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Middle East: Ramadan to begin on Thursday
17 Jun, 2015
The moon was not sighted on Tuesday, and as Wednesday is the last day of the month of Shaaban, Ramadan will begin on Thursday. "Tomorrow is the end of the month of Shaaban and Thursday is the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan," the Saudi Arabia Supreme Court reportedly said. ORIGINAL STORY: All eyes in the Muslim world will be fixed on the skies on Tuesday night in the hope of catching a glimpse of the crescent moon, which will mark the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. The Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia has asked Muslims to keep an eye out for the slight moon, also known as Hilal, on Tuesday and inform authorities if it is sighted. If the moon is sighted on Tuesday, the month of Ramadan will begin on Wednesday, else Ramadan will begin on Thursday. The Supreme Judiciary Council of Saudi Arabia and the Moon Sighting Committee of the UAE will meet in their respective countries after the evening prayers to look for the Ramadan crescent moon on Tuesday. Announcements of the sighting in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia is expected by 9 pm local time (UAE) on Tuesday, according to Emirates 24/7 News. Saudi Arabia is one hour behind the UAE, so the announcement will be made accordingly. Muslims all over the world will observe a month of fasting and prayers during Ramadan to commemorate the time when the Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed on the night of "Laylat Al Qadr". Fasting during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, is considered to be one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
Source: rtnn