The country's Muslims start fasting today (Sunday) as the new moon of the holy month of Ramadan was sighted in the sky of Bangladesh on Saturday.
The National Moon Sighting Committee made the announcement about the start of Ramadan after it held a meeting at the conference room of Islamic Foundation on Saturday evening with state minister for religious affairs and chairman of the committee Md Faridul Haque Khan in the chair.
The holy month of Ramadan usually begins in Bangladesh a day after Saudi Arabia.
The fasting on the first day of the month will begin with the end of Sehri at 4:27 am on Sunday in Dhaka and adjacent areas while the fasting is to be broken with Iftar at 6:19 pm.
The timings of Sehri for Gazipur, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Tangail, Chandpur, Lakshmipur and Rangpur will be the same as Dhaka's, according to the Islamic Foundation.
Sehri and Iftar timings in other parts of Bangladesh will differ by 10 to 12 minutes from the timings in Dhaka.
In 2020 and 2021, the government set health rules for taraweeh and other daily prayers at mosques during Ramadan as part of its efforts to stem a surge of coronavirus cases.
No special instructions have been issued so far this year as the pandemic has ebbed.
As per the decision, the holy Shab-e-Qadr, the night when the first verses of the holy Quran were revealed to Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH), will be observed on the night of April 28.
Ramadan is the ninth month on the Islamic calendar. It is considered as the holiest and most sacred month.
Muslims firmly believe that archangel Gabriel descended from the heaven and revealed the message to Prophet Muhammad (SM) during the month of Ramadan.
Muslims are required to elevate their level of spiritual and physical submission to Allah by the way of fasting. They must abstain from eating, drinking and smoking from the breaking of dawn until the setting of the sun.
During Ramadan, Muslims around the world focus on prayers, fasting, giving charity, and religious devotion.
Fasting not only entails refraining from food during the hours of sunlight, but also drinking (all beverages, including water), smoking, sex, and "impure thoughts", which can include violence, sexual thoughts and curse words.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have issued separate messages on the occasion of Ramadan. They called upon all to offer prayers at homes during the month of Ramadan following proper health and safety rules.
talhabinhabib@yahoo.com