Shawwal moon sighting 2023 in Pakistan
Pak Chronicle Web Desk
The countries of the Islamic world will investigate the crescent of the month of Shawwal on Thursday on April 20, 2023.
Pakistani concerned authorities will also be viewing crescent moon on Thursday to decide whether Eid-ul-Fitr would be celebrated on Friday (April 21st) on or April 22.
Seeing the crescent on Thursday is not possible with the naked eye from anywhere in the Arab and Islamic world, the International Astronomy Centre had recently tweeted.
Meanwhile some Pakistanis may be expecting that Shawwal moon would be sighted on April 20 which would mean that Eid-ul-Fitr will be celebrated on April 21 but Ruet-e-Hilal Research Council got a different point of view over the matter.
According to Secretary General of Ruet-e-Hilal Research Council, Khalid Aijaz there are no chances that Shawwal moon will be sighted on April 20.
While talking to a media outlet he has already said that the crescent marking beginning of Shawwal will be sighted after the completion of 30 days of Ramadan. As per his prediction the Eid- ul- Fitr will fall on April 22 on Saturday.
He was of the view that the new crescent will be born at 9:13am on April 20 and its age will be less than 10 hours on the same day.
He has stated that for the crescent to be sighted, the duration should be more than 19 hours which would not be the case for Shawwal moon sighting on April 20.
Shawwal is the 10th month in the Islamic calendar and marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. The beginning of Shawwal is determined by the sighting of the new moon, which marks the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid al-Fitr, the festival of breaking the fast.
According to Islamic tradition, the sighting of the Shawwal moon should be confirmed by a trustworthy Muslim authority, such as a local mosque or Islamic organization. In many countries, committees are formed to observe the moon and declare the beginning of Shawwal.
The process of moon sighting can vary depending on the region and the weather conditions. In some places, the moon is observed by the naked eye, while in others, telescopes or other instruments may be used. The sighting must also meet certain criteria, such as the moon being visible for a certain period of time after sunset.
Once the moon is sighted and confirmed by the authority, the news is announced and Eid al-Fitr celebrations can begin. It is important to note that there may be slight variations in the moon sighting and Eid celebrations depending on the region and cultural traditions.
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