THE annual fasting month of Ramadan began Monday in the Philippines even though it was too cloudy to spot the crescent moon on Sunday, according to Filipino muftis, or Islamic scholars.
Mufti Abu Hureyrah Udasan of the Darul Ifta for Maguindanao and Cotabato said Islamic scholars in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore said the crescent moon appeared for about 18 minutes shortly after sunset Sunday.
Other Muslim countries in the Middle East and North Africa are also expected to begin observing Ramadan on Monday or on Tuesday.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad.
This annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam and lasts for 29 to 30 days based on the visual sightings of the crescent moon.
During Ramadan, Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and having sex from dawn to dusk.
They break the fast with a meal known as iftar and before dawn they have a second opportunity to eat and drink during suhur. Ramadan culminates in Eid al-Fitr, another important Islamic holy day.
