News Desk : dhakamirror.com
Saudi Arabia announced Thursday, March 23 as the first day of Ramadan 2023.
Observers were unable to spot the new moon on Tuesday, the sighting committee reported, meaning the holy month will not commence until Thursday.
Wednesday will be the last day of the month of Shabaan, which precedes Ramadan, the Supreme Court later confirmed in a statement.
Ramadan is the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic — or Hijri — calendar. It is also believed to be the month the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed.
It is observed by more than 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide.
Observing Ramadan is one of the five holy pillars of Islam and is mandatory for all Muslims in good health.
The Muslim world typically looks to Saudi Arabia to determine the start of Ramadan and other religious holidays, although each country has their own sighting committee.
The kingdom’s supreme court called on people to look for the crescent moon on Tuesday, requesting observers to report any sighting to the nearest court.
The UAE’s moon-sighting committee also searched the skies, meeting in Abu Dhabi after the maghrib prayer.
Officials announced Ramadan would begin on Thursday after meeting at the judicial department, where reported sightings from across the country are collated.
Several other countries followed suit, including Qatar, Bahrain, Tunisia and Iraq.
