– Saturday, August 10 is Arafah | Sunday, August 11 is Eid ul Adha
The National Moon Sighting Committee of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), on her Facebook and Twitter handles today, Friday, August 2, has affirmed that there has been no report of a positive sighting of the new crescent of Dhul-Hijjah from anywhere in Nigeria.
The Council therefore affirmed its decision to adopt the announcement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Supreme Court, which declared today, Friday, August 2 as the first day of Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar.
Saudi Arabia’s state TV, Al-Arabiya had earlier reported that the Dhul Hijjah crescent was reportedly sighted from Saudi Arabia’s Tumair Observatory, marking the beginning of the month in which the Islamic Hajj takes place.
The NSCIA under the leadership of His Eminence, Alhaji Abubakar Saa’d III therefore approved Saturday, August 10 as the day of Arafat, the climax of Hajj rites and Sunday, August 11 as Eid ul Adha, the Muslims’ biggest annual festival, in accordance with the earlier announcement by Saudi Arabia.
It would be recalled that the NSCIA has always adopted the Saudi authorities’ sighting of the moon of Dhul-Hijjah for Eid ul Adha, since the day and location of Arafat is decided by the Kingdom.
In 2018, for instance, the Moon Sighting Committee adjusted the dates of Dhul Qa’dah to make Sunday, 12th of August, 2018 the 1st day of Dhul-Hijjah, 1439AH, in accordance with the announcement from Saudi Arabia.
