Saudi Arabia: Sight Ramadan Crescent On Sunday

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By Mohammed Rasooldeen

As the Supreme Court in Riyadh urged Muslims to look for the crescent to mark the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan on Sunday, imams at mosques throughout the Kingdom, including those in Makkah and Madinah, welcomed Friday the holy month of Ramadan with an immense sense of sanctity and requested their respective congregations to strictly follow the teachings of the Holy Qur’an during the fasting period.

The Supreme Court in Riyadh called on all Muslims in the Kingdom to look for the crescent of the lunar month of Ramadan on Sunday evening. The court requested that whoever spots the crescent of the blessed month of Ramadan should report to the nearest court and register his testimony, or report to the authority of the regional governorate.

An imam at Kuwaiti Mosque, in Malaz, in Riyadh described Ramadan as the month of fasting not feasting. “There is a general opinion among non-Muslims that Muslims eat a lot during the holy month. It is a month of fasting to make one realize the problems of the hungry,” he said.

He also described the month of charity and requested Muslims to help the needy to alleviate poverty from society. “Helping the less fortunate is a must during the holy month,” he stressed.

He also requested the members of the congregation to cultivate the habit of fasting among their children during the holy month. He added that such habits will go a long way in the children’s life since they are the future generation.

An imam at another mosque in Nasseriyah said that the religion allows the sick to abstain from fasting but he stressed that they have to feed the poor in compensation for their loss of fasting days.

Pregnant and feeding mothers can refrain from fasting but they have to make up the lost days during their healthy period. “The month is an ideal opportunity for people to unlearn their bad habits and cultivate healthy behavioral patterns.”

Quoting a saying from the religion, an imam at a mosque in Nasseriyah said: “A day of fasting during this holy month will keep a Muslim away from hell for 70 years.”

“You must mentally prepare yourselves to perform meritorious work during the holy month of Ramadan, which comes once a year,” the imam said.

Arab News

Arab News is Saudi Arabia's first English-language newspaper. It was founded in 1975 by Hisham and Mohammed Ali Hafiz. Today, it is one of 29 publications produced by Saudi Research & Publishing Company (SRPC), a subsidiary of Saudi Research & Marketing Group (SRMG).

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