The Ruet-i-Hilal Research Council (RHRC) in Pakistan has announced that Eid-ul-Fitr is likely to be celebrated across the country on Saturday, April 22, 2023. The council’s Secretary-General, Khalid Ijaz Mufti, informed that the committee’s meeting is set to convene on Thursday, April 20, to sight the Shawwal moon.
If the crescent is sighted on Thursday evening, then Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on Saturday, April 22, after completing 30 fasts of the holy month of Ramazan. However, he added that it was unlikely that the moon will be sighted the same evening.
According to the council, the birth of the moon is expected to occur on Thursday, April 20, at 9:13 am Pakistan time. On the evening of the 29th of Ramazan, the moon’s age at sunset should be more than 19 hours for sighting. However, in all areas of Pakistan, it will be less than 10 hours, making it impossible to sight the moon.
The difference between sunset and moonset, which should be more than 40 minutes, will only be 21 minutes in Peshawar, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, Charsadda, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Quetta, and Jiwani, and 20 minutes in Lahore and Karachi.
Even if weather conditions throughout Pakistan are clear, there is no possibility of sighting the moon, even with a telescope, on the evening of April 20. The 30th of Ramazan will be observed on April 21, and the 1st of Shawwal will be celebrated on April 22.
Mufti said that any reports of crescent sighting from any province, city, or area of Pakistan on the evening of April 20 would be false. On the evening of April 21, the moon’s age at sunset will be more than 33 hours in all areas of Pakistan. Additionally, the difference between sunset and moonset will be 80 minutes, which is considerable.
As a result, the crescent will appear thick and late on the night of the 30th fast, leading some people to believe it is not the first but a two-day-old crescent. However, from both a Sharia and scientific perspective, it will be considered the first crescent.
Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramazan, during which Muslims fast from dawn until dusk. The festival is typically celebrated with prayers, family gatherings, and feasting. The exact date of Eid-ul-Fitr is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon, which marks the beginning of the Islamic month of Shawwal.
Based on the prediction of the Ruet-i-Hilal Research Council, Eid-ul-Fitr is likely to be celebrated on April 22 in Pakistan. However, if the moon is sighted on Thursday evening, it will be celebrated on April 21. Muslims in Pakistan eagerly await the announcement of the sighting of the Shawwal moon, which signals the end of the holy month of Ramazan and the beginning of the festive season.
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