Riyadh: The moon sighting committee of the Kingdom of Saudia Arabia announced on Sunday that the first fast of the month of Ramadan will be on Tuesday, April 13, while Taraweeh will begin on April 12 after Isha prayers.
The committee said the crescent moon, which marks the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan 1442 AH, has not been seen in Saudi Arabia on Sunday evening.
Accordingly, Monday, April 12, will be the last and 30th day of Shaban 1442 Hijri.
Earlier, Abdullah al-Khudairi, director of the astronomical observatory at the University of Al-Majma’ah, said: “It is difficult to see the moon of Ramadan in other Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, on Sunday.” He said that there would be no moon on the sky today because it would have set about half an hour before sunset.
Ramadan lasts for a full moon cycle, which is usually 29 or 30 days. The duration of moon sighting is fixed.
Makkah is considered to be the holiest city in Islam. It was not only the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), but also the place where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had his first revelation of the Qur’an. For this reason, the rest of the Islamic world follows Saudi Arabia’s declaration.