Ramadan moon sighted in Saudi Arabia, holy month begins on Monday

The Ramadan crescent moon has been sighted in Saudi Arabia, meaning the holy month will officially begin on Monday, Al Arabiya has reported.

The sighting of the moon was confirmed by a team of astronomy observers in Saudi Arabia’s Hautat Sudair, a small village located at an intersection between Riyadh, Sudair and Qassim, 140 km north of the capital Riyadh.

During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food, drinks and sexual intercourse from dawn to dusk, which is an exercise in self-restraint, intended to bring the faithful closer to God.

Fasting the month of Ramadan is also one of the five pillars of Islam. It is followed by the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

As Muslims follow a lunar calendar, Eid al-Fitr starts when the new moon is spotted in the sky at the end of Ramadan.