Olayiwola Matthew
For Muslims in Saudi Arabia, the first day of Ramadan will fall on Wednesday, the kingdom’s royal court announced.
The holy month, during which hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world observe a fast from sunrise to sunset, traditionally begins with the sighting of the crescent moon.
Many Muslim-majority countries around the world follow Saudi Arabia in determining the start of Ramadan, which gives its announcement particular importance.
“Wednesday, is the first day of the blessed month of #Ramadan,” the official Saudi Press Agency posted on X Tuesday.
Gulf neighbours Oman, Qatar and the UAE also made similar announcements.
Observing the Ramadan fast is one of the five pillars of Islam, requiring believers to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours. Observant Muslims are also encouraged to donate to the poor.
Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia is home to Islam’s two holiest sites.
Despite advances in astronomy and the ability to determine the start of Islamic months many years in advance, Saudi religious authorities continue to rely on direct visual sighting as the official method for confirming the presence of the crescent moon.
This practice has been followed since the time of the Prophet Mohammed, who linked the beginning of fasting to the sighting of the crescent.
Ahead of the announcement, an astronomical observatory more than 100 kilometres northwest of Riyadh, in the heart of the desert and far from any light pollution, hosted several observers who scanned the sky, according to an AFP journalist.
They were just one of several teams of observers scattered across Saudi Arabia on Tuesday who watched for the appearance of the new crescent moon, signaling the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.
Following evening prayers, the teams then file their report to the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia who have the authority to announce the start of the holy month of Ramadan.
AFP