Ramadan will begin in the UAE on Saturday, authorities have announced.
The Moon-sighting committee met in Al Hosn, Abu Dhabi, after maghrib (sunset) prayers on Friday and announced that they had sighted the new crescent moon. It follows a decision from Saudi Arabia that Ramadan would commence on Saturday after its committee sighted the crescent moon there.
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"As the holy month of Ramadan begins, I wish all those observing in the UAE and around the world a blessed month," President Sheikh Mohamed wrote on X. "Together, we pray for God to bestow His mercy on us and grant peace, harmony, and unity to all."
"I extend my warmest greetings to the people of the UAE, and Arab and Islamic Nations, as we welcome the blessed month of Ramadan," Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, added. "May it bring peace, unity, and strength to us all."
President Sheikh Mohamed, Sheikh Mohammed, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed received congratulatory messages from leaders of Arab and Islamic nations on advent of Ramadan.
During the month, which lasts either 29 or 30 days, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam and is mandatory for all Muslims in good health. 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 committee makes the final decision at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department after collecting all the reports from across the country. This year, for the first time, drones and artificial intelligence were used to monitor the crescent.
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 Prophet Mohammed. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset every day of the holy 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 final 10 days when Laylat Al Qadr is thought to fall. That night is believed to be when the Quran was revealed to 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.
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The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
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Sector: transport
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