The al-Amin mosque in downtown Beirut. (Credit: Matthieu Karam)
The month of Ramadan will begin on Monday, Mar. 11 in Lebanon for Sunni Muslims, announced Dar al-Fatwa — Lebanon's highest Sunni authority — in a statement on Sunday.
The office of Imam Khamenei in Lebanon, whose decisions are followed by the Shiite Supreme Council (SSC) — the community's highest religious body — announced that Tuesday, Mar. 12 would mark the start of the Muslim fasting month for the country's Shiite denomination.
Shiite dignitary Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah had set the first day of Ramadan for Monday, March 11, basing his decision on calculations rather than empirical observation of the moon as tradition dictates.
During Ramadan, believers are to abstain from drinking, eating, smoking and sexual intercourse from dawn until sunset. This is one of the five pillars of Islam.
They are also called upon to pay alms for the poor, the Zakat al-Fitr. Ramadan ends with Fitr when people break their fast.
Monday: 'Beginning of the blessed month'
Ramadan will also begin on Monday in Saudi Arabia, as in the majority of Muslim countries. The Saudi Supreme Court has declared that "Monday, Mar. 11, 2024" will mark "the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan for this year," reported SPA, the official news agency of Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites.
In the kingdom, the first crescent moon marks the start of the holy month, but was not visible in several regions due to "cloudy weather and dust particles."
Finally, the astronomical observatory at Al Majmaah University in Riyadh confirmed its appearance.
Ramadan will also begin on Monday in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, according to the countries' authorities.
Iran set its start for Tuesday after its "Estehlal" — its moon observation office — declared that it had not been possible to observe "the crescent of Ramadan."
In Jordan, the kingdom's mufti announced that "Tuesday will be the first day of Ramadan."