UAE Says no Outdoor Eid Prayers

Aims to ensure safety of citizens amid Iran strikes

By Sadiq Abdulfatah

As the 1447/2026 Eid al-Fitr comes amid heightened regional war, the United Arab Emirates authorities, as part of precautionary safety measures to ensure the safety of everyone against the Iranian strikes, have declared that this year’s Eid al-Fitr prayers will be held exclusively inside mosques nationwide as it temporarily suspends all traditional open-air prayer grounds.

This was disclosed in a statement by the General Authority for Islamic Affairs, Endowments, and Zakat, stressing that Eid prayers will take place only within mosques across the country. According to the authorities, large outdoor congregations, which are commonly organized for Eid in designated prayer fields, will not be permitted this year.

Eid represents one of the largest, most synchronized, and most diverse gatherings of people globally. It is not merely a holiday but a “returning gathering” or “recurring season” (derived from the Arabic root for “to return”) where millions of Muslims come together, often in public spaces, to perform collective prayer.

Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan’s month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting. It celebrates the completion of a month of spiritual reflection, devotion, and self-control, with communal prayers, new clothes, charity (Zakat al-Fitr), and feasts with family and friends.

Source: India Today

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