ISLAMABAD: Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Syed Abdul Khabir Azad on Saturday announced that the moon of Rabi-ul-Awwal 1445 AH was not sighted.

Announcing a unanimous decision here at the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, he said the first Rabi-ul-Awwal would fall on Monday, September 18; however, the 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal, the birthday of the Holy Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him would be celebrated on Friday, September 29, across the nation.

The meeting was attended by key figures including Religious Affairs Ministry’s Director-General Syed Mushahid Hussain Khalid, and Zain-ul-Abidin from the Ministry of Science and Technology for technical assistance while Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfraz from the Pakistan Meteorological Department and Ghulam Murtaza from the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, commonly referred to as SUPARCO provided their services via telephone.

The central and zonal moon sighting committees included prominent scholars and religious leaders such as Mufti Zameer Ahmed Sajid, Mufti Muhammad Iqbal Naeemi, Mufti Abdul Salam Jalali, Maulana Abu Bakr Siddique, Maulana Haroon-ul-Rasheed Balakoti, Allama Mustafa Haider Naqvi, Peer Muhammad Mumtaz Ahmad Zia Nizami, alongside other esteemed scholars like Peer Syed Umar Farooq Shah, Maulana Abid Israr, Maulana Peer Bilal Gulwai, and Syed Ghulam Hussain Gilani.

In addition to Islamabad, zonal moon sighting committee meetings took place in Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, and Karachi, where committee members and technical experts participated.

Maulana Azad announced that today, Pakistan experienced mostly cloudy skies, with some areas remaining clear, however, no credible moon sighting reports were received from any part of the country.

At the conclusion of the meeting, special prayers were offered for the unity of the Islamic world, the protection of the holy sites, the security and prosperity of Pakistan, unity and solidarity, and the freedom of occupied Kashmir and Palestine.