The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, has announced the sighting of Ramadan crescent, making the beginning of fasting in Nigeria. The Sultan made the announcement on Sunday night in his palace in Sokoto....CONTINUE READING
He said the new moon was sighted in different parts of the country and that reports of the moon sighting were received from Muslim leaders and organisations from across the country.
“After due verification and authentication by the National Moon Sighting Committee and states committees’ confirmation, as well as routine scrutiny, I hereby, announce the sighting of the new moon of Ramadan signifying the end of Sha’aban 1445 AH.
”In accordance with Islamic law, Muslims are to commence fasting on Monday accordingly,” he declared.
The sultan urged Muslim faithfuls to devote themselves fully to the worship of Allah throughout the Holy Month, urging them to use the period to pray for the progress, peace and prosperity of the nation.
The Sultan also called on wealthy individuals to assist the poor and stressed the need for increased religious tolerance and brotherhood in Nigeria.
In Saudi Arabia, the sighting by astronomers from the Majmaah University Astronomy Observatory Department, Riyadh signalled the start of the holy month for most of the almost 2 billion Muslims across the globe.
This significant event was led by prominent Saudi astronomer Abdullah Al-Khudairi, director of the Astronomy Observatory in Sudair.
The Saudi Supreme Court announced that Monday, March 11, will be the first day of Ramadan.
Joining Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE have also confirmed that Ramadan will begin on Monday, with Oman, Pakistan, Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, Brunei and Iran to follow a day later.
The determination of the starting date relies on both lunar calculations and physical sightings of the new moon, a practice steeped in Islamic tradition.
Al-Khudairi said: “Calculation and technology are complementing the sighting process. I say that the astronomical calculations and the naked eye sighting, like the human’s eyes, they need one another.”
