Khaberni - The Grand Mufti of the Kingdom, Ahmad Al-Hasanat, calls for sighting the crescent of the blessed month of Ramadan on Tuesday evening, as the Fatwa, Research and Islamic Studies Council, consisting of 11 specialized scholars and jurists chaired by the Mufti, is the final authority in confirming the sighting of the crescent for Ramadan and other lunar months, based on Islamic texts and astronomical facts.
The Arab and Islamic countries are also sighting the crescent for the month of Ramadan this Tuesday evening, corresponding to the 29th of Sha'ban, while religious and astronomical authorities in several countries have declared that Thursday will be the first day of the blessed month of Ramadan for the year 1447 AH / 2026 AD.
The main committee for the sighting of the Hijri months in the Sultanate of Oman confirmed the commencement of the month on Thursday after the sighting of the crescent was not possible astronomically on Tuesday evening, while the European Council for Fatwa and Research declared the same day as the beginning of Ramadan based on precise astronomical calculations.
The Australian Fatwa Council announced that Thursday will be the first day of the blessed month, while the International Astronomy Center announced that Turkey and Singapore hadofficially adopted Thursday as the first day of the blessed month based on astronomical calculations that preceded the traditional sighting process.
In the same context, the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia and the UAE Fatwa Council called for sighting the crescent of the blessed month of Ramadan on Tuesday evening as well.
The official Omani news agency published a statement from the committee responsible for lunar sighting, explaining that on Tuesday, 29 Sha'ban (17 February), the sighting of the crescent was completely impossible due to the moon setting before the sun throughout the Sultanate, making its sighting astronomically and legally impossible on that day.
Furthermore, the General Secretariat of the European Council for Fatwa and Research issued an official statement defining the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan and the date of Eid al-Fitr for the Hijri year 1447 (2026 AD), based on precise astronomical calculations, declaring that Thursday, 19 February 2026, will be the first day of the blessed month of Ramadan.
The International Astronomy Center announced that both Turkey and Singapore have officially determined Thursday, 19 February, as the commencement day for the blessed month of Ramadan, based on precise astronomical calculations that preceded the traditional sighting process.
The Australian Fatwa Council declared that Thursday will be the first day of the blessed month of Ramadan for the year 1447 AH, with the first night of the month and the Taraweeh prayers to begin after sunset on Wednesday, 18 February, following astronomical observations in various cities.
* The sighting of the crescent is impossible on Tuesday
In Jordan, the Jordanian Astronomical Society has confirmed that the sighting of the crescent for the month of Ramadan on the evening of Tuesday, 17 February, will be "impossible" whether by the naked eye, using telescopes, or astronomical imaging technologies, in Jordan and nearby and distant areas, indicating that the first day of Ramadan will likely be on 19 February.
According to Ammar Al-Sakaji, head of the Jordanian Astronomical Society, the astronomical data shows that the angular elongation between the moon and the sun next Tuesday will be about one degree or less in some areas, a very low value that makes the moon very close to the sun apparently and completely engulfed in its intense glare.
He added that attempting to search for the moon under these conditions, especially by direct observation through a telescope eyepiece or using "the lookout" or any traditional optical magnification tools, poses a real risk to eye safety.
Al-Sakaji reaffirmed that sighting in these conditions is not possible, and the minimal elongation and other data confirm again that the sighting of the crescent is absolutely impossible according to astronomical calculations; due to the slight elongation, prioritizing public safety, preserving the gift of sight is more important than any undocumented sighting attempt, and eye safety is more important than any such attempt.
The International Astronomy Center stated that the sighting of the crescent of Ramadan for the year 1447 AH, on Tuesday, 17 February, will be impossible or not possible from all regions of the Arab and Islamic world, whether by the naked eye, using telescopes, or even through high-power astronomical imaging techniques.
