Ramazan moon not sighted, first fast tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee announced on Friday that the Ramazan moon was not sighted in Pakistan, and the first fast would fall on Sunday (March 2).

The committee, headed by its chairman Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, met in Peshawar to sight the Ramazan moon.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Maulana Azad said no testimony was received about the moon’s sighting from across the country.

The decision came after different zonal committee meetings held in their respective domains received no testimonies about the moon sighting.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia announced sighting the crescent of the new lunar month marking the beginning of the holy month of Ramazan in the kingdom.

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

The Muslim world welcomes Ramazan with religious zeal and fervour. Over a billion believers will fast during the month to practice patience and self-control while also promoting charity and welfare.

The Islamic months last 29 or 30 days and the beginning or end of a month depends on the appearance of crescent, so Ramazan is not set on any specific day annually. The month of Ramazan is the ninth of the 12 months of the Islamic calendar. Despite having as many months as the Gregorian calendar, the Islamic calendar is nearly 10 days shorter due to being based on the lunar orbit.

This is why Ramazan falls at a different time every year according to the Gregorian calendar.People in Saudi Arabia will observe their first fast today (Saturday).