.5 C
• 8 September 2040 - 36.5 C
• 28 August 2041 - 38 C
• 17 August 2042 - 38 C
• 6 August 2043 - 38 C
• 26 July 2044 - 36.4 C
• 16 July 2045 - 36.4 C
• 5 July 2046 - 36.4 C
• 25 June 2047 - 34.1 C
• 13 June 2048 - 34.1 C

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) Kuwait has announced the number of official holidays for the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr (year 2016 corresponding to Hijri Calender year 1437) to be 5 days (Five Days). Eid ( 1st day of Shawwal - Month 10 on the Lunar Calender) falls on either Tuesday, July 5 or Wednesday, July 6. In either case, Tuesday, July 5 is a holiday and the next work day will resume on Sunday, July 10. (Source Circular no 13-2016)

Photo Courtesy of Civil Service Commission

CLICK HERE for my post on 'Ramadan 2016 - 1437 Working Hours'.

CLICK HERE for my post on 'Ramadan 1436 - 2015'.
CLICK HERE for my post on 'Ramadan 2015 working hours in Kuwait'.

CLICK HERE for my last year's post 'Ramadan 1435 - 2014'.

CLICK HERE for my last year's post 'Ramadan 2014 working hours'.

CLICK HERE for my last year's post 'Masjids in Ramadan 2014'.

CLICK HERE for my post 'Ramadan 1434 - 2013'.

Abattoirs / Slaughterhouses during Eid Al Adha

The list of temporary slaughter houses have been put up by the Kuwait Municipality. These are to support the main slaughter houses in reducing the burden. The main slaughter houses will be working in full capacity 24 hours a day. The temporary slaughter houses were determined according to Environment Public Authority (EPA) conditions. (CLICK HERE for the source of the article)

Temporary Abattoirs / Slaughter House (Asimah) City Governorate
S.No.	Area	Site Location
1	Sulaibikhat & Doha Co op	Opposite Sulaibikhat Club, Near Al-Batri Hospital
2	Al Khaldiya Co op	Opposite Abdalla Al Otaibi Boys Secondary
3	Jaber Al Ahmad Co op	Area 3, Beside Eid Prayer Site
Temporary Abattoirs / Slaughter House Hawally Governorate
S.No.	Area	Site Location
1	Salwa Co op	Area 3, Salem Al Harees Street
2	Bayan Co op	Area 5, Beside Mohammad Abdul Mohsin School
3	Zahra Co op	Area 1, Street 103, Opposite Public Authority for Housing Welfare
4	Salam Co op	Area 3, Street 309, Opposite Commercial Bank of Kuwait
Temporary Abattoirs / Slaughter House Jahra Governorate
S.No.	Area	Site Location
1	Saad Al Abdulla Co op	Area 9, Next to Eid Prayer Site
2	Qirwan Co op	Area 2, Opposite Co op
3	Sulaibiya Co op	Next to Police Station, near to Garden/Park
4	Naseem Co op	Next to Eid Prayer Site
5	Nahda Co op	Next to Fuel Station
Temporary Abattoirs / Slaughter House Ahmadi Governorate
S.No.	Area	Site Location
1	Umm Haiman Co op	Entrance to Umm Haiman from Fahaheel Expressway
2	Jaber Al Ali Co op	Area 3, Beside Abdulla Al Ahmad Secondary
3	Al Riqqa Co op	Near Riqqa Fuel Station towards Fahaheel Expressway
4	Abu Halifa Co op	Near Al Sahil Club
Temporary Abattoirs / Slaughter House Farwaniya Governorate
S.No.	Area	Site Location
1	Abdulla Al Mubarak Co op	Area 1, Next to Eid Prayer Site

Photo Courtesy to Ministry of Interior Instagram account