ASTRONOMERS have predicted that Muslims will observe Ramadan two times in the year 2030.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
During the period, Muslims are required to spend a period of 29 or 30 days abstaining from food and drink, including water, during daylight hours, as a means of celebrating and reflecting on their faith.
Ramadan, which usually comes once in a Gregorian calendar, is expected to fall twice in that year— first in January and then again in late December.
According to the astronomers, the phenomenon last occurred in 1997.
The reason behind the coincidence lies in the disparity that exists between the Hijri Calendar, which is based on lunar cycles, and the Georgian calendar that marks the Earth’s passage around the sun.
السنة التي نصوم في #رمضان مرتين تسمى بالسنة الكريمة
وهي عام 2030 م
pic.twitter.com/TETTwQ98CW— د.خالد صالح الزعاق (@dralzaaq) April 10, 2022
Ramadan is usually calculated using the Hijri calendar which is usually 354 days, instead of the 365 days obtainable in the Gregorian calendar.
Saudi astronomer Khaled al-Zaqaq explained on Twitter that the phenomenon occurs roughly every 30 years because the lunar calendar is 11 days shorter than the solar calendar.
The 2022 Ramadan period began on April 2 and expected to end on May 1.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.