No new moon was sighted in Saudi Arabia this evening: the start of Ramadan is postponed by one day. The holy month of Islam officially begins on Thursday, March 23, 2023. As reported by the Spa news agency, Ramadan in the United Arab Emirates also begins the day after tomorrow, as reported by the Wam news agency. Indeed, the moon sighting committee met today after the Maghrib (sunset) prayers at the Ministry of Justice in Abu Dhabi and announced that no new crescent moon was yet to be seen. The same scenario in Libya, where the supreme religious authority, the House of Fatwa, has decreed that the holy month begins on March 23.
During Ramadan, which lasts 29 or 30 days, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Fasting during the holy month is one of the five pillars of Islam and is obligatory for all healthy Muslims. Muslims follow a 12-month lunar calendar with a total of 354 or 355 days. The sighting of the new moon marks the beginning of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.