The League of Imams and Alfas in Yorubaland has clarified that its decision to announce the start of the Ramadan fast is not meant to challenge the authority of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, who is traditionally recognized as the spiritual leader of Muslims in Nigeria.
In a statement released on Thursday by the Office of the Grand Mufti, AbdulAzeez Ishola, the League announced that the Ramadan fast in Yorubaland would begin on Saturday, March 1, 2025.
The statement explained: “Astronomical calculations for the crescent moon of Ramadan 1446 AH confirm that the conjunction (Astronomical New Moon) will occur at 00:45 (12:45 am) Universal Coordinated Time on Friday, February 28, 2025, corresponding to 29 Sha’ban 1446 AH, which is 01:45 (1:45 am) local time in Nigeria.
“Therefore, the crescent moon will be visible after sunset on 29 Sha’ban 1446 AH, equivalent to 28 February 2025, in various parts of the world, either with the naked eye or through telescopes and other observation tools.”
As a result, the first day of Ramadan 1446 AH will, Insha Allah, fall on Saturday, March 1, 2025, with the first Taraweeh prayer (Ashamu or Ashari) scheduled for the night of Friday, February 28, 2025, Insha Allah.
Responding to claims that the League’s declaration was an attempt to challenge the Sultan’s authority, Ishola stressed that the move was not intended to undermine the Sultan’s position or create division within the Muslim community in Nigeria.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, Ishola emphasized that the declaration had no political motives and was not meant to contest the Sultan’s authority. “It is not an issue at all. We issued the communiqué on Thursday after our annual general meeting in preparation for Ramadan. This has been our policy for the past 50 years. It’s only social media that made this year’s announcement go viral,” he explained.
When asked if the communiqué implied that the League of Imams does not typically wait for the Sultan to announce the start of Ramadan, Ishola responded, “No. Our forefathers have been issuing this statement for about five decades, so it is not a new practice. Our actions are never against Islamic doctrine.”
“The League of Imams and Alfas is made up of community leaders and scholars of Islamic studies. Thus, the communiqué is a scholarly release, as Islam is a religion of knowledge. We work with Muslim astronomers who accurately calculate the movement of the moon and the sun. They were the ones who predicted the eclipses of the sun and moon, which have come to pass. Our statement is purely scholarly and not political,” he clarified.
Ishola reaffirmed that the Sultan of Sokoto remains the leader of Muslims in Nigeria and that the League’s declaration was in no way a challenge to his authority.
