Ramadhan 2025; All eyes on the moon J&K Muslim Personal Law Board to meet in evening for moon sighting on Friday: J&K Grand Mufti

Mudasir Yaqoob
Srinagar, Feb 27: The J&K Muslim Personal Law Board will meet on Friday, 28 February, to sight the Ramadhan moon in Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting will take place in Srinagar with J&K Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam presiding over it.
The meeting would gather witnesses from across the J&K and announce the decision accordingly.
“The meeting for moon sighting will commence around 7:30 pm in Srinagar. All the members (Ulemas) of the committee would participate in the meeting via virtual mode,” the Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam confirmed to ANN News.
He added that around 50 Ulema and 200 other persons associated with Muslim Personal Law Board will gather information about moon sighting from their respective and adjacent places.
“The control room has been set up in Srinagar and people are requested to approach the office of Mufti Azam J&K for moon sighting updates. The people who witness the moon, if any, can register their testimonies with a control room, which will be cross checked and verified by the representatives of the Personal Law Board,” he said.
“Under Islamic law, testimonies by the men of integrity, honest and God fearing persons are sufficient to announce the commencement of new Islamic month Ramadhan,” he said.
ANN News would keep its viewers on Tv and on its official handles updated as moon sighting proceedings would run live in its special telecast from 6 Pm on Friday.
On every 29th day of Shaban, Muslims across Jammu and Kashmir keep an eye on the announcements to know whether current Ramadhan would be of 29 or 30 days.
Muslims also look towards the sky to find out the moon.
Whose Moon Sighting testimony is acceptance:
The Grand Mufti said that conditions of a testimony by Islamic scholars are kept in mind while accepting testimonies.
He said that the witness must be a Muslim, sane and an adult; a minor’s testimony is not acceptable.
He informed that testimony must be by the person who is God fearing, just and honest.
He further informed that witness must be an eye witness, and not testifying on hearsay.
The practice of spotting new moon with naked eye on the first night of each Islamic month has been a tradition. In keeping with this custom, Muslims across the world wait in anticipation and excitement for the birth of Ramadhan and Shawwal moon.
Islamic calendar is based on the lunar cycle, unlike the Gregorian calendar, which is based on movement of the Sun.