Nigerian Muslims await Sultan’s proclamation as Ramadan begins in Saudi

The Saudi Arabia Supreme Court has announced that this year’s Ramadan fasting will commence on Saturday in the Kingdom.

This is as Muslims in Nigeria await the proclamation of the sighting of the Ramadan moon or otherwise by the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III.

The Sultan had urged Muslims across the country to look out this year’s Ramadan after sunset on Friday April 1, which is equivalent to 29th Sha’aban 1443 AH.

The Director of Administration of the NSCIA, Arc. Zubairu Haruna Usman-Ugwu, said, “If the crescent is sighted by Muslims of impeccable character on the said evening, then His Eminence would declare Saturday, 2nd April as the first day of Ramadan 1443 AH. If, however, the crescent is not sighted that day, then, Sunday, 3rd April, automatically becomes the first of Ramadan, 1443 AH.”

However, the Ramadan crescent moon was sighted in multiple locations in Saudi Arabia on Friday evening, prompting the announcement of the commencement of Ramdan fasting by the Kingdom’s Supreme Court.

Muslims follow a lunar calendar consisting of 12 months in a year of 354 or 355 days. Sighting a crescent moon heralds the start of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.

This will be the first year since 2019 that Ramadan in Saudi Arabia will be observed without coronavirus restrictions.

While the Ramadan Fast ids the third pillar of Islam, Muslims worldwide are obligatorily expected to observe the fasting for 30 or 29 days, if the crescent of the 10th month of Shawwal was sighted a day before the Ramadan 30.