The Sultanate has released a statement last night to inform muslims that the Ramadan fast will continue till tommorow and more, until the moon surfaces.
According to reports, the Sultan of Sokoto and president-general, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), AlhaJi Sa’ad Abubakakar III, has declared Wednesday, July 6, as Eid-el-Fitr day in Nigeria.
The Sultan’s announcement follows report of no sign of the new moon of Shawwal 1437 in any part of the country, although it was expected to surface yesterday.
A statement released and signed by the chairman, Sultanate Advisory Committee on Islamic Affairs, Prof. Sambo Junaidu, reads in part: “Sultanate Advisory Committee on Moon Sighting, after holding its meeting at the Sultanate Palace today (yesterday) Monday, 04/07/2016, which is equivalent to the 29th day of Ramadan 1437 AH, affirmed that there is no report of new moon being sighted by all the committees across the federation.
“On the strength of that, the Sultan of Sokoto adopted the report of moon not sighted anywhere and declared that Wednesday, the 6th of July, which signifies the completion of 30 days circle of this year’s Ramadan, will be the first day of Shawwal (Eid el-Fitr).”
Many Islamic nations around the world, like Saudi Arabia and Turkey have already declared Wednesday as Eid-el-Fitr, so it looks like Nigeria will be celebrating with them on the same day, as the moon is believed to surface today – we hope it does.
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