Moon not sighted in Saudi Arabia; first Ramazan on Monday

KARACHI: Arab media on Saturday reported that Ramazan moon was not sighted in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other Gulf countries, ARY News reported.

“First Ramazan will take place on Monday (May 6) in Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East,” Arab media said.

First Ramazan in the United States and Australia will also be observed on Monday.

The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is set to meet on Sunday (today) evening in Pakistan for the moon sighting of Ramazan ul Mubarak.

The moon sighting body will meet on Sunday evening after Maghrib prayers at Met Office Complex in Karachi. Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, chairman of the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, will preside over the meeting.

Zonal Ruet-e-Hilal Committees will meet in Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar, while the district bodies will meet at their respective headquarters.

Read More: Ruet-e-Hilal Committee meet Sunday for Ramazan moon sighting

The committee will announce whether the moon of 1st Ramazan ul Mubarak is sighted or not.

Ramazan ul Mubarak, the month of fasting, is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

The weather department earlier stated that the moon of Ramazan will not likely be sighted on the evening of May 05 (Sunday).

The new moon of Ramazan, 1440 AH will be born on crossing conjunction point at 03:45 Pakistan Standard Time (PST) on May 05, Pakistan Meteorological Department said.

The moon will be sighted on the evening of Monday, May 06 and the holy month of Ramazan is expected to begin on May 7, the weather office said.

According to the astronomical parameters, there is no chance of sighting of the new moon on the evening of May 05, i.e. 29 Shaaban, the met office said.

“The new moon will be 15 hours and 18 minutes old by the time sun sets on Sunday May 05 in Pakistan, and it will be only seven degrees above the horizon,” an expert said. “It means, there will be no chance of sighting the Ramazan moon in Pakistan on May 05.”

The sun will set on 7:04 pm on Monday and the crescent could be sighted till 7:33 pm, met office said.

The weather is expected fair or partly cloudy in most parts of the country, according to the climate record.