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Moon sighting means sighting the crescent of the new moon and is one of the ways to prove the beginning of a lunar month in religion. A remarkable amount of obligatory and recommended acts of worship and rituals such as hajj, fasting, al-Qadr night and some legal issues such as increasing diya (blood-money) in haram months depend on the moon sighting at the beginning of the month. For determining the beginning of the month, Shi'a jurists have different criteria. Different astronomical conditions influence the sighting of the crescent as well.
A remarkable amount of obligatory acts of worship such as hajj and fasting, and many recommended rituals which are specific to a certain timing, as well as some legal issues such as increasing diya (blood-money) in the haram months depend on the moon sighting of the beginning of the month. Therefore, the ways of proving the beginning of a lunar month are discussed in the jurisprudential books. The importance of this issue is more in the month of Ramadan and becomes more sensitive especially in determining the end of this month so that if the month of Ramadan is twenty-nine days, the next day after the last day would be Eid al-Fitr when fasting would be forbidden, otherwise, it would the thirtieth of the month of Ramadan and fasting is obligatory.
This sensitivity and doubt existed in the past as well and hadiths are transmitted from Imams (a) which well show these conditions; however, in the more recent years, with the expansion of communications, sighting or not sighting the moon in different cities and even countries has increased this doubt and perplexity so much that even in one city, two different days have been announced as the Eid al-Fitr.......
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- Month of Ramadan «The ninth month of the Hijri calendar, fasting during this month is obligatory for every adult Muslim.»
- Moon Sighting «The observation of the new crescent to determine the beginning of a lunar month.»
- Practices of Ramadan «Recommended acts of worship mentioned in hadiths for the month of Ramadan, some observed throughout the month and others specific to certain days.»
- Al-Sahar Supplication «Supplications recited before Fajr during Ramadan, most commonly referring to Du'a' al‑Baha' transmitted from Imam al‑Baqir (a) and Imam al‑Rida (a).»
- Ya 'Aliyyu ya 'Azim Supplication «A well‑known Ramadan supplication recommended to be recited after daily prayers, narrated from Imam al‑Sadiq (a) and Imam al‑Kazim (a).»
- Lady Khadija (a) «The first wife of Prophet Muhammad (s), mother of Lady Fatima (a), and the first woman to embrace Islam, who devoted her wealth to Islam and passed away in Ramadan in 4 BH/619.»
- Imam al-Hasan (a) «The second Shi'i Imam, grandson of the Prophet (s), born in Ramadan, and one of the People of the Cloak, renowned for his exceptional generosity, having given away all his wealth twice, and for performing hajj twenty‑five times on foot.»
- Conquest of Mecca «One of the most important ghazwas of the Prophet (s) that led to the peaceful conquest of Mecca in 8/630, following Quraysh’s breach of the Hudaybiyya treaty. The event marked the establishment of Islam’s authority across the Arabian Peninsula and was accompanied by the Prophet’s general amnesty»
- Laylat al-Qadr «The night of the revelation of the Qur'an, described as better than one thousand months. Its date is unknown, but it is observed in Ramadan, especially on the 23rd of Ramadan (according to Shi'a Muslims) and the 27th of Ramadan (according to Sunni Muslims).»
- Al-Quds Day «the last Friday of the month of Ramadan on which demonstrations are held across the world to protest against the occupation of Palestine.»
- Fiqh al-Amn
- Imkan al-Ashraf
- Sariyya of 'Ubayda b. al-Harith b. al-Muttalib
- Ghilman
- Jihad of Women
- Ma Minna Illa Maqtulun Shahid
- Tradition and Survival (book)
- Prayer of Imam Ali (a)
- Qibla-numa
- An Introduction to Shi'i Law (book)
- Mystical Exegesis
- Kahana
- Bast-nishini
- Year of Imam Ali (a)
- Alam-kashi (ritual)
- Naqqara-zani (ritual)
- Qur'an 16:115
- Qur'an 3:118
- Qur'an 2:197
- Qur'an 9:114
Today Monday, 23 February, 2026 / 5 Ramadan, 1447
- 1873 CE - Demise of Mulla Hadi Sabziwari (Dhu l-Hijja 25, 1289)
- 1923 CE - Demise of Nur al-Din al-'Iraqi (Rajab 7, 1341)
- 1945 CE - Demise of Sayyid Mahdi Durcha'i (Rabi' I 10, 1364)
- 2002 CE - Demise of Muhammad Jawad 'Arifi Birjandi (Dhu l-Hijja 10, 1422)
- 2025 CE - A momentous funeral procession was held on Sunday, February 23, in Beirut for Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyid Hashim Safi al-Din. (Sha'ban 24, 1446)
- 201 AH - People’s pledge of allegiance to Imam al-Rida (a) as the crown prince by the order of al-Ma'mun (March 27, 817)
- 1236 AH - Birth of Mulla 'Ali 'Aliyari, a prominent Islamic scholar, jurist, and theologian (June 6, 1821)
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