Moon-sighting researcher predicts likely Eid date
PMD had predicted the new moon of Zilhaj to be born on June 18 at 9:37 pm local time, with the sighting expected on June 19. PHOTO: FILE
The Ruet-i-Hilal Research Council (RHRC) on Friday said that Eidul Fitr is likely to be celebrated across the nation this year on Saturday, April 22, Express News reported.
The council's Secretary-General, Khalid Ijaz Mufti, said that the committee's meeting is set to convene on Thursday, April 20, in order to sight the Shawwal moon.
If the crescent is sighted on Thursday evening, then Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on Friday, April 21. However, he added, it was unlikely that the moon will be sighted the same evening.
He said that Eid will most likely be celebrated on April 22 after completing 30 fasting days of the holy month of Ramazan.
According to the council, the birth of the moon is expected to occur on Thursday, April 20, at 9:13am Pakistan time. On the evening of the 29th of Ramazan, the moon's age at sunset should be more than 19 hours for sighting. However, in all areas of Pakistan, it will be less than 10 hours, it added.
It said that the difference between sunset and moonset, which should be more than 40 minutes, will only be 21 minutes in Peshawar, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, Charsadda, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Quetta, and Jiwani, and 20 minutes in Lahore and Karachi.
Read more: Government announces four days of Eidul Fitr holidays
It said that even if weather conditions throughout Pakistan are clear, there is no possibility of sighting the moon, even with a telescope, on the evening of April 20.
Mufti said that the 30th of Ramazan will be observed on April 21, and the 1st of Shawwal will be celebrated on April 22. He also affirmed that any reports of crescent sighting from any province, city, or area of Pakistan on the evening of April 20 would be false.
He stated that on the evening of April 21, the moon's age at sunset will be more than 33 hours in all areas of Pakistan. Additionally, the difference between sunset and moonset will be 80 minutes, which is considerable.
As a result, he pointed out, the crescent will appear thick and late on the night of the 30th fast, leading some people to believe it is not the first but a two-day-old crescent. However, from both a Sharia and scientific perspective, it will be considered the first crescent.
Eidul Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramazan, during which Muslims fast from dawn until dusk. The festival is typically celebrated with prayers, family gatherings, and feasting.
The exact date of Eidul Fitr is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, which marks the beginning of the Islamic month of Shawwal.