The National: Ramadan will begin in the UAE on Wednesday, authorities have announced.

The Moon-sighting committee met at Qasr Al Hosn, Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday and announced that they had sighted the new crescent moon.

It follows a decision in Saudi Arabia that Ramadan would commence on Wednesday after its committee also sighted the crescent moon there.

President Sheikh Mohamed and the country's leaders received congratulatory messages from leaders of Arab and Islamic nations on the advent of the holy month.

"With the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan, I extend my sincere best wishes to the people of the UAE and across the world," Sheikh Mohamed wrote on X. "Ramadan is a time for reflection and generosity, and an opportunity to strengthen bonds within families and communities.

"The Muslim calendar is determined by Moon phases, making each month last either 29 or 30 days. Islamic years last, on average, between 354 and 355 days.

The start of the holy month is determined by each country's Moon-sighting committee. In the UAE, Moon-sighting attempts are held nationwide but not all manage to see the crescent.

The national committee, under the chairmanship of Sheikh Abdullah bin Sheikh Mahfouz bin Bayyah, chairman of the Emirates Fatwa Council, made the final decision at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department after collecting all the reports from across the country.

What is Ramadan?
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic – or Hijri – lunar calendar, because it is believed to be the month in which the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset every day of the month.

As well as abstaining from food and drink, Ramadan is a time when Muslims strengthen their faith through prayer and increased recitation of the Quran. Piety increases further during the last 10 days when Laylat Al Qadr is thought to fall. That night is believed to be when the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed.

It is traditionally celebrated on the 27th night of Ramadan, but its exact date is unknown. The rewards for acts of faith carried out on this night are said to be more than those for 1,000 months of worship.