How To Sight The New Crescent Moon Moon Sighting & Islamic Calendar

The first day of fasting for the holy month of Ramadan depends on when the new crescent Moon is first sighted. Although it takes 29.5 days for the Moon to go through all of its phases, it isn't practical for a month to have half a day. How many days in each month depends on when the new crescent Moon is first visible.

The Moon's regular cycle in the sky allows people to determine the number of months in a year, keep track of the changing seasons or mark the start of religious festivals. Given that the Islamic New Year does not begin January 1 and that a Hijri calendar year is about 11 days shorter than a Gregorian calendar year,[13][c] there is no Islamic date today direct correspondence between years of the two eras. A given Hijri year will usually fall in two successive Gregorian years. A CE year will always overlap two or occasionally three successive Hijri years.

Many religions and cultures use calendars other than the Gregorian – which is the most widely used calendar today. During these months, Muslims are encouraged to be more mindful of their actions and carry out good deeds. Many will spend their time reflecting on pious acts and educating themselves on Islamic teachings. These months are revered and fighting a war is prohibited in them, except in circumstances of extreme self-defence.

According to Islamic tradition, the cube-shaped Kabba dates back to the time of Abraham. It is the most sacred Muslim site, and the location towards which all Muslims face during prayer. (Religious Holiday) The 10-12th of Thul-Hijjah marks the second major holiday celebrating the season of hajj/pilgrimage. Other types of calendars include the lunar, lunisolar and fixed calendars. The 12 Hijri calendar months are determined by the sighting of the new moon.

Each Islamic state proceeds with its own monthly observation of the new moon (or, failing that, awaits the completion of 30 days) before declaring the beginning of a new month on its territory. Due to the interplay of all these factors, the beginning of each month differs from one Muslim country to another, during the 48-hour period following the conjunction. The information provided by the calendar in any country does not extend beyond the current month. If a new crescent moon is spotted on the 29th day, this marks the end of the lunar cycle, hence a new month starts the next day.