THE Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, has declared Wednesday, April 10, as the first day of Shawwal 1445AH, for which Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated.
Sultan, who is the President General, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, made the announcement following the report of National Moon Sighting Committees across the country confirming no sighting of the new moon.
In a statement signed by the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs to the Sultanate Council, Sambo Junaidu, on Monday, April 8, the Sultan felicitated the Nigerian Muslim Ummah and wished them Allah’s blessings.
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Part of the statement read, “The Sultan, while urging the Muslim Ummah to continue to pray for peace, progress, and development of the country, also wishes all Muslims a happy Eid-El-Fitri.”
This was also as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the UAE, and Qatar said the crescent of Shawwal had not been sighted, declaring that the fasting would continue on Tuesday as the final day of Ramadan and Wednesday as Eid-el-Fitri.
The Eid al-Fitr is celebrated on the first day of Shawwal, the month following Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting, after the new moon has been sighted.
Therefore, Muslims in Nigeria will join other Muslims worldwide on Wednesday to mark the occasion.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M