New Delhi, May 17: The holy month of Ramzan began on Wednesday evening after the moon was sighted in different parts of the country.  A spokesperson of Delhi's Jama Masjid made an announcement that the moon was sighted on Wednesday night which marks the beginning of the month-long fasting. This year, Muslims across India have to brace for hot and humid Ramzan and long fasting hours as the temperature is set to soar in the days to come.

According to details by the Met department, monsoon may hit India after the second week of June. This means there will no respite from the scorching heat for the entire holy month of Ramzan. This year, Ramzan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar is believed to be the hottest in last three decades with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees.

According to a report by News18, noted Sunni cleric and Imam of Aishbagh Eidgah, Maulana Khalid Rasheed Faranagi Mahali said that fasting days will be longer by 5-8 minutes compared to previous years and informed that as per English Calendar, Ramzan this year is the exact repetition of the Ramzan of 1982. “As the Islamic Hijri calendar is based on lunar calculations, it is 10 days short of the solar year”, he was quoted in the report.

Mahali was quoted by News18 saying that that the time duration between sehri and iftar on the first day of Ramzan will be 15 hours 8 minutes while on the last day, 15 hours 15 minutes compared to last year when fasting duration on the first and last days was of 15 hours 3 minutes and 15 hours 8 minutes respectively”.

On Wednesday, the Ramzan moon was sighted in various parts of India including Delhi, Hyderabad, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry among others. The Ruet-e-Hilal Committee of Hyderabad has confirmed the beginning of Ramadan ul-kareem (Ramzan) from Thursday in Telangana region. It must be noted that Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of Ramzan. The annual observance is regarded as one of the five pillars of Islam.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 17, 2018 03:42 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).