Saudi Supreme Court Saturday said that there are no reports of moon sighting today i.e. Saturday. The Saudi Royal Court further said that it will meet Sunday to issue a decision on the matter.
“There is no proof #هلال_شهر_رمضان of the Mubarak’s vision this evening, and there will be a meeting tomorrow to issue a decision on the matter”, Saudi Supreme Court said in a one line message posted on Saudi Press Agency (SPA) Twitter.
The Hilal Moon Sighting Committee of Kerala will be on the lookout for Ramadan crescent, which will mark the beginning of the Islamic Holy month. If the moon is sighted today, the first roza or fast would be observed in the coastal state from tomorrow. if the moon remains unseen, the fasts would begin from Monday.
Kerala is the only state in India where attempts will made to sight the crescent moon. The lunar calendar in the region, due to its geographical position, usually ticks a day ahead of the rest of the nation. The month of Shaban – which precedes Ramzan – began in Kerala a day before the rest of the nation. Therefore, Ramzan in the state would begin a day before it commences in Indian mainland.
The UAE and most of the Arab states follow the moon announcement by Saudi Arabia. It is therefore most likely that the first day of Ramadan in the Arab states will be Monday May 06, 2019.
The Bahrain News Agency also said that the Moon sighting panel will convene again tomorrow night (May 5) at the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (SCIA) headquarters.
“The committee has met this evening to receive news and testimonies on seeing the crescent marking the advent of the Holy Month of Ramadan, said a SCIA statement”, it said.
Meanwhile, the Moon Sighting Committee of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in Qatar said the first day of Ramadan will be Monday May 06, 2019. Earlier, Australia had announced that the start of Ramadan 2019 on Monday May 06, 2019.
Start of Ramadan 2019
The beginning of Ramadan has traditionally been based on “hilal” sightings, which is the traditional method mentioned in the Quran and followed by the Prophet Muhammad.
A new month in the Islamic Calendar begins with sighting of moon on 29th of the prevailing month. If the new moon, Crescent, is sighted, the next day is counted as first day of the new month. If not, the next day is counted as 30th day of the prevailing month and the new month begins a day later.
Accordingly, if the moon is sighted today i.e. Saturday May 04, 2019 the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Arab states will begin from Sunday May 05, 2019. If the new moon is not sighted today, then the holy month will begin from Monday May 06, 2019.
While Muslims in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and other Gulf States will sight the Crescent today to decide if the first day of the Holy month of fasting Ramadan is Sunday May 05, Muslims in India, Pakistan, Bangaldesh and other South Eastern countries will sight the new moon a day later i.e. Sunday. Sunday in these countries corresponds to 29th of Shaban 1440H.
On the other hand, Muslims in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and other European countries will also decide today ot tomorrow when the first of Ramadan 2019 will be in these countries. Some of these countries rely on moon sighting announcements by Saudi Supreme Court, and begin fasting of Ramadan with Arab States.
More than 1.5 billion Muslims around the world will mark the month, during which believers abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and having martial relations from dawn until sunset. They also try to avoid evil thoughts and deeds during the holy month of Ramadan.
Ramadan is sacred to Muslims because tradition says the Holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) during the month of Ramadan. Fasting in this month is obligatory for every adult Muslim men and women. Ramadan is followed by the Eid al-Fitr festival.
