After potential dates were announced in January 2022 for this year’s Ramadan, astronomers in the UAE have now confirmed the start day of one of the most important times in the Islamic calendar.
However, it is important to note that we will have to wait until the new crescent is seen to know the exact date, as the Islamic calendar is based on the lunar cycle.
Dates confirmed
Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Astronomical Society, said the Holy Month of Ramadan will begin on Saturday, 2 April 2022, and Eid al-Fitr will fall on Thursday, 2 May 2022.
He added that Ramadan in 1433 Hijri Year is expected to last for 30 days, government news agency WAM reported.
Fasting times
Based on times of sunrise and sunset, the city of Khor Fakkan in the Emirate of Sharjah, specifically at Shark Island near Khor Fakkan Port, which is the easternmost point of the country, will precede the capital, Abu Dhabi, by about eight minutes for the start of fasting and breakfast while in Al Ghuwaifat and Al Sila, the westernmost points of the country, fasting and breakfast will begin approximately 12 minutes later than the capital.
Therefore, the time difference will be 20 minutes, in which Khor Fakkan will be ahead of Ghuwaifat for the start of fasting at dawn and breakfast at sunset, he further added.
Calls to prayer
The dawn call to prayer in Khor Fakkan will be at 4:48, while in the capital, Abu Dhabi, it will be at 04:56, and in Al Sila and Ghuwaifat it will be at 5:08, Al Jarwan concluded.
Reduced work timings
The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has previously tweeted that working hours for private-sector employees during the month will be reduced by two hours daily.
Official working hours for federal government employees during Ramadan will be from 9 am to 2.30 pm, from Monday to Thursday, and from 9am to 12pm, on Fridays of every week.
Eid Al Fitr 2022
The end of Ramadan in the UAE is usually marked by a holiday for the public and private sectors for Eid Al Fitr. In 2022, based on the UAE Government holiday guide, the Eid al Fitr holidays will take place from Ramadan 29 until Shawwal 3, based on the Islamic calendar.
This likely coincides with the Gregorian dates of Monday, May 2 to Wednesday, May 5, 2022. This means UAE residents could benefit from a five-day holiday, depending on the sighting of the crescent moon.
For our full guide to UAE holidays in 2022, click here.
