Saudi Arabia Declares Wednesday Start for Ramadan 2026, Others Hold Back
By: Oluwaseun Lawal
The sky was watched. And then the announcement came.
Saudi Arabia has declared that Ramadan 2026 will begin on Wednesday after authorities confirmed the sighting of the crescent moon on Tuesday evening. The royal court made it official shortly after reports were submitted to the Supreme Court.
As is tradition, teams of observers positioned themselves in low-light areas across the kingdom after sunset, scanning the horizon. Once the sighting was accepted, the first day of fasting was set.
Several Gulf neighbours — Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates — quickly aligned with the decision, also confirming Wednesday as the start of the holy month.
But not everyone agrees.
Religious authorities in countries such as Jordan, Oman, Syria and Turkey announced that Ramadan would instead begin on Thursday, citing differing moon sighting assessments. The divergence is not unusual. It happens almost every year, sometimes quietly, sometimes with debate.
While Saudi Arabia continues to rely on direct visual sighting — a practice rooted in early Islamic tradition — some astronomers argue that modern calculations show the crescent was not yet visible on Tuesday evening.
The Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences and Technology in the UAE, alongside Oman’s Main Committee for Moon Sighting, indicated that the moon would not be visible until Wednesday night. Imad Ahmed, founder of the New Crescent Society, was even more emphatic, saying the crescent would have been astronomically impossible to see across the Middle East, Asia, Africa or Europe that evening.
Still, once Saudi authorities confirm a sighting, many countries follow.
Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, marks a period of fasting from dawn until sunset. No food. No water. Days of restraint. Evenings of iftar gatherings, prayer, reflection and charity. It ends with Eid al-Fitr — celebration after discipline.
So for millions, fasting begins Wednesday. For others, Thursday.
Same moon. Different horizons.
