Ramaphosa wishes Muslim community well as Ramadan starts
In a short tweet on Friday President Cyril Ramaphosa wished the Muslim community well at the start of fasting month of Ramadan.
This comes as the home of the holiest shrines in Islam in Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia announced that the fasting month of Ramadan had started on Thursday.
This follows after the kingdom's supreme court ruled on Tuesday evening that the Islamic calendar month of Shaban, which precedes Ramadan, will end on Wednesday, meaning Ramadan will begin the following day, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.
The starting date of Ramadan is set by both lunar calculations and physical sightings to determine the beginning of a new month.
Other Sunni-majority countries including Egypt and Qatar also announced that Ramadan would begin on Thursday, as did officials in the Palestinian territories.
Meanwhile, authorities in Jordan, Algeria and Morocco said a decision was to be taken on Wednesday as to whether Ramadan would start on Thursday or Friday.
During the Ramadan period observant Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk, and traditionally gather with family and friends to break their fast in the evening.
“Every year, all of us are enriched by and learn and benefit from this month of piety, mindfulness, sacrifice and ubuntu. Ramadan Mubarak!,” Ramaphosa said in a tweet.
The daytime fasting month of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam.
This as fasting is strictly observed in Saudi Arabia, with restaurants closed until sunset iftar meals.
Whereby it is also a time of prayers, with the faithful converging in large numbers at mosques, especially at night.
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