KUWAIT, July 3 (KUNA) -- According to the latest calculations of the Fentas Observatory, the lunar month of Ramadan is to begin on a Monday, coinciding August 1, Meteorologist Adel Al-Saadoun told KUNA, Sunday.
Al-Saadoun added that the new crescent would be seen in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries, but would not be visible in Kuwait Sunday evening, though the birth of the new moon, called conjunction (with the sun), occurs Saturday, 9:40 in the evening.
The lunar calendar is the reference Muslims use for marking religious occasions and seasons, and the Holy month of Ramadan is the ninth month, and is a month of fasting from Sunrise till Sunset with more prayers and acts of warship also observed. The start of Ramadan is not announced according to astrological calculations alone, but testimony of sighting the crescent by two men or a man and two women are required for the call for fast.
Muslims believe Ramadan to be an auspicious month for the revelations of God to humankind, being the month in which the first verses of the Quran were revealed to the prophet, Muhammad.(end) mf.tb.wsa KUNA 031118 Jul 11NNNN