The UAE has declared Friday, September 5, as a public holiday for both government and private sector employees on the occasion of the Prophet’s (PBUH) birthday.
The holiday falls on 12 Rabi Al Awwal in the Hijri calendar and will give most employees a three-day weekend, as it coincides with the official Saturday–Sunday weekend. Public sector staff in Sharjah, however, already observe Fridays as part of their regular weekend.
The announcement followed the non-sighting of the crescent for Rabi Al Awwal on Saturday, August 23. According to the UAE’s astronomy centre, the month of Safar would last 30 days, meaning the third month of the Hijri calendar began on Monday, August 25, and the Prophet’s (PBUH) birthday would fall on September 5.
In a rare occurrence, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will mark the Prophet’s (PBUH) birthday on different dates, as the Kingdom sighted the Moon a day earlier than the Emirates.
The Hijri calendar, based on lunar sightings, determines the start of each month with the appearance of the new crescent. In the UAE, the moon sighting committee meets on the 29th of every Hijri month to confirm the beginning of the next.