Ruth Semilore
Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Ishaq Oloyede, has confirmed the crescent moon for the Islamic month of Shawwal has been sighted in Nigeria, marking an end to the month of Ramadan, Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Ishaq Oloyede, has told
Mr Oloyede, a professor, said NSCIA’s President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar, will soon make a formal announcement on the sighting of the moon and the commemoration of Eid Al-Fitr festival on Sunday, 30 March.
A publicist for the Sultan, Bashir Adefaka, had earlier issued a statement saying the new moon of Shawwal 1446AH has been sighted.
“Sultan of Sokoto and President General of Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, to give details in his official announcement shortly,” he said.
The NSCIA had on Friday asked Nigerian Muslims to look out for the new moon of Shawwal.
READ ALSO:EID AL-FITR: Nigeria is yet to sight moon as fasting may continue tomorrow – Sultan of Sokoto
Earlier today, Saudi Arabia reported sighting the new moon and announced the end of Ramadan.
This disclosure was made on Haramin’s official Facebook page, an official platform for the Muslim community in Saudi Arabia.
This aligns with Islamic tradition, which dictates that the sighting of the Shawwal moon marks the end of Ramadan and the beginning of the new month.
However, the Islamic law also allows for localisation, which means countries, or in some cases, communities, wait to sight the new moon in their areas before announcing the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
In Nigeria, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) had earlier directed Nigerian Muslims to look out for the crescent of Shawwal after sunset on Saturday.
READ ALSO:Moon sighted in Saudi Arabia, announces Eid Al-Fitr on Sunday
The council stated that if the moon was sighted, Eid would be celebrated on Sunday, but if not, Ramadan would extend to Sunday and the Eid would fall on Monday, 31 March.
The NSCIA is headed by the Sultan Abubakar, and the announcement for the end of Ramadan is usually made by his office.
The Nigerian government has already declared Monday and Tuesday public holidays for the Islamic festival.
The NSCIA had emphasised in its statement that Muslims are encouraged to fulfil Zakatul Fitr, a mandatory charitable food levy, before the Eid prayer.
The council also urged Muslims to pray for peace, security, and development in Nigeria during this period.
Muslims worldwide have fasted for 29 days during the Islamic month of Ramadan. The Eid is a celebration to mark the end of Ramadan.
