This year, we would have a rare opertunity to hold Eid-ul-Adha on the SAME day throughout the world provided the usual false sightings of the moon from the Middle East do not spoil it all for us. The birth of Zul Hijjah moon will take place 05:18 AM per GMT (08:18 am Mecca time). Since the moon is highly unlikely to be sighted for its minuteness on 6th March, it would be easily sighted all over the world on the 7th. First sighting form anywhere on earth will take place somewhere between America and Australia soon after local sunset time on that day. Therefore making 17th of March the day for Eid-ul-Adha. The "sighting" will than move towards Australia and Indonesia and rest of the world just behind the evening dusk of 7th March. The crescent moon, by now, would have formed enough body to be easily sighted, first by the Indonesians, Bangladeshis, Indians, Pakistanis and Iranians. It would have been nearly 40 hours since its birth when the first sighting of the crescent moon will at all become possible over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The sighting will then spread over the Gulf, bulk of Africa and Europe and then the UK and Morocco.

Sunset in Mecca would be at 6:28 pm, age of the moon would only be of around 10 hours, a highly unlikely age for its sighting. From my observations and the experience of the past Saudi decisions on moonsighting, I am afraid my fears are that Saudi Arabia will declare 6th March as first of Zull'hijjah and we would end up with two Eid-ul-Adha yet again. I hope the Saudis prove me wrong and get it right for all of us.

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