Dhul-Hijjah moon sighting meeting begins in Islamabad

The Ruet-e-Hilal Committee meeting to sight the moon of Dhul-Hijjah has begun in Islamabad.

Chairman Abdul Khabir Azad is chairing the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee meeting to sight the moon of Dhul-Hijjah. The meetings of the zonal committees are being held at their respective locations.

Sunset in Karachi today is at 7:15 pm, and at that time the moon will be 11 hours and 34 minutes old. The moon should be about 24 hours old or more to be visible.

SUPARCO reports that the new moon will be born today at 8:02 am (Pakistan Standard Time). However, by sunset, the moon will be just 11 hours and 34 minutes old — too young to be seen with the naked eye or a telescope in most areas of Pakistan.

Due to this, the moon is unlikely to be sighted today. If the moon is not seen, the first day of Dhul-Hijjah will be Thursday, May 29, making Eid-ul-Adha on Saturday, June 7.

Supporting this, astronomer Dr. Faheem Hashmi said that moon sighting on May 27 is nearly impossible. He added that the moon will be easily visible on May 28, when it will be over 35 hours old.

In Saudi Arabia, however, the moon might be visible on May 27 with the help of telescopes, possibly placing Hajj on June 5 and Eid-ul-Adha on June 6 in the kingdom.