(Representative image)
The first day of the holy month of Ramzan 1444-2023 in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Algeria, Kuwait, the Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco and other Arab countries is predicted to fall on Thursday, March 23, 2023, according to astronomical calculations.
According to International Astronomical Center, the countries that set the start of the month of Shaban on February 21, will look for the crescent moon on March 21. But seeing it on that day is impossible because the moon sets before the sun and the pairing occurs after sunset.
The centre confirmed that the crescent of Ramzan will be visible on Wednesday, corresponding to March 22, and thus Thursday, March 23, will be the beginning of the holy month in some Arab countries.
Meanwhile, countries that mark the beginning of Sha’ban on February 22, such as Iran, Oman and Jordan, may be able to see the crescent moon on March 22.
However, in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, the holy month is expected to begin on Friday, March 24, as the Ramzan crescent will not be visible in these countries.
Earlier, the Emirates Astronomical Society said that Ramzan 2023 is expected to begin on March 23, while the first day of Eid-Al-Fitr will be on Friday, April 21.
The exact date of the start of Ramzan and Eid-ul-Fitr will be confirmed closer to the date, based on the moon-sighting tradition.
In Islam, Ramzan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting. It begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon.
This post was last modified on March 13, 2023 5:09 pm