Lahore – The moon of Rabi-ul-Awwal 1448 AH was not sighted in the country, after which the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee announced that the first of Rabi-ul-Awwal will be on August 15, 2026. Accordingly, 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal will be on Wednesday, August 26.
The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee met under the chairmanship of Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad at the Kohsar Block of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The meeting reviewed the information received from different parts of the country regarding the sighting of the moon.
After the meeting, Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad announced that no acceptable evidence of the sighting of the Rabi-ul-Awwal moon was received; therefore, Rabi-ul-Awwal will start from August 15 after Dhu al-Qa’dah.
Rabi-ul-Awwal is an important month of the Islamic calendar, on the 12th of which gatherings and other religious activities are organised in the country for Eid Milad-un-Nabi (peace be upon him). This year, 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal falls on August 26, making this date of central importance for religious programmes and administrative activities.
SPARCO’s prediction regarding the possibility of moon sighting was also in line with the announcement of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee. According to Suparco, the age of the moon at sunset on August 13 will be approximately 20 hours 53 minutes, due to which the chances of its sighting in most parts of the country are very low.
Suparco had predicted the first date of Rabi-ul-Awwal to be August 15 based on scientific calculations; however, the final decision on the start of the Islamic month is taken by the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee under the prescribed religious procedure for moon sighting.
After the announcement of the Central Committee, the date of the start of Rabi-ul-Awwal 1448 AH has become clear. Now, the planning of official and religious activities to be held on the occasion of 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal across the country will be done according to August 26.
In the matter of moon sighting, both scientific prediction and Sharia procedure have their own importance. Suparco information helps in understanding the possible sighting conditions, while the final announcement is made based on the evidence received by the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee and the prescribed procedure.
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