Rabat - The Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) has announced that Ramadan this year will begin on Saturday, May 27.
Rabat – The Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) has announced that Ramadan this year will begin on Saturday, May 27.
Compared to the many Muslim countries that use the sighting of the moon with a naked eye to determine the start of Ramadan, the FCNA instead uses astronomical calculations.
On its website, the FCNA states that it “recognizes astronomical calculation as an acceptable Shar’i method for determining the beginning of Lunar months including the months of Ramadan and Shawl.”
The Council continues to say that “the Astronomical New Moon is on Thursday, May 25, 2017 at 19:46 Universal Time. On May 25 there is no place on earth where at sunset the elongation is 8 degrees and moon is 5 degrees above the sun. Therefore, Ramadan cannot start the next day. Hence, the first day of Ramadan 1438 is on Saturday, May 27, 2017, insha’Allah. First Tarawih will be on Friday night.”
In North America, the first day of Ramadan will be on Saturday, May 27, 2017, and the first day of Eid Al Fitr (Shawwal) will be on Sunday, June 25, 2017.
In Europe, the European Council of Fatwa and Research have also decided that May 27 will be the start of Ramadan.
In Saudi Arabia, depending on the information given by moon sighters and the consequential decision of the Judicial High Court, Ramadan will either begin on Saturday, May 27 or Sunday, May 28.
