Ramadan begins on Monday for Sunnis, Tuesday for Lebanese Shiites

The month of Ramadan will begin on Monday, Mar. 11 in Lebanon for Sunni Muslims, announced Dar al-Fatwa — Lebanon's highest Sunni authority — in a statement on Sunday.

The office of Imam Khamenei in Lebanon, whose decisions are followed by the Shiite Supreme Council (SSC) — the community's highest religious body — announced that Tuesday, Mar. 12 would mark the start of the Muslim fasting month for the country's Shiite denomination.

Shiite dignitary Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah had set the first day of Ramadan for Monday, March 11, basing his decision on calculations rather than empirical observation of the moon as tradition dictates.

During Ramadan, believers are to abstain from drinking, eating, smoking and sexual intercourse from dawn until sunset. This is one of the five pillars of Islam.

They are also called upon to pay alms for the poor, the Zakat al-Fitr. Ramadan ends with Fitr when people break their fast.