Millions of Muslims will sight the new moon of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on Tuesday, September 11.

CAIRO — Millions of Muslims will sight the new moon of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on Tuesday, September 11, while some countries have already confirmed the start of the fasting.

Religious authorities in Egypt and Jordan announced that moon sighting will be done on Tuesday evening.

Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Algeria will do the same.

Palestinian Mufti Mohammad Hussein also scheduled the moon sighting for Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia asked citizens and religious officials to start sighting the new lunar moon as of Monday, September 9.

Morocco and Sudan will sight the new crescent moon on Wednesday, September 12. Ghanaian Muslims will do the same.

During Ramadan, adult Muslims, except the sick and those traveling, abstain during daylight hours from food, drink, smoking and sex.

Fasting

Some Muslim countries have already confirmed the start date of the holy fasting month.

The Libyan Center for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences said the new moon will be born Tuesday and the first day of Ramadan falls on Wednesday.

Iraq's Sunnis will also start their fasting on Wednesday while Shiites in both Iraq and Lebanon will follow a day later.

The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) has announced that Muslims in North America will mark the start of the holy month as of Thursday as per astronomical calculations.

India and Pakistan announced that the dawn-to-dusk fasting month will fall on Friday, September 14.

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 this 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 Islam is against division and disunity, since Muslims, for instance, are not allowed to hold two congregational prayers in one mosque at the same time.

Source: IslamOnline

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