Ramazan moon sighted in S Arabia

RIYADH/ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia on Sunday announced sighting the crescent of the new lunar month, marking the beginning of holy Ramazan in the kingdom. Social media handle for news and announcements about the two holy mosques, the Grand Mosque of Makkah and the Prophet’s (PBUH) Mosque in Madina, confirmed the Ramazan crescent, citing the nation’s moon-sighting committee. People in Saudi Arabia will observe their first fast today (Monday).

According to Khaleej Times, the Saudi Supreme Court announced that the crescent was spotted on Sunday (March 10) evening.

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also sighted the Ramazan moon, shortly after the reports from Saudi Arabia.

The apex court of Saudi Arabia and moon sighting committee in the UAE had declared this evening (Sunday) as the expected date for Ramazan moon, calling on their residents to look for the crescent and submit reports.

Saudi Arabia is usually the first country to sight the moon for Islamic months, which is followed by other Arab, Middle Eastern and Western countries and some parts of India.

Meanwhile, the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is set to convene on Monday for the holy month of Ramazan moon sighting at the office of Administrator Auqaf in Peshawar, under the chairmanship of Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad.

The meeting will witness the participation of esteemed members from both Central and Zonal Ruet-e-Hilal Committees, including Director General Syed Mushahid Hussain Khalid from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Ghulam Murtaza from the Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, Dr Sardar Sarfaraz from the Pakistan Meteorological Department and Zainul Abedin from the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Among the members of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee are Yasin Zafar, Allama Dr Muhammad Hussain Akbar, Mufti Faisal Ahmed, Qari Abdul Rauf Madani, Mufti Ali Asghar Attari, Mufti Yusuf Kashmiri, Mufti Zameer Ahmad Sajid, Pir Syed Shahid Ali Jilani, Maulana Abdul Malik Brohi, Maulana Ashraf Ali, Mufti Qari Mehrullah, Sahibzada Syed Habibullah Chishti, and Maulana Asad Zakaria Qasmi.

Representatives from the Zonal Committee Peshawar include Maulana Ehsanul Haq, Maulana Mufti Fazlullah, Maulana Muhammad Ali Shah, Maulana Syed Abdul Basir Rostami, Allama Abid Hussain Shakri, and Mufti Atiqullah Qadri, along with other esteemed scholars.

Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad emphasized that similar meetings of zonal committees across the country will be held at their respective headquarters in Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, and Islamabad to decide the moon sighting of the month of Ramazan 1445 AH.

Azad appealed to all citizens of Pakistan to be vigilant in sighting the moon of Ramazan, expressing hope for a unified day of fasting for the country.

He also provided contact information for inquiries regarding moon sighting: Chairman (0321-9410041 / 0333-9100619), DG Religious Affairs (0300-6831822), and Office Administrator Auqaf Peshawar (091-9330427).