Ramadan and sighting of the moon
On the first day of any lunar month, the moon is seen over the sky of Mecca. It is the wish of Allah that the moon will be sighted there to facilitate the Muslims to perform their rituals as per the tenets of Islam, since Allah declared in the Holy Quran that He would not have created the universe unless He created the Prophet (SM), and the moon is created to serve him and his followers.
Unlike the sun, which rises in the east and sets in the west, the moon rises in the west and sets in the west covering only a few countries of the earth with little illumination.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. After 24 hours, the moon rises again covering more countries with illumination , but at that time the moon is two days old. Those who have watched the sighting of the moon on the second day, have lost one day of the lunar month, because of the curvature of the earth where one cannot see beyond the horizon. But the fact is that the moon was sighted on the first day of the lunar month and the message can easily be transferred to all Muslim nations
Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday as per beginning of Ramadan this year. Then what happens to Shab-e-Qadr night in which Allah revealed the Holy Quran to the Prophet (SM) and prayer on that night is more rewarding than one thousand months of prayer. When the Holy Quran was revealed, the Prophet (SM) was staying in Mecca and it is most likely that the Holy Quran was revealed on the night of 27 Ramadan as per sighting of the Moon in Mecca . In such a situation, the 27 Ramadan becomes 26 Ramadan for Bangladeshi Muslims for late beginning of fasting.
Nowadays more than half a million Muslims of Bangladesh are staying in Arab states and every day a few hundred are coming back on vacation. On a particular day, if a few hundred Muslims, after sighting the moon in Mecca, boarded the plane and landed in Dhaka after six hours only to hear that there was no sighting of the moon in Bangladesh, then what would happen to their fate . Would it be mandatory for them to begin fasting ? If yes, how they will perform Tarabih, Shab-e-Qadr prayer and Eid-ul-Fitr jamaat?