16 May, 21:00 (IST)

As per reports, Colombo Grand Mosque has announced that Muslims in Sri Lanka will begin their Ramadan fasting from Friday, May 18, 2018. "The Hilaal of Ramadan 1439 has not been sighted, Shahban will complete 30 days Holy Ramadan commences on tomorrow evening 17/5/2018", a Twitter user said.

16 May, 20:10 (IST)

The Maldives celebrated Ramadan 2018 on Wednesday. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs declared that 16 May 2018 would be the 1 Ramadan 1439. The decree signed by the Islamic Minister, Dr. Ahmed Ziyad ended by advising the public to increase good deeds in the holy month.

16 May, 19:57 (IST)

Ramadan - the holy month of fasting will start in Bangladesh from Friday, May 18, 2018 as the new moon is not sighted today i.e. Wednesday, local media reported few minutes ago. Reports inform that the Central Moon Sighting Committees, also known as Markazi Ruet-e-Hilal Committees, have also made special arrangements to sight the new moon and decide the start of Ramadan 2018 in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

16 May, 19:56 (IST)

Ramadan - the holy month of fasting will start in Bangladesh from Friday, May 18, 2018 as the new moon is not sighted today i.e. Wednesday, local media reported few minutes ago. Reports inform that the Central Moon Sighting Committees, also known as Markazi Ruet-e-Hilal Committees, have also made special arrangements to sight the new moon and decide the start of Ramadan 2018 in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

16 May, 19:18 (IST)

Muslims across the world are awaiting the announcement from their respective authorities on whether the crescent moon of Ramadan ul-kareem (Ramzan) has been sighted today. For Live updates on Ramzan moon sighting, Stay Tuned With LatestLY

Dhaka/Colombo, May 16: Muslims in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives and other nations are awaiting an announcement from their respective religious authorities on the sighting of the crescent moon in their country. As per reports, world’s nearly 1.5 billion Muslims will begin the fasting month of Ramadan on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia and other Muslim nations, like Indonesia, declared Ramadan would not begin Wednesday based on a moon-sighting methodology. This means the month of dawn-to-dusk fasting will most likely begin Thursday. Stay tuned with LatestLY for all the live news and updates related to the Ramzan moon.

As the lunar calendar in the Middle East runs a day ahead of the eastern nations, the region witnesses the crescent moon of Ramadan and Eid-al-Fitr a day before India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives. Traditionally, many Muslim-majority countries have followed the dates set by Saudi religious authorities, but in recent years many have used their own astronomical calculations.

With the sighting of the moon on Thursday, the Islamic holy month of Ramadan will begin in Saudi Arabia, the land of the religion’s two holiest sites. “The first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan falls tomorrow corresponding to May 17, 2018,” the Royal Court said in a statement published by state news agency SPA.

It must be noted that the start date is set by both lunar calculations and physical sightings which determine when the last day of one lunar month ends and a new one begins. Traditionally, many Muslim-majority countries have followed the dates set by Saudi religious authorities, but in recent years many have used their own astronomical calculations.

Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims across the world, many of whom practise the ritual of dawn-to-dusk fasting and prayers. Ramadan is one of the five “pillars” of Islam. Tradition holds that it was during Ramadan that the Prophet Mohammed started receiving revelations of the Muslim holy book, the Quran.