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 official announcement of the moon sighting.
The authority urged the public to exercise caution and avoid relying on information circulated by some websites and social media platforms that may be inaccurate or misleading, stressing that Dar al-Ifta is the sole body legally and religiously authorized to determine and announce the beginning of Ramadan in Egypt.
Separately, the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics said late Thursday, 5 February, that according to astronomical calculations, the crescent moon of Ramadan will be born immediately after conjunction at 2:02 p.m. Cairo local time on Tuesday, 17 February, which corresponds to the 29th day of Shaaban in the Islamic calendar and the official day designated for moon sighting.
Based on these calculations, the institute concluded that Wednesday, 18 February, will mark the completion of the month of Shaaban, and that the first day of Ramadan is expected to fall on Thursday, 19 February, according to astronomical estimates.
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