Muharram moon not sighted, Ashura on July 29

The Muharramul Haram crescent has not been sighted and Youm-e-Ashur (10th of Muharram) will be observed on Saturday, July 29 across Pakistan, the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee announced on Tuesday.

The first of Muharram – which is also the first day of Hijri year 1445, according to the Islamic calendar – will commence on Thursday, July 20.

The announcement was made following a meeting for the moon sighting, chaired by Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad, in Quetta.

Members of Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Department of Meteorology, SUPARCO and representatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology attended the meeting.

The provincial and district moon sighting committees also held their meetings simultaneously at their respective headquarters.

Muharram is the month of mourning for the seventh-century martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), during the battle of Karbala.

Also read: Met office predicts likely date of moon sighting for Muharram

Security is beefed up across the country for the many processions taken out by the believers.

The country has seen a raft of attacks at imambargahs and processions in the past.

Last week, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had released its forecast regarding the sighting of the moon for the Islamic month of Muharram 1445 Hijri.

In an official statement, the PMD mentioned that the birth of the moon is scheduled for July 17 at 11:32pm. However, meteorological experts anticipate that a significant portion of the country may be covered with clouds during this time, which could hinder the visibility of the moon.

The sunset on July 18 is expected to occur at 7:24pm, and there is a possibility of the moon rising at 8pm on the same day. Nevertheless, the experts caution that many cities across the country might be shrouded in clouds, which could potentially affect the moon sighting.