Saudi Cultural Week kicks off in Osaka to mark 70 years of Saudi-Japanese ties    Tourism Ministry shuts 10 unlicensed travel agencies in Riyadh    Saudi authorities arrest over 21,000 residency and labor violators in one week    Saudi graduates see record job market entry in 2024    Israeli defense minister boasts destruction of Beit Hanoun amid Gaza offensive    Von der Leyen vows to defend EU interests after Trump announces 30% tariffs    PKK lay down arms in northern Iraq in symbolic disarmament    U.S. judge blocks immigration arrests in Los Angeles over racial profiling claims    CMA approves major reforms to ease investment account access for foreign and local investors    Saudi Arabia reaffirms OPEC+ compliance as June crude supply hits 9.35 million bpd    Riyadh's Creative District to welcome Italy's Istituto Marangoni    France's Lady Liberty artwork goes viral as a new Statue of Liberty could be in the works    Saudi population reaches 35.3 million in 2024, majority under 65    Abdullah Al-Qaisoom wins silver at Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championship    Aubameyang's future at Al Qadsiah in doubt after cryptic post comparing Saudi League strikers    Theo Hernández: Al Hilal can compete with Europe's best    SFDA approves 'Winrevair' for rare pulmonary hypertension treatment    HONOR returns to Esports World Cup as Official Smartphone Partner for 2025 The renewed commitment will see HONOR elevate mobile esports competition with cutting-edge AI technologies and industry-leading hardware    Michael Madsen, actor of 'Kill Bill' and 'Reservoir Dogs' fame, dead at 67    BTS are back: K-pop band confirm new album and tour    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Speculations rife over start of Ramadan
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 15 - 07 - 2012


Laura Bashraheel
Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — Every year, Muslims around the world wait for the announcement of the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan with anticipation. The month begins with the sighting of the new moon.
Speculations are rife this year too with some astronomers saying it is impossible to see the Ramadan crescent before Thursday and the holy month will begin Friday and others saying it will be Saturday. So far, nothing is clear except the heated debate between astronomers who rely on mathematical calculations and those who would stick to the age-old tradition of sighting the crescent with the naked eye.
Last year, some astronomers claimed the Eid Al-Fitr was celebrated on the wrong day and Saudi religious scholars made a mistake while fixing the date.
The fasting month of Ramadan comes to an end with the sighting of the Shawwal crescent in the horizon with the naked eye. Under the Shariah, if the new crescent was seen by any trustworthy person supported by two witnesses his testimony would be documented and the whole nation would accept that testimony.
The majority of Muslims all over the world still stick to the tradition of looking to the sky to start their fasting and ending it despite the availability of advanced technology to precisely determine the birth of the new moon.
With Ramadan less than a week away, people eagerly await the announcement and local newspapers have started publishing views of experts and astronomers on the beginning of the holy month.
Abdul Aziz Al-Shammari, a scholar and astronomer, stated the obvious when he told a local newspaper that the first day of Ramadan would be either Friday or Saturday.
On the other hand, Hassan Basrah, head of the Astronomy Department at Jeddah's King Abdulaziz University, has claimed that sighting the Ramadan crescent would be impossible Thursday with the naked eye and the fasting month would not start until Saturday.
According to the Islamic Crescents' Observation


Clic here to read the story from its source.