No new moon was sighted this evening in Saudi Arabia: the start of Ramadan is postponed by one day. The holy month of Islam will therefore officially start on Thursday 23 March 2023, as reported by the Spa news agency. Ramadan in the United Arab Emirates will also start the day after tomorrow, as the Wam news agency explains. The moon sighting committee indeed met today at the Judicial Department in Abu Dhabi after the maghrib (sunset) prayers and announced that a new crescent moon could not yet be seen. Same scenario in Libya, where the highest religious authority, the House of Fatwa, has decreed that the holy month will begin on March 23rd.
During Ramadan, which lasts 29 or 30 days, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Fasting during the holy month is one of the five pillars of Islam and is mandatory for all healthy Muslims. Muslims follow a 12-month lunar calendar, totaling 354 or 355 days. The sighting of the new moon marks the beginning of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.