Ramadan Kareem! The spiritual month of Ramadan has commenced on March 11 as per the UAE’s Moon-Sighting committee. One of the holiest periods of the Hjri calendar (Islamic calendar), Ramadan is the month when Muslims around the world fast from dawn to dusk for 29-30 days.
The committee announced on the evening of March 10 that they had sighted the crescent moon. The Moon-Sigthting committee’s decision followed Saudi Arabia’s declaration of Monday, March 11 as the start date for Ramadan 2024.
Ramadan 2024 dates for Arab & South Asian countries
As the Islamic calendar is lunar, Ramadan dates are not fixed and keep moving ahead each year, based on the sighting of the crescent moon. In fact, this will be the UAE’s first winter Ramadan since 2000!
In February, the UAE’s International Astronomy Center announced via a statement on that most nations will likely see the crescent moon on Sunday, March 10.
Other GCC nations have also announced their individual start dates for Ramadan. While Qatar has begun to observe Ramadan on March 11 like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Oman has announced that Ramadan will begin in The Sultanate a day later on Tuesday, March 12.
Egypt, Sudan, Syria and Yemen have followed Saudi Arabia’s suit and have begun observing Ramadan on March 11. Meanwhile, Ramadan will begin on March 12 in Morocco.
For South Asian countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, the Ramadan crescent moon will only be visible on March 11, which means fasting will begin on March 12. Ramadan begins in The Philippines too on March 12.
How does the UAE declare the start of Ramadan?
The UAE’s government portal explains the processes followed to declare the official start of Ramdan in the country. The UAE takes its cue from an announcement by the moon-sighting committee in Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Makkah is considered the Islamic world’s holiest city.
However, the UAE also has its own moon-sighting committee which meets at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department to make a final decision after multiple moon-sighting attempts are conducted nationwide, explains The National. The committees will most probably confirm the final dates of Ramadan 2024’s commencement within the first week of March.