Ramadan moon sighted in Lahore, Islamabad: Zonal Ruet-e-Hilal Committee

Lahore: The Ramadan crescent moon was sighted in Lahore and Islamabad on Saturday evening, meaning the holy month will officially begin on Sunday.

The moon was sighted by zonal Ruet-e-Hilal Committee. The zonal Ruet-e-Hilal Committee has reported the moon sighting to central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee. The zonal Ruet-e-Hilal Committee said that final decision will be announced by central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee.

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 of Ramadan is determined by both lunar calculations and physical sightings of a new moon.

Observant Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk, and traditionally gather with family and friends to break their fast in the evening.

It is also a time of prayers, during which Muslims converge in large numbers on mosques, especially at night.

Ramadan is a holy month for the world’s more than 1.5 billion Muslims.