Ramadan to start on May 27: Astronomer

Sunday, May 07, 2017

Manama: Muslims in Bahrain will fast up to 15 hours and 17 minutes during Ramadan, expected to start on May 27, a senior Bahrain astronomer has said.

Waheeb Al Nasser said that the crescent marking the start of the lunar month would be sighted on Friday May 26 at 6:22 pm for 42 minutes in Bahrain, making the start of the fasting the next day.

Ramadan will last 29 days and Eid Al Fitr, the feast celebrating the end of the holy month, will be on Sunday June 25, he said.

Last year, Muslims in Bahrain fasted for 15 hours and 18 minutes on the first day of the holy month, and 15 hours and seven minutes on the last day.

Al Nasser added he anticipated weather during the month this year to be more clement than in previous years, expecting the highest temperature to be 34.1 degrees Celsius and an average humidity of 78 per cent.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the 12-month lunar-based Islamic calendar followed by Muslims.

The premise for fasting Ramadan is that the month begins with the start of the lunar cycle.

However, pinning the start of Ramadan has often been a point of debate among Muslims upset over how countries are claiming sightings on different dates and starting the month on different days.

The clash is mainly between conservatives who insist on seeing the moon with the naked eye, in line with a literal interpretation of Islamic principles.

Such a view is in contrast with the one held by those who call for the use of astronomical calculations to predict the start of the month.

For sightings, varying geographical and weather conditions means that people in different locations cannot see the appearance of the moon, making Muslims around the world fast on different days.

However, the strict interpretation of the visibility stipulation is increasingly becoming a source of national and social divisions, defeating the call for unity preached by Islam during the sacred month.

Throughout Ramadan, Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and engaging in sensual pleasures from sunrise to sunset and focus on their relationship with God and acts of charity.

By Habib Toumi Bureau Chief