The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that Friday, September 5, will be a public holiday for government employees nationwide in observance of the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday.
The occasion, marked annually on 12 Rabi Al Awwal of the Hijri calendar, grants federal employees a three-day weekend, as the holiday falls before the regular Saturday-Sunday break.
In Sharjah, where Fridays are already part of the weekend, employees will still benefit from the additional day off.
The announcement follows the non-sighting of the crescent moon for Rabi Al Awwal on August 23.
According to the UAE Astronomy Center, the month of Safar will last 30 days, making Monday, August 25, the start of Rabi Al Awwal. This places the Prophet’s birthday on September 5 this year.
In a rare instance, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will mark the occasion on different dates, as the Kingdom sighted the moon a day earlier.
The Hijri calendar is based on lunar phases, with each month starting upon the sighting of the new crescent moon. The UAE moon-sighting committee meets on the 29th day of each month to confirm the start of the next Islamic month.
