Abu Dhabi: The crescent moon, which marks the beginning of the holy month of Ramzan, has been sighted in United Arab Emirates (UAE), the moon sighting committee announced on Friday.
Therefore, Friday, April 1, was the last day of the month of Shaban, and the holy month will begin on Saturday, April 2, while taraweeh prayers will begin on April 1, after Isha prayers.
The moon-sighting committee met at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) after Maghreb prayers and confirmed the presence of the crescent moon, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
Therefore, Friday was the last and 29th day of Shaban 1443 Hijri.
Earlier this month, the Ibrahim Al-Jarwan, member of the International Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, the crescent moon — said that Ramzan was set to begin on April 2.
Ramzan will begin in Oman on Sunday, however, after a moon-sighting committee did not spot the crescent, the Oman News Agency (ONA) reported on Friday.
Ramadan in countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh could overlap with Saudi Arabia if the moon is sighted on April 2 in these Asian nations. This is because though the Indian states of Kerala and Kashmir usually sight the crescent moon for Ramadan a day earlier than the rest of the country, the Ramadan start date in the rest of India depends on the local sighting of the crescent moon, that is usually a day after sighting in Saudi Arabia hence, ramadan is likely to start in India from Sunday, April 3, if the crescent moon is spotted on Saturday, April 2.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and marks the time when the Quran is said to have been revealed to Prophet Muhammad by God with a month-long fast. Its name literally means “scorching heat” in Arabic.
Muslims are required to spend a period of 30 days abstaining from food and drink, including water, during daylight hours, as a means of celebrating and reflecting on their faith.
Fasting at Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam – the fundamental rules that all Muslims follow – along with the Shahadah (declaration of faith), Salat (prayer), Zakat (charity) and the Hajj pilgrimage.
