Riyadh: The moon sighting committee of the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia announced that the first fast of the month of Ramzan 2023 will be on Thursday, March 23, as the crescent moon was not sighted on Tuesday.
Therefore, Wednesday, March 22, will be the last and 30th day of Shaban 1444 Hijri.
Saudi Al-Ekhbariya channel reported, “It was not possible to see the crescent of the month of Ramzan today in the observatories of Tabuk, Tamir and Sudair.”
The moon sighting committee in the Kingdom meets again on Wednesday evening to confirm the sighting of the moon.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia had called on Muslims to sight the crescent of the holy month of Ramzan. The Supreme Court called on whoever sights the crescent – either by the naked eye or through binoculars – to report to the nearest court and register their observation.
On the other hand, Eid-ul-Fitr, marks the end of the month-long fast. Eid ul Fitr is expected to begin on Friday, April 21, 2022. Eid holidays will be from Ramzan 29 until Shawwal 3 – based on the Islamic calendar.
The exact date of the start of Eid-ul-fitr will be confirmed closer to the date, based on the moon-sighting tradition.
What is Ramzan?
In Islam, Ramzan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, also known as the Hijri calendar— a lunar calendar consisting of twelve months beginning with Muharram, and ending with Zul-Hijjah. Each month starts with the sighting of the moon. Eid Al Fitr, on the other hand, marks the end of the month-long fast.
The calendar has been observed for more than 1,440 years and is used to date important Islamic events including the start of Ramzan, Eid-Al-Fitr, and the beginning of the Haj.
Ramzan is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar and is believed to be the month during which the Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad.
Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, and abstain from food and drink during this period.
