Bahrain: Ramadan, the month of fasting for physically able Muslims, will start on June 6 and end on July 5, a senior Bahrain astronomer has said.
Bahrain Astronomical Society (BAS) Deputy Chairman Waheeb Al Nasser said that the crescent marking the start of the lunar month would be possible on Sunday, June 5, making the start of the fasting the next day.
"Muslims in Bahrain will be fasting for 15 hours and 18 minutes on the first day of the holy month, and 15 hours and seven minutes on the last day," he said in remarks posted by Bahrain News Agency (BNA).
Last year, the fasting in Bahrain was 15 hours and 18 minutes the first day and 15 hours and two minutes on the last.
Al Nasser added he anticipated the month this year to be less hot than last year, expecting the highest temperature to be 36.4 degrees Celsius and an average humidity of 70 per cent.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the 12-month lunar-based Islamic calendar followed by Muslims.
The premise for fasting Ramadan is that the month begins with the start of the lunar cycle.
However, pinning the start of Ramadan has often been a point of debate among Muslims upset over how countries are claiming sightings on different dates and starting the month on different days.
The clash is mainly between conservatives who insist on seeing the moon with the naked eye, in line with a literal interpretation of Islamic principles.
Such a view is in contrast with that held by those who call for the use of astronomical calculations to predict the start of the month.
For sightings, varying geographical and weather conditions meant that people in different locations cannot see the appearance of the moon, making Muslims around the world fast on different days.
However, the strict interpretation of the visibility stipulation is increasingly becoming a source of national and social divisions, defeating the call for unity preached by Islam during the sacred month.
Throughout Ramadan, Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and engaging in sensual pleasures from sunrise to sunset and should focus on their relationship with God.
