Beware: Monday, March 11, 2024, is not a holiday, nor the Eid’l Fitr Day, which is celebrated at the end of Ramadan, Islam’s holy month of fasting
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MANILA, March 9, 2024 (SDN) — Ramadan, the ninth month of Islam’s Hijra calendar, starts either Monday, March 11, or Tuesday, March 12.
That depends on whether the Ramadan crescent moon would be seen evening of Sunday, March 10.
In the Philippines, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) with a new officer-in-charge (OIC), Commissioner Michael M. Mamukid, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and religious leaders in Western Mindanao have set Sunday as the day for moon sighting.
In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Supreme Court has also set March 10 for moon sighting, as it calls on Muslims in the Arab country to help sight the Ramadan crescent moon in their individual capacity and report the result to authorities.
Traditions traced back to the messenger of Islam, Prophet Muhammad (SAW), moon sighters relied on the naked eyes.
In an announcement the Saudi Supreme Court as Arab News reported on March 8, “asked anyone who sees the Ramadan crescent moon with their naked eyes or through binoculars notify the court nearest to their location and record their testimony there.”
Sunday, March 10, 2024, falls on Shaban 29, 1445, in the Islamic calendar.
“If the Ramadan crescent moon is sighted on Sunday evening, then Ramadan will begin on Monday, March 11. If not, the holy month will start on Tuesday, March 12,” the Saudi Supreme Court explained.
The first day of Ramadan signals the start of Islam’s month of fasting during which they abstain from food, drinks, cigarettes, and sex from dusk to dawn.
After the holy month, Muslims across the world will celebrate Eid’l Fitr (Festival of Breaking the Fast), which occurs on Shawwal 1, 1445.
The Hijra calendar is only 355 days compared to 365 of the Gregorian. Being a lunar-based time reckoning, all the months of the Muslim calendar start and end with the sighting of the crescent moon. That’s why a Hijra month is either 29 or 30 days only. No 28 or 31 days.
Meanwhile, Dr. Dimapuno A. Datu-Ramos, Jr., regional director of the NCMF-National Capital Region, clarified that Monday, March 11, is not a holiday, nor the Eid’l Fitr Day, as alleged by a fake Malacanñang Proclamation No. 729.
Datu-Ramos said that “a falsified document allegedly from Malacañang is circulating on socmed (social media).” — EDD K. USMAN (✓)