Seeing the moon

In 1982 Saudi scholars endorsed the telescope for spotting the moon

If no trace of the moon can be seen, Shaban is deemed to last for another day and fasting begins at the following sunrise.

Reliable testimonies

Traditionally Muslims have reported their moon sightings to their religious leaders who decide whether the testimonies are a reliable enough basis to declare Ramadan begun.

With clouds, mountains or sandstorms blocking the view for some, Muslim communities even within the same region came unwittingly to different conclusions.

West Bank man prepares traditional Arabic bread before the start of Ramadan

Some are of the opinion that the only true judge of the new moon's appearance is the naked eye and it wasn't until 1982 that Saudi religious scholars endorsed the telescope as a means of spotting the moon.

Other Muslims have argued that modern astronomy delivers such accurate predictions of the moon's phases that actually glancing up is redundant, specially since urban light pollution increasingly obscures the night sky for many.

Communications

Although Muslims now live at almost every longitude and latitude and communities can be separated by thousands of miles, modern telecommunications have made the discrepancies in declaring the holy month all the more obvious.

Last year, Iran and Senegal declared a 30-day Shaban, in the full knowledge that their near neighbours had begun to fast.

To add to the confusion some Muslim immigrants choose to ignore the skies above their adopted countries and begin Ramadan when it is observed in their home nation.

Clerics in Birmingham are among those who have declared they will observe the astronomical times and fast from dawn on Friday.

But many other British Muslims will wait for the first physical sighting in Saudi Arabia to be relayed to London.

Overcast skies could delay this happening until Friday night, which means fasting will not start until Saturday.