Dar Al-Ifta refutes claims of mistakenly sighted Ramadan crescent

CAIRO – 30 May 2018: Egypt's Dar Al-Ifta (House of Fatwa) issued a statement on Tuesday denying rumors that they have mistakenly sighted the Ramadan crescent as some people claimed they saw the full moon on Ramadan 12, while it should be complete on the 15th day.

Dar Al-Ifta said that it relies on legitimate scientific committees consisting of legal experts and specialists in astronomy in the moon sighting, adding that it has seven observatories distributed nationwide to observe the crescent.

Dar Al-Ifta called on all Muslims and the media outlets to neglect such inaccurate reports that confuse the nation.

Different countries decide the date of the beginning of Ramadan in different ways. Some rely on mathematical calculations, while others insist on the moon sighting.

Some experts argue that it might be wrong to take decisions based on the moon sighting with the naked eye. Some say that even if the crescent is not visible to the naked eye, it might still exist. They prescribe the use of the telescope.