Private sector employees in the UAE will enjoy a long weekend after the government declared Friday, September 5, a public holiday to mark the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday.
The holiday, which falls on 12 Rabi Al Awwal in the Hijri calendar, extends into the official Saturday-Sunday weekend, giving most workers three consecutive days off.
The announcement follows an earlier declaration granting the same day off to government employees. In Sharjah, where Fridays are already part of the regular weekend, public sector workers will also benefit from a three-day break.
The date was confirmed after the UAE’s astronomy centre reported that the crescent moon for Rabi Al Awwal was not sighted on August 23, making the month of Safar 30 days long. This calculation set the Prophet’s birthday on September 5.
In a rare instance, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will observe the occasion on different dates, as lunar sightings placed the Kingdom’s observance a day earlier.
The Islamic calendar, guided by moon phases, is determined monthly by the UAE’s moon-sighting committee, which convenes on the 29th of each Hijri month to declare the start of the next.
