Moon sighting confirms end of Ramadan

The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) announced on Sunday that Eid’l Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, will be celebrated today, 31 March, following the successful sighting of the crescent moon.

The declaration comes after a coordinated moon-sighting effort by the NCMF in partnership with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) Darul Ifta, various Ulama groups, non-government organizations and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

“The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos... hereby announces that based on the results of the moon-sighting activities conducted... the new moon (hilal) was sighted in Bauang, La Union, Philippines, as attested by PAGASA Weather Specialist Salvador G. Quirimil,” the NCMF stated.

The Bangsamoro Grand Mufti echoed the same declaration, citing that the moon was sighted by the official Moon Sighting Team, which had been deployed to strategic locations.

“Praise be to Allah, peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. Thereafter, to proceed: Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, has said: ‘Fast when you see it (the crescent of Ramadan) and break the fast when you see it (the crescent of Shawwal), and if it is obscured from you due to clouds, then complete Sha’ban as thirty (days),’” the Grand Mufti declared.

Eid’l Fitr, which falls on the first day of Shawwal in the Islamic calendar, is a joyous occasion that signifies the end of a month-long period of fasting, prayer, and reflection. It is a time when families and communities come together in prayer, gratitude and celebration.