AMN
Indian Muslims begin Ramazan Fast from on Friday June 19. The crescent moon was not sighted anywhere in India on Wednesday, which means that Ramzan fasting will begin from Friday. The moon sighting committees or the Hilal Committees in different parts of the country have announced that there was no report of sighting moon on Wednesday.
While Muslims in most of the parts of India will be fasting from June 19, Kerala state have announced the beginning of Ramadan from Thursday June 18 after receiving confirmed moon sighting reports.
Earlier the Muslim bodies have said that the sighting of the crescent would be a difficult task as weather in most of the region of the country is cloudy, and clear sky is eluding majority of the cities and townships.
A new month in the Hijri calendar begins with sighting of the moon on 29th of every month. If the moon is not sighted on 29th, that month completes 30 days. Since the moon was not sighted tonight, the month of Shabaan (Hijri calendar) will end tomorrow. Hence the holy month of Ramadan will begin from June 19.
Fasting in Ramadan also known as ‘Roza’ is the fourth of the five pillars of Islam and is intended to help teach Muslims self-discipline, self-restraint and generosity. The fasting begins from sunrise and ends on sunset. During Ramadan, Muslims wake up early morning for the pre-dawn ‘sehri’ meal renouncing food and water during the day before breaking their fasts in the evening. The evening meals are known as ‘iftaars’. The month-long fasting ends on Id-ul-Fitr celebrations.