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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Ramadan fast starts Friday with no moon sighting

Ramadan fast starts Friday with no moon sighting

Published Apr 23, 2020 12:00 am
By Ali Macabalang COTABATO CITY – Ramadan fasting will start on Friday, April 24, according to the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) and the Dar’ul Iftah (Islamic advisory council) of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). In separate announcements, NCMF Secretary Saidamen Pangarungan and BARMM Grand Mufti Mohammad Abu Huraira Udasan said their moon-sighting efforts on Wednesday night yielded negative result. Since no crescent moon appeared Wednesday night, the Ramadan month and fasting commence on Friday, the two officials said. Ramadan is the ninth, and most sacred month in the Islamic calendar. It is a time for spiritual reflection and fasting worldwide. Ramadan fasting is mandatory to all able-bodied Muslims as one of the five pillars of Islam. People who are exempted from fasting are the sick, the elderly, pre-adolescent children, as well as pregnant and nursing women. Those who are at risk of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), or who are working long hours are advised to be sensible in regards to fasting this year. The NCMF, in consultation with the national councils of ulama (Islamic experts) and imams, and the BARMM’s Dar’ul Iftah has suspended all congregational prayers including taraweeh, the nightly prayer in mosques during Ramadan, due to the required social distancing. Taraweeh prayers can be performed at home by families. Pangarungan welcomed the donation of dates (khorma) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom traditionally donates dates around the world during Ramadan in consonance with the sayings of Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.) that taking such desert fruit on iftar (time to eat at dusk) is rewarding religiously and biologically. Pangarungan said the NCMF received less than what it received last year, adding that because of this and travel restrictions arising from the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), “there is a possibility that dates distribution will be limited to certain areas only.” Freight services may also take from seven to 21 days, he explained as he appealed for understanding. The NCMF has been the focal point for the distribution of the donated dates from Muslim countries.
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