Why two dates are set for onset of Ramadan

IMPORTANT TASK A team from the Bangsamoro Darul Ifta’ conducts moon sighting in Cotabato City on Tuesday to determine the start of Ramadan. —BANGSAMORO INFORMATION OFFICE PHOTO

ILIGAN CITY—Classes and work in Lanao del Sur province were suspended on Wednesday by Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. in deference to the start of Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month in the “Hijri,” or Islamic calendar.

Adiong’s order was based on the declaration of the provincial mufti, Sheikh Amerodin Sarip, that the moon was sighted on Tuesday, which means that Ramadan started on Wednesday.

Moon sighters in Southeast Asia did not see the crescent moon at sunset on Tuesday, just like the teams organized by the Bangsamoro Darul Ifta’, the Islamic advisory council in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), for the purpose. This is why Ramadan in neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia will start on Thursday.

But the moon was sighted in Saudi Arabia.

According to Abulkhair Alibasa of the Marawi City local government’s community affairs office, Sarip’s declaration referenced the moon’s sighting in Saudi Arabia.

Alibasa explained that in the prophetic tradition, there is the principle of Jumhur which considers the sighting of the moon in other places, as opposed to Matla which takes into account local observation.

“Both are allowed and valid,” Alibasa said.

Most of Islamic authorities and agencies in the country followed the Matla, hence the declaration of Ramadan’s start on Thursday. The exceptions are the Imam Council of the Philippines and the Lanao del Sur mufti, which follow Jumhur, Alibasa said.

“Muslim leaders are given the option which of those principles are pretty applicable to their constituents,” he added.

MIDDAY PRAYER Muslims gather for midday prayer at Golden Mosque in Quiapo, Manila, on Wednesday. The holy month of Ramadan for Muslims was initially set to start on Wednesday but later moved to Thursday as this depended on the sighting of the crescent moon. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

Fasting

In Lanao del Sur, the Inquirer learned that some started fasting on Wednesday while others will do so on Thursday.

According to Alibasa, it is up to individual Muslims to choose, but what is important is they religiously stick to that chosen Ramadan schedule until Eid al-Fitr.

On Wednesday, President Marcos asked every Muslim to use the blessed period to reinvigorate solidarity and shared concern within their communities.

“In every hour devoted to prayer and reflection, you open yourselves to the presence of Allah by cultivating discipline, humility, and compassion,” the President said.

“I join the entire Bangsamoro and the Ummah in welcoming the Holy Month of Ramadan with gratitude and hope. Ramadan carries deep wisdom for each of us. It reminds us that true strength is found in self-restraint, that clarity comes when we pause and reflect, and that sincerity is shown through sacrifice,” BARMM Chief Minister Abdulraof Macacua said in a statement.

“When we fast, we learn patience. When we pray, we learn humility. When we give, we learn compassion,” he said.

“This sacred month gently calls us to look within. Before we seek to change the world around us, we are reminded to examine our own hearts. It teaches us to choose what is right even when it is difficult, and to seek what pleases Allah above all else,” Macacua said.