QUETTA: The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee has convened in Quetta to sight the crescent of Muharram 1447 AH, with Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad presiding over the meeting.
Officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Pakistan Meteorological Department, Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), and other relevant department are attending the session underway at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office on Sariab Road, Quetta.
According to SUPARCO, weather conditions in Quetta are currently dusty, but if visibility improves, there is a chance that the Muharram moon may be sighted.
It added that the window for Muharram moon sighting in Quetta is around 35 minutes.
SUPARCO further noted that the coastal areas of Balochistan, including Gwadar, Pasni, and Jiwani, have better prospects for sighting the moon.
Meanwhile, zonal moon sighting committee meetings are also under way in major cities including Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Islamabad.
The Ruet-e-Hilal committee will announce the Muharram moon sighting and start of the new Islamic year based on witnesses from across the country.
Muharram is with the first month of the Islamic calendar, also called the Hijri calendar, which is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 months in a year of 354 or 355 days.
The calendar began in the year 622 CE, when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his followers migrated from Mecca to Medina. This migration is known as the Hijrah, and it marks Year 1 in the Islamic calendar.
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Muharram is one of the four sacred Islamic month, holding paramount significance for Muslims around the globe.
Though the whole month is import, but he 10th day of Muharram, known as Ashura, is one of the most significant days.
It commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (RA), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), at the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.
Besides, on this day, Prophet Musa (AS) and his followers were saved from Pharaoh’s tyranny.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) fasted on 10th of Muharram and encouraged others to do the same.