Dhaka/Mumbai/Islamabad: Though not for the first time, but in a rarest of rare case, Muslims in India and Pakistan are welcoming Ramadan this year with those in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and other GCC states on the same day Thursday May 17, 2018.
Also joined them in celebrating the holy month of fasting today are Muslims from Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Syria, Turkey and also from Indonesia and Malaysia as well as from the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Australia, France, Singapore, Japan and South Korea.
Seldom has in the past almost the entire Muslim world has started the month of Ramadan simultaneously. The Islamic Calendar is based on Lunar System and hence the new month begins with sighting of moon which occurs depending on the geographical location of a country.
The moment is however eclipsed because of the decision by the Moon Sighting Committees in Mumbai, Malegaon, Dhule and few other cities in Maharashtra which ignoring the decisions by their higher ups announced start of Ramadan not from today but from Friday May 18, 2018.
Islamic Foundation Bangladesh and Hilal Committee Jhanda Nagar, Nepal too said the new moon is not sighted in these countries on Wednesday, hence Ramadan will begin in Bangladesh and Nepal on Friday May 18, 2018.
Ramadan 2018 Moon Live updates
11:45 pm Jama Masjid Mumbai in a late night decision announced that it was unable to confirm sighting of the new moon on Wednesday hence it is decided that the first day of Ramadan will be Friday May 18, 2018.
Following the decision by Mumbai Jama Masjid, the head office of local Hilal Committee, Rooyat-e-Hilal committees in Malegaon, Dhule, Aurangabad and other parts of Maharashtra also declared start of Ramadan 2018 on Friday May 18, 2018.
Jamiat Ahle Hadees Mumbai however has declared start of Ramadan on Thursday. However, its counterpart in Malegaon, Dhule and other parts of Maharashtra have announced beginning of Ramadan on Friday. There are also reports from some parts of Uttar Pradesh, including Banaras and Maunath Bhanjan, where Muslims have decided to welcome on Friday.
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On the other hand, Imarate Sharaiyah Hind, New Delhi, Hilal Committee Ludhiana Punjab, Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees Hind, Subai Jamiat Ahle Hadees Mumbai, Jamiat Ahled Hadees Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Imarate Shariah Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand, and a statement jointly issued by Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind and Darul Uloom, Deoband Uttar Pradesh announced start of Ramadan on Thursday May 17, 2018.
10:45 pm The Central Ruet-e-Hilal committee Pakistan and Islamic Foundation Bangladesh have announced the start of Ramadan 2018, however India seems to be divided as effort to draw a consensus is still on.
Imarate Sharaiyah Hind, New Delhi, Hilal Committee Ludhiana Punjab, Markazi Jamiat Ahle Hadees Hind, Subai Jamiat Ahle Hadees Mumbai, Jamiat Ahled Hadees Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Imarate Shariah Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand, and a statement jointly issued by Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind and Darul Uloom, Deoband Uttar Pradesh announced start of Ramadan on Thursday May 17, 2018.
Meanwhile, Muslims in almost entire North and South India, and also in West Bengal, Punjab and Kashmir have welcomed the month of Ramadan and are offering Taraweeh prayers.
But, in some other parts of India, especially in Maharashtra, moon sighting committees are yet to take a call, though Muslims are offering Traweeh prayers in Mumbai, Pune and some other parts of the state.
08:45 pm The new moon of Ramadan has been sighted in various parts of India based on which its is declared that the first day of Ramadan in India will be Thursday May 17, Imarate Sharaiyah Hind, New Delhi, Hilal Committee Ludhiana Punjab and a statement jointly issued by Jamiat-e-Ulema Hind and Darul Uloom, Deoband Uttar Pradesh said.
"A special meeting of moon sighting was held today evening at New Delhi office of Imarate Sharaiyah Hind. The new moon was not sighted in Delhi. However, based on the reports of moon sighting received from various parts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, it is declared that Thursday May 17, 2018 will be the first day of Ramadan", Imarate Sharaiyah Hind said in a signed statement.
Similar statement has also been released by Imarate Shariah Phulwari Shareef Patna Bihar. "The first day of Ramadan is Thursday May 17, 2018", Mohammad Anzar Alam Qasmi of Imarate Shariah Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand said in a statement.
"The new moon has been sighted in various parts of Tamil Nadu. The Hilal Committees in Tamil Nadu hence announced start of Ramadan from Thursday May 17, 2018", a statement released earlier said.
The Central Ruet-e-Hilal committee Pakistan has also declared start of Ramadan from tomorros i.e. Thursday May 17, 2018. On the other hand, Islamic Foundation Bangladesh has declared start of Ramadan in the country on Friday May 18, 2018.
Meanwhile, moon sighting committees in other parts of India are still in meetings and a formal announcement will be made shortly.
08:15 pm Ramazan will begin in Pakistan from tomorrow i.e. Thursday May 17 as the moon is sighted today evening, said Chairman of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal committee, Mufti Munib-ur-Rehman, a few minutes ago.
Meanwhile, the moon sighting committees in Delhi, Mumbai, Bihar, Lucknow and other major cities in India are busy in meetings and a formal announcement regarding start of Ramadan in the two countries is expected shortly.
"Imarate Shariah Patna Bihar has so far not received moon sighting report from any part of Bihar. However, a final announcement regarding start of Ramadan will be taken shortly", Imarate Sahriah office says while talking to ummid.com.
On the other hand, new moon is sighted in various parts of Tamil Nadu. The Hilal Committees in Tamil Nadu hence have announced start of Ramadan from Thursday May 17, 2018. A formal announcement from Hyderabad is also waited. though there are reports of moon sighting in some parts of Karnataka.
07:45 pm 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.
"As the moon of Ramadan is not sighted anywhere in Bangladesh, the holy month of fasting will begin Friday", banglanews24.com reported quoting the Islamic Foundation.
07:30 pm The moon sighting committees in India have begun meeting in Delhi, Mumbai and other cities, according to the latest update regarding Ramadan 2018 moon in India.
The meeting began shortly after Maghrib prayers today. A formal announcement regarding start of Ramadan in India is expected any moment.
Authorities in Bangladesh are also analysing moon reports in the country. Hilal Committees in Pakistan will start meeting after a short while today.
Meanwhile, reports coming from Chennai in India says the Ramadan moon has been sighted in various parts of Tamil Nadu. Kerala has already declared start of Ramadan on Thursady May, 17, 2018.
03:30 pm The Central Moon Sighting Committees in India Pakistan and Bangladesh have issued appeals to Muslims in their respective countries to sight the crescent, Ramadan Moon or Ramzan Chand, Wednesday May 16, 2018 corresponding to 29th Shaban 1439.
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 India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The moon sighting committees will hold special meeting today after Salate Maghrib and ascertain, if any, reports of moon sighting.
Appeals to sight moon have also been issued by Hilal Committees in Lukcnow, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Patna, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai and other cities in India. Official decision by Central Moon Sighting Committee Pakistan, Religious Affairs Ministry Bangaldesh and Central Moon Sighting Committee New Delhi is expected soon after Salate Maghrib Wednesday evening.
A new month in the Islamic Calendar is decided based on sighting of the crescent – the new moon, on the 29th day of an ongoing month. If the moon is sighted on 29th, the new month begins the next day. Otherwise, the next day is counted as the 30th and last day of the ongoing month and the next day is the first day of the new month.
This process is followed as per the tradition of Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). The beginning of Ramadan has traditionally been based on “hilal” sightings, which is the traditional method mentioned in the Quran and followed by the Prophet Muhammad. In case the new moon is not sighted today, then Ramadan in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other South Asia countries will begin on Friday May 18, 2018.
The Saudi Supreme Court, and the Central Moon Sighting Committees in UAE and other GCC states like Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Syria, Turkey and also the moon sighting committees in Indonesia, and Malaysia as well as in Russia, Australia, France, Singapore, Japan and South Korea have declared start of Ramadan 2018 on Thursday May 17, 2018.
Muslims in India, Pakistan and Bangaldesh normally begin Ramzan fasting a day later than Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries. This year however it is most likely that the Ramzan Chand will be sighted today evening. If it happens, it will one of the rarest occasions, when Muslims in India, Pakistan and Bangaldeh will start Ramadan along with Muslims I Arab and Western countries.
More than 1.5 billion Muslims around the world will mark the month, during which believers abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and having martial relations from dawn until sunset. They also try to avoid evil thoughts and deeds during the holy month. Ramadan is sacred to Muslims because tradition says the Holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) during that month. It is followed by the Eid al-Fitr festival.
This year, Ramadan falls on long summer days for Muslims in the Northern Hemisphere. For Muslims who live in regions where Islam is not the dominant religion, challenging fasts are believed to come with greater blessings.
Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five obligatory pillars of Islam, along with the Muslim declaration of faith, daily prayer, annual charity -- known as "zakat" -- and performing the Hajj pilgrimage in Makkah.
Meanwhile, special preparations are also on in the Muslim world for Salate Taraveeh – the special night prayers offered in the month of Ramadan besides daily prayers five times in a day. Muslims around the world are making special arrangements for Iftar – the meal to break the fast, so that poor Muslims don’t suffer.
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