Metro Manila, Philippines – The holy month of Ramadhan officially begins on March 2, Sunday, in the Philippines as the Bangsamoro Grand Mufti said there was no sighting of the crescent moon yet.
“The moon has not been sighted,” Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulrauf Guialani said in a statement on Friday.
The Islamic fasting tradition was initially expected to start on Saturday, March 1, if the new moon was sighted on Friday, February 28.
The moon sighting signifies the beginning of a new month in the Islamic calendar. The ninth month of this calendar – the Ramadhan is known as a sacred time for Muslims.
For 30 days, faithfuls worldwide abstain from food, drink, and other physical needs and observe fasting from dawn until sunset.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. marked the start of Ramadhan on Friday by urging Filipino Muslims to “reflect deeply” during the sacred month.
In a statement, the chief executive said the holy month is a period for “personal reflection, spiritual growth and a renewed commitment to faith.”
“Through its emphasis on discipline and gratitude, this occasion is a holy celebration that serves as a powerful and profound catalyst for social transformation,” he said.
Ramadhan will be observed this year from March 2 to 31.
