Zil Haj moon sighted in Saudi Arabia

The moon is expected to be seen in Pakistan on Sunday.

KARACHI: The Zil Haj moon was sighted in Saudi Arabia on Saturday and it is expected to be seen in Pakistan on Sunday.

The central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will convene in Karachi and Mufti Muneebur Rehman will preside the meeting. The zonal and district Ruet-e-Hilal committees will also meet simultaneously.

The central committee meeting will make the final decision on the basis of moon sighting testimonies from across the country and will announce the sighting of the moon or otherwise.

According to the meteorological department the weather in most parts of the country will remain dry today and there are high chances of the sighting of the moon. The first of Zil Haj is expected on October 7 while Eidul Azha is expected to be on October 16. In Saudi Arabia, it is first of Zil Haj today and the main performance of the Haj, Waqoof-e-Arafat, will be done on Monday, October 14, whereas animals will be sacrificed on October 15.

In the Islamic calendar, Eidul Azha falls on the 10th day of Zil Haj and lasts for three days. In the Gregorian calendar, the dates vary from year to year, drifting approximately 11 days earlier each year.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2013.