Jakarta/Kuala Lumpur, May 5: Muslims across the Southeast Asian region of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Brunei will attempt to sight the crescent moon today, May 5. If the moon is spotted, the holy month of Ramadan will commence and the first roza or fast would be observed from tomorrow. Stay tuned above for the live news and updates on Ramadan moon sighting 2019 in Southeast Asian region. Ramadan Moon Not Sighted in Saudi Arabia, Gulf on May 4.
The respective Hilal committees will be convening post namaz-e-Asr (pre-sunset prayers) in Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar (Rakhine province) and Brunei. If the crescent is not spotted, the Ramadan fasts will begin from Tuesday.
An announcement on moon sighting is expected post sunset, following the namaz-e-maghrib (evening prayers). Citizens have been called upon to register their testimonies before the Hilal committees in case they sight the crescent.
The moon sighting will also lead to the organisation of taraweeh namaz in mosques across the region. The special recitation of Quran in form of prayers is held each night throughout Ramadan.
Apart from Southeast Asia, attempts to sight the moon will also be undertaken in the Indian subcontinent region. In India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Ramadan is also referred to as Ramzan.
The Hilal committees in China, Xinjiang, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and other parts of Central Asia will also attempt to sight the crescent.
Meanwhile, the world's western hemisphere, which includes the West, Europe, Africa, Gulf including Saudi Arabia - the epicentre of Islam - the moon was not sighted yesterday. Those regions will begin fasting from Monday, May 6.