Why is Shia Eid sometimes on a different day?
Every Hijri month, Shawwal included, starts when the new crescent moon is seen. It can be seen in one country and not another on the same evening, and jurists differ on what counts as seeing it. So Eid, the first of Ramadan and every other Hijri date can fall a day apart, between Shia and Sunni and among Shia too.
What counts as seeing the moon
Ayatollah al-Sistani's rulings set out how a month begins:
- The crescent must be seen with the naked eye. Seeing it only through a telescope is not enough (ruling 1699).
- You see it yourself, or two just witnesses see it, or a group of people whose word gives you confidence report seeing it (ruling 1699).
- If it is not seen, the month runs to 30 days, and the next month starts the day after (ruling 1699).
- Astronomers' predictions do not start a month, unless they give you certainty or confidence (ruling 1701).
- A sighting counts for other cities only if they share its horizon: places where the moon would also have been seen, clouds aside. A city to the west must be at a similar latitude; a city to the east must also be at a similar latitude and not far in longitude (ruling 1704).
Other marja' differ on some of these. Ayatollah Khamenei, for example, accepts a sighting made with observing tools such as a telescope.
Why that moves Eid
On the first evening the crescent can be seen, it is visible from some parts of the world and not from others. Under the shared-horizon rule, a sighting in Saudi Arabia may not count for London, which lies far to the north. So a family that follows Ayatollah al-Sistani, a neighbour who follows Ayatollah Khamenei and a Sunni mosque that follows Saudi Arabia's announcement can each celebrate Eid on a different day. All of them are following their scholars' rulings.
What to do
Follow the announcement of your own marja's office, or of the centre that represents him where you live.
How the app shows it
Shia Namaz works out the Hijri date from when the new crescent should first be visible to the naked eye from your location. That is an estimate, so it can be a day off the announcement you follow. In Settings, under Hijri calendar, you can move every Hijri date by up to three days to match it. This site shows the estimate, without that setting.
Get the app Shia Namaz shows the Hijri date for your city and lets you match it to your marja's announcement. It works offline.
See today's Hijri date for your city →
Next guide: why Shia pray with their hands at their sides →
Sources: Office of Ayatollah al-Sistani, Islamic Laws, rulings 1699, 1701 and 1704. Office of Ayatollah Khamenei, "How to Determine the Beginning of Shawwal 1445". Follow your own marja' where his rulings differ.