CAIRO – Muslims in North America will welcome the holy fasting month of Ramadan on Saturday, May 27, according to astronomical calculations.

“[The] first day of Ramadan 1438 is on Saturday, May 27, 2017,” reads a statement from the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) obtained by AboutIslam.net.

The Muslim body said the Ramadan moon will be born on May 25.

“The Astronomical New Moon is on Thursday, May 25, 2017, at 19:46 Universal Time,” FCNA statement added.

“On May 25 there is no place on earth where at sunset the elongation is 8 degrees and moon is 5 degrees above the sun. Therefore, Ramadan cannot start the next day.”

Quoting FCNA, the umbrella Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) also confirmed the beginning of Ramadan on May 27, sharing FCNA statement published on the association’s website.

Earlier this month, ISNA launched “Greening our Ramadan” campaign to encourage mosques and Islamic centers in the US to make their Ramadan more environmentally friendly.

In the campaign, coming as part of ISNA Green Initiative, the group urged mosque leaders to pledge and adopt some practices during Ramadan.

Ramadan is the holiest month in Islamic calendar.

In Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.

Muslims dedicate their time during the holy month to be closer to Allah through prayers, self-restraint and good deeds.

It is customary for Muslims to spend part of the days during Ramadan studying the Noble Qur’an.

Many men perform i`tikaf (spiritual retreat), spending the last 10 days of the month exclusively in the mosque.