Ramadan 2018 Date, Moon Sighting Live News & Updates: Crescent Not Sighted in Saudi Arabia, Fasting to Begin From Thursday

Scholars are firm that if the moon is sighted in Saudi and UAE today, the moon would also be visible in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and other parts of the sub-continent tomorrow.

The timings shared here are in accordance with Sunni Hanafi school of thought | (Photo Credits: Getty)
15 May, 21:47 (IST)

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on Tuesday confirmed that moon has not been sighted today. With the crescent not being seen, no fasts would be observed tomorrow. The Taraweeh namaz has been scheduled to begin from tomorrow night, post Isha'a namaz and the first roza or fast would be kept on Thursday in the Middle East.

Islamic scholars claim that the subcontinent region, along with the most of East and Southeast Asia, begins observing Ramadan a day after the the Middle East. Speculations are rife that the crescent moon may not be visible in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other parts of Asia tomorrow. In that case, the first fast in most of Asia would be observed on Friday.

15 May, 19:32 (IST)

After Namaz-e-Maghrib, the governments of United Arab Emirates and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will issue an announcement on whether the moon has been sighted or not. The announcement will come shortly after the Maghrib namaz ends. If the moon gets sighted, the Taraweeh prayers would begin today and the obligatory fasts would begin from tomorrow morning.


Riyadh, May 14: Muslim around the globe remain intrigued whether the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other parts of the Middle East will begin the observance of Ramadan ul-Kareem (Ramzan) from today, post the sunset. If the crescent moon is sighted today, it would mark the start of the holiest month of Islam. Stay tuned above for live updates related to the moon sighting in KSA, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Dubai, Sharjah and other parts of the Middle East.

In case the moon gets sighted, the Taraweeh namaz - the special prayers held each night in Ramadan post the Isha'a namaz - would begin today. The live streaming of the Taraweeh prayers would be available at Makkah TV Live Online. The namaz could also be viewed via the embedded YouTube link below:

If the moon is sighted today, the obligatory fasting for Muslims between dawn to dusk will begin from tomorrow (May 16). If the moon is not sighted, the fasts would begin from Thursday (May 17). According to a senior Saudi official, quoted by reports, the moon is likely to be sighted today before the Maghrib namaz. The confirmation, however, would only be issued by Masjid al-Haram.

The Ramadan moon is usually sighted in the Middle East a day before it is spotted in the eastern part of the world. Scholars are firm that if the moon is sighted in Saudi and UAE today, the moon would also be visible in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and other parts of the sub-continent tomorrow.

Along with the Middle East, the ulemas and the designated authorities are also keeping a watch on the crescent moon in West Asia, which includes the Levantine region comprising of Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Iran.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 15, 2018 07:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

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