By IINA,
Makkah : Muslims in Saudi Arabia, which hosts two of the three holiest sites in Islam, will join Muslims in most parts of the world in observing fasting of the holy month of Ramadan from tomorrow. Across much of the Arab and Muslim world, the concerned religious authorities announced that the fasting month will begin on Monday. However, Nigeria and Libya announced they would start the fasting month from today. The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Saad Abubakar, who is the spiritual leader of Nigeria’s 70 million-strong Muslim population, announced the start of fasting after the sighting of the moon Saturday evening. “Having received impeccable reports of moon sighting in various parts of Nigeria, I hereby declare Sunday as the beginning of the month of Ramadan,” Abubakar said in a radio broadcast.
The start of Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month of the Muslim calendar, is traditionally determined by the sighting of a new moon. There was no sighting of the Ramadan crescent after Saturday nightfall, which is Shaaban 29. Therefore, the Saudi Royal Court said in a statement that the Supreme Judiciary Council announced that today is the last day of Shaaban (Shaaban 30), and Monday is Ramadan 1.
The Chairman of Supreme Judiciary Council Sheikh Saleh bin Mohammad Al Lehaidan congratulated Muslims on the holy month, praying to Almighty Allah for all success for Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, the Saudi people and all Muslims. In a speech, Sheikh Saleh pointed out that a lunar crescent can be seen by everyone to determine the start of fasting and at the end of the month to break fasting. He prayed to Almighty Allah for glory for Islam and Muslims and for their protection from the evils of their enemies. The Council congratulated Muslims on this occasion, praying to Allah for all success and good deeds to all Muslims all over the world, for unity of their word on what is right, for victory of the Islamic religion and glory for the Muslim nation.
Other Gulf countries also observe Ramadan fasting tomorrow. “Monday will be the first day of Ramadan,” announced the UAE Moonsighting Committee. According to the committee, chaired by Hadef Jua’an Al Daheri, Minister of Justice, Sunday will be the last day of Shaaban and Monday will be the first day of the fasting month. The committee said the Ramadan moon was not sighted on Saturday after using Sharia methods. The crescent was also not sighted after nightfall in neighboring countries. Ramadan will also begin on Monday in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, Sudan, Palestine and Mauritania.
While many Muslim countries and communities decide on the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan by sighting the new moon while some others follow astronomical calculations. Turkey’s Presidency of Religion Affairs, the country’s highest religious institution, has announced that Ramadan will fall on Monday. Following Turkey, Muslims in Macedonia, Slovenia and Montenegro will also observe the start of the dawn-to-dusk fasting month tomorrow. Same is the case with Muslims in Bosnia and Serbia. “The first day of Ramadan will be tomorrow,” the Islamic Sheikhdom of Bosnia and Serbia said. Croatian Muslims will also follow neighboring Bosnia in observing the beginning of the holy fasting month. Russian Muslims will also start fasting on Monday, according to the Russian Council of Muftis.
The first day of Ramadan will fall in North America tomorrow, according to astronomical calculations, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) has announced. Australian Muslims will also observe the start of Ramadan on Monday, according to the Islamic center in Canberra. During Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.