2023 Ramadan begins Thursday in Nigeria – Sultan
The President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs and the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Sa’ad Abubakar, has announced that the holy fasting month of Ramadan will begin in Nigeria on Thursday.
Alhaji Abubakar, made this known in a broadcast on Wednesday night.
The announcement was said to follow the sighting of the crescent moon in various locations in Nigeria, according to the National Moonsighting Committee.
“The Sultan felicitates with the entire Muslim community on the auspicious occasion of the forthcoming 1444AH Ramadan Fast,” a statement by the monarch said.
He prayed that Allah spares the lives of every Muslim to participate in the exercise and to be a partaker of the blessings accrue from the fasting.
Earlier, the Ramadan crescent moon was sighted in Saudi Arabia and other countries around the world.
According to Quran, Ramadan is the ninth lunar month of the Islamic calendar observed by Muslims worldwide as a month for fasting, prayer, reflection and assisting the needy.
Throughout the month, Muslims will observe fast from just before the sunrise prayer, Fajr, to the sunset prayer, Maghrib.
The fast entails abstinence from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual relations to achieve greater “taqwa”, or consciousness of God.
“Oh you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may learn piety and righteousness,” Qur’an 2:183 stipulates.
Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with the Muslim declaration of faith, five daily prayers, charity, and performing the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca – the site of Islam’s holiest shrine, the Kaaba – if physically and financially capable.
During the period, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and sexual activities from dawn to dusk for 29 or 30 days – depending on when a new crescent is sighted.
Last year, fasting across the world ranged from 10 to 20 hours a day.
At the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Fitr. In Arabic, it means “festival of breaking the fast”.
It was also said that new moon sighting would determine if Eid al-Fitr will be observed in April 21.
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