By Abimbola Ogunnaike
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has confirmed the sighting of the lunar month of Ramadan, which will pave the way for the beginning of the Islamic lengthy fasting.
The Kingdom announced its Twitter platform, @Haramaininfo, on Sunday, 10 March, 2024
The tweets partly read, “Crescent of Ramadan 1445/2024 has been sighted in Saudi Arabia!
“Subsequently, Ramadan 1445/2024 begins tomorrow, 11 March 2024.
“Taraweeh Prayers will begin in the Two Holy Mosques after Isha Prayers.”
Recall that the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs(NSCIA) has announced the tentative dates of March 11 and March 12, 2024, as the commencement dates for the annual Ramadan fast, pending the sighting of the moon after sunset on Sunday, March 10.
In a statement by Deputy Secretary General of the NSCIA, Prof Salisu Shehu, the Council urged Muslim Ummah to search for the crescent of Ramadan 1445 on the given date, equivalent to 29th Sha’aban 1445 AH.
The NSCIA also urged Muslim faithful who had credible sightings of the crescent to inform members of the National Moon Sighting Committee.
However, as of the time of filing this report, the Sultan has yet to make an official announcement about the commencement of the fasting in Nigeria despite the announcement from Saudi Arabia.
