Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta (House of Fatwa), the country’s official authority on Islamic legal rulings, announced on Friday that it will conduct the official sighting of the crescent moon marking the start of the holy month of Ramadan for the year 1447 in the Islamic calendar at sunset on Tuesday,17 February. In a statement published on its official Facebook page, Dar al-Ifta said the moon sighting will be carried out through seven religious and scientific committees distributed across Egypt’s governorates. The committees include specialists from Dar al-Ifta, the Egyptian Survey Authority, and the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, and will operate in accordance with established religious guidelines and scientific standards for moon observation. Dar al-Ifta added that the results of the sighting will be announced live on air, allowing the public to follow the official declaration in what it described as a spiritual atmosphere marking the arrival of the holy month. The accompanying program will include religious and media events, as well as the announcement of the winners of the “State of Recitation” competition, in the presence of Egypt’s Grand Mufti, Prof. Nazir Mohamed Ayyad, who will deliver the…
