UAE authorities have officially declared Sunday September 15 a public holiday for the private sector in honour of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday.

While only a few people across the UAE work on a Sunday, most residents will not be affected by the upcoming holiday, as public holidays which fall on weekends do not get switched to a corresponding weekday, which means that UAE residents will not enjoy a day off.

But this will change from next year.

The announcement saw a new resolution, under part two of UAE Cabinet Resolution No.27 of 2024. This outlined changes to how some public holidays are to be announced as of next year.

According to the resolution, if a holiday falls on the weekend, it “may be carried over by a Cabinet decision to the beginning or end of the week”. Although this doesn’t apply to Eid Al Fitr or Eid Al Adha, if a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, an extra day off could be announced on the Friday or Monday.

The Islamic calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, unlike the more widely used Gregorian calendar, which is based on the sun.

When is the next UAE Public holiday after Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday?

We are in line for a bumper four-day weekend off at the start of December to mark UAE National Day.

Commemoration Day will be marked on Saturday November 30 and then National Day celebrations will take place from Sunday December 1 until Tuesday December 3.

This means that workers in the UAE will have Monday December 2 and Tuesday December 3 off work which, when combined with the weekend, means a four-day break.

The Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday, celebrated on the 12th of Rabi Al-Awwal – the third month of the Islamic calendar – is widely recognized across many Islamic nations, including those in the Gulf region. These countries, including the UAE, typically mark the day with a national holiday.