The crescent moon of the Islamic month of Ramadan for the year 1446 Hijri has been sighted in Saudi Arabia, and as a result, fasting will begin on Saturday.

On Friday, the mosque-based Saudi Arabian website “Inside the Haramain” reported the sighting of the moon.

Preparations for the moon sighting were made at the Sudair and Tumair observation centres near the capital, Riyadh.

However, the sky over Tumair remained cloudy in the evening, making it difficult to observe the moon with the naked eye. In contrast, the sky near the Sudair observation centre was relatively clear.

The official moon-sighting process began there at 5:45pm local time. By 5:57pm, reports confirmed the sighting of the crescent moon.

Earlier in the day, the general public was urged to observe the moon with the naked eye or using telescopes.

They were instructed to inform the nearest court if they sighted the moon.

During Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset as part of the Islamic ritual that aims to encourage patience, charity, and community welfare.

It is the month of blessing in which the Holy Qur’an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad. Month-long fasting, from dawn to dusk, is one of the five pillars of Islam.

On the auspicious occasion of Ramadan, Muslims mark a turning point of their life where they aim to improve their spirituality, break bad habits instead of putting them on pause, supplicate, heal, give charity, sleep less, pray more and increase imaan – or faith – during this month of forgiveness.