Several Muslim countries have announced that the holy month of Ramadan will begin today, while others will start fasting tomorrow, reflecting differing approaches to moon sighting and astronomical calculation across the Muslim world.
Saudi Arabia confirmed on Tuesday evening that the crescent moon marking the start of Ramadan had been sighted, declaring Wednesday as the first day of fasting.
Following Saudi Arabia’s announcement, religious authorities in Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Palestine, Sudan, Somalia and Djibouti also announced that Ramadan would begin on Wednesday.
In Iraq, the Sunni Endowment Diwan said fasting would start on Wednesday, while Shiite religious authorities also confirmed the same start date, marking rare nationwide alignment on the occasion.
In Yemen, the Houthi group announced that residents in areas under its control would also begin fasting on Wednesday.
In Lebanon, Sunni Muslims will welcome Ramadan on Wednesday, according to the country’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian.
Meanwhile, Egypt announced that Ramadan will begin on Thursday after the crescent moon was not sighted on Tuesday evening. The country’s Grand Mufti, Nazir Ayyad, said the decision was made in accordance with Egypt’s official moon-sighting procedures.
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Several other countries also declared Thursday as the first day of Ramadan, including Jordan, Syria, Indonesia, Pakistan, Iran, Tunisia and Malaysia.
Muslims in Türkiye, Oman, Singapore and Australia will also begin fasting on Thursday, with authorities in those countries relying primarily on astronomical calculations rather than physical moon sightings.
Morocco announced it will conduct its official moon sighting on Wednesday evening to determine whether Ramadan will begin Thursday or Friday.
Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, is observed by Muslims worldwide through fasting from dawn to sunset, increased prayer, charitable giving and spiritual reflection. The start of the month traditionally depends on the sighting of the new moon, a practice that has led to differing start dates among countries and communities.
While many Muslim-majority countries continue to rely on local or regional moon sightings, others have increasingly adopted astronomical calculations, particularly in cases where scientific data indicates that visual observation is not possible.
These differing methodologies continue to contribute to variations in the start of Ramadan across the globe.
