Why is the Islamic world different in the date of the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan?

Arab weather - Muslims in many countries of the world began their fast on Saturday (April 2), the first day of the blessed month of Ramadan, while others begin their fast on Sunday, after it was not possible to see the crescent in their countries in which they live, so why this difference despite the fact that the calculations The astronomer indicated that the beginning of Ramadan will be on April 2?!

Arab countries start Ramadan on Sunday

After the process of investigating the crescent of the month of Ramadan was conducted on Friday (April 1, 2022), Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan announced that Saturday is the completion of the month of Sha’ban after it was not possible to see the crescent, and Sunday is the start of the month of Ramadan. As for the Arab world, 4 Arab countries announced that Sunday is the first day of Ramadan, and they are:

• Jordan
• Sultanate of Oman
• Morocco, West, sunset
• Comoros

Read also: Arab and Islamic countries announced Saturday the first day of the blessed month of Ramadan

Determining the beginning and end of Ramadan

The lunar month in the Islamic calendar begins with the appearance of the new moon (the crescent), which means that the month of Ramadan begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent at the beginning of the month. The different methods that countries follow in determining the sighting of the crescent, and is also subject to the methods of interpreting the legal text, and some countries depend, in determining the beginning and end of fasting, on other countries that represent a religious reference for them.

Methods for investigating the crescent of Ramadan

The ways to see the crescent of Ramadan differ from one country to another, as Arab and Islamic countries rely on binoculars, while other countries resort to astronomical calculations, and there are those who rely on vision with the naked eye.

The method of investigating the crescent is in 3 stages; Which:

1. The first stage: the birth of the crescent, which is before sunset, which is meant by the end of its menstrual cycle around the earth and the beginning of a new cycle. The crescent was born this year on Friday morning at 9:30 Mecca time.
2. The second stage: It is based on the fact that the crescent remains above the western horizon after sunset.
3. The third stage: that the crescent stay in the sky after sunset for a period of not less than half an hour, and the time of the crescent’s stay this year in the Arab countries was between 14-21 minutes.

The crescent is observed at the beginning of the month and not at the end, and the crescent cannot be seen with the naked eye if it has not been 15 hours and 12 minutes since it was viewed with a telescope.

In order to see the crescent clearly, it is necessary to observe from high places away from what obstructs the view of mountains, hills and tall buildings, or natural factors, such as clouds, humidity and dust, which affect the possibility of seeing the crescent correctly.

The reason for the difference in the beginning of the month of Ramadan among the countries of the Islamic world

Most Muslim jurists agree among themselves that seeing the crescent in kind is necessary, especially since the word “vision” is mentioned in the wording in a prophetic hadith on which many of those who believe that sighting should be with the naked eye, because the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Fast when seeing it and break your fast when seeing it. It is overcast upon you, so complete the period of Sha`ban thirty days.

Most Islamic countries rely on the investigation of the crescent on committees made up of jurists, astronomers and ordinary citizens. Assistive technologies (observatories) have become used to confirm the sighting of the crescent, while countries adhere to the necessity of abstract sighting of the crescent, including the Sultanate of Oman.

But the method of investigation is not always easy due to the presence of something that obscures the vision such as clouds, and there may be difficulty in finding the moon in some locations, and this led to a difference in the date of the start of Ramadan from one country to another.

Today, we have accurate scientific calculations that tell us exactly when the new moon begins. In fact, the need to determine the exact date of the appearance of the crescent was one of the motivations of ancient Muslim scientists to study astronomy.

However, some Muslim scholars believe that we still have to wait until the crescent appears in the night sky and see it with the naked eye, and not be satisfied with astronomical calculations, so the process of investigating the crescent of Ramadan remains one of the features that distinguishes the month of Ramadan every year.