Moon sighted, Ramzan begins

Hyderabad: The Central Ruiyat-e-Hilal Committee, Hyderabad, on Monday announced the sighting of the crescent moon, signalling the start of the Holy Month of Ramzan.

Maulana Qubul Pasha Shuttari, secretary of the committee announced that fasting will begin from June 7, 2016, and taraweeh will be offered after Isha prayers from Monday onward.

Muslims will have to complete their sehri, the pre-dawn meal, before 4.09 am on Monday and break their fast at 6.55 pm, making it among the lengthiest rozas in the recent past, over 14.5 hours long.

This would not only test the endurance of people who work night shifts, but also homemakers who have to put up with very little sleep since the nights would be of short duration. If the homemaker is a mother of schoolgoing kids, then she would have to make do with only about two to three hours of sleep through the month, as she will have to get up by around 2.45 am to prepare the sehri.

“It does not deter me. I plan to keep all my rozas, and if possible, try to catch some sleep during the afternoon. If it can’t be, so be it. No Muslim can give up her fast because it is tough,” said Zeba Khan of Bazaarghat.

A tough Holy Month ahead
Combined with the intense heat during the fasting hours of Ramzan — a person fasting cannot consume even a drop of water or eat anything, has to abstain from all kinds of pleasures and therefore cannot cool off by taking a dip in the pool — it is expected to be a very tough holy month ahead.

“Considering the rewards promised by the Almighty for the ones who utilise the holy month to do good deeds, fast, pray, give charity and better themselves, the entire effort is worth it,” said Mirza Samiullah Baig, a civil engineer.

Children, the elderly, the sick, pregnant, nursing or menstruating women and travellers (if there is no alternative to the journey) are exempted from fasting.

For the devout, the nights are to be spent in prayers, beginning with the obligatory taraweeh prayers. For those eligible, it is also the month to give zakat, the mandatory 2.5 per cent from your revenue, to the poor.