CAIRO - While many Muslim countries and communities in the West will follow astronomical calculations, others will be sighting the new moon on Saturday, August 30, to decide on the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Muslims in Bosnia and Serbia will observe the first day of Ramadan on Monday, September 1, the Islamic Sheikhdom of Bosnia and Serbia said.
Croatian Muslims will also follow neighboring Bosnia in observing the beginning of the holy fasting month.
Turkey's Presidency of Religion Affairs, the country's highest religious institution, has also announced that Ramadan will fall on Monday, September 1.
Sight Ramadan Moon for IslamOnline Following Turkey, Muslims in Macedonia, Slovenia and Montenegro will observe the start of the dawn-to-dusk fasting month on Monday.
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 on September 1, 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.
• Differences
Some countries will sight the Ramadan moon on Saturday, August 30, to decide the start of the holy fasting month.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, Palestine, Libya and Mauritania will search the sky for the new moon on Saturday.
Muslims in Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda and Comoros will also look for the Ramadan moon on Saturday.
Sunni Muslims in Lebanon will sight the new crescent on Saturday.
On Sunday, August 31, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti and Iraqi Sunnis will sight the Ramadan moon.
Algeria, Oman, Qatar, Malaysia, Kenya, Ukraine, South Africa and Iran will also sight the new moon on Sunday.
Indonesia's Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Muslim group, will sight the Ramadan moon on Sunday.
Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second largest group, has already announced that Ramadan will start on Monday, September 1.
On Monday, Pakistan will sight the new Ramadan moon, according to the moon-sighting committee.
Indian Muslims will also sight the new crescent on Monday.
Moon sighting has always been a controversial issue among Muslim countries, and even scholars seem at odds over the issue.
While one group of scholars sees that Muslims in other regions and countries are to follow the same moon sighting as long as these countries share one part of the night, another states that Muslims everywhere should abide by the lunar calendar of Saudi Arabia.
A third, however, disputes both views, arguing that the authority in charge of ascertaining the sighting of the moon in a given country announces the sighting of the new moon, then Muslims in the country should all abide by this.
This usually causes confusion among Muslims, particularly in the West, on observing the dawn-to-dusk fasting and celebrating the `Eid el-Fitr, which marks the end of fasting.
Source: IslamOnline
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment