Ramadan fasting begins Tuesday

The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Moon-Sighting Committee in the conference room of the Islamic Foundation (IF) at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque on Monday.

Religious Affairs Minister Md Faridul Haque Khan presided over the meeting.

According to the IF, Muslims will perform the first Taraweeh prayer on Monday night and they will have sehri in the early hours of Tuesday.

Muslims are meant to fast from dawn to dusk during the lunar month, a time of restraint and austerity.

Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday that the holy month of Ramadan will commence on Monday, after the Ramadan crescent moon was sighted in the Kingdom, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Following Saudi Arabia’s announcement, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also declared Monday as the first day of Ramadan, according to Emirati state news agency WAM.

Qatar similarly declared Monday as the first day of Ramadan.

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.

The starting date of the dawn-dusk fasting month is determined by both lunar calculations and physical sightings of a new moon.

Ramadan is observed by more than 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide and is considered a month of fasting and spirituality.