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UAE

UAE Prophet’s Birthday Holiday Falls on Friday: Are Employees Entitled to Another Day Off?

By · August 16, 2026 · Updated August 16, 2026 · 4 min read
UAE Prophet’s Birthday Holiday Falls on Friday: Are Employees Entitled to Another Day Off?

For UAE employees whose regular weekend includes Friday, the August public holiday raises an obvious question: if you were already supposed to be off, do you get another day instead?

For most private-sector employees, the answer is no not automatically.

Friday, August 28, 2026, has been designated as the public holiday marking the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The occasion itself falls on 12 Rabi’ Al Awwal, while UAE rules allow certain public holidays, other than the Eid holidays, to be moved to the beginning or end of the week by Cabinet decision.

What if Friday is already your day off?

Take an employee whose company gives Friday and Saturday as weekly rest days. They weren’t due to work on August 28 anyway.

Does the public holiday then move to Sunday for that employee?

UAE labour law doesn’t provide an automatic substitute day in that situation.

Article 28 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 gives workers paid leave on official holidays set by Cabinet resolution. Its replacement-day rule comes into play when an employee is required to work on the public holiday.

That’s the distinction that matters.

If you’re simply off on Friday because it’s already part of your normal weekly rest schedule, the law doesn’t state that your employer must move the holiday to another working day.

So an employee with Friday and Saturday off shouldn’t assume Sunday, August 30, will automatically become a paid replacement holiday.

Working on August 28 changes the answer

The position is different if your employer asks you to work on Friday, August 28.

Article 28 says an employee who works during an official holiday must be compensated in one of two ways: the employer can give a substitute rest day for each holiday worked, or pay the employee the normal wage for that day plus an additional amount of at least 50% of the employee’s basic wage for the day.

So the trigger isn’t simply that August 28 appears on the public-holiday calendar.

It’s whether you actually work that day.

For example, an employee in hospitality, retail, aviation or another operation that continues through public holidays could be rostered on August 28. If that happens, the compensation provisions for working on an official holiday apply.

An office employee who already has Friday off and does no work that day is in a different position.

Why was the holiday placed on Friday?

Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 lists the Prophet’s Birthday as a one-day public holiday for both public and private sectors. Article 2 also allows the Cabinet, excluding Eid holidays, to transfer listed holidays to the beginning or end of the week.

The 2026 holiday has been set for Friday, August 28. Dubai Government departments, authorities and institutions have also been instructed to observe the holiday on that date, with normal working hours resuming on Monday, August 31, for employees on the usual government schedule. Certain shift-based and public-service roles may be handled according to operational requirements.

For workers with Saturday-Sunday weekends, that creates a three-day break.

For someone already off on Friday, it may not.

Can a company still give employees another day?

Yes.

The legal minimum and a company’s own leave policy aren’t necessarily the same thing. An employer can have employment terms or internal policies that are more favourable to staff than the minimum rights set by UAE labour legislation.

That means a company could choose to give an employee another paid day off when a public holiday overlaps with the employee’s normal rest day.

Check your employment contract, employee handbook, HR circular or company leave policy before assuming either way.

Some employers may offer a replacement day as an internal benefit. Others may follow only the statutory entitlement.

The simple way to check your position

If Friday, August 28 is normally your day off, ask one question first:

Are you working on August 28?

If the answer is no, there is no automatic replacement-day entitlement under Article 28 simply because the holiday overlaps with your existing rest day.

If the answer is yes, the public-holiday compensation rules apply, meaning your employer must deal with that day in accordance with the substitute-rest-day or additional-pay provisions in the law.

And if your company voluntarily gives everyone with a Friday rest day another day off?

Take the win. That’s a company benefit rather than an automatic consequence of the public holiday falling on your weekend.

This article provides general information about UAE employment rules and is not individual legal advice. Employment contracts, workplace policies and the circumstances of a particular job may affect an employee’s position.