By Rehan Khan
ISLAMABAD, Sep 04 (APP): Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman, Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad on Wednesday announced that the moon for the Islamic month of Rabi-ul-Awwal 1446 AH was not sighted at any nook and cranny of the country.
Addressing media following a meeting of the Zonal Ruet-e-Hilal Committee in the federal capital, he said the 1st of Rabi-ul-Awwal 1446 AH will fall on Friday, September 6, while Eid Milad-un-Nabi (Peace Be Upon Him) will be observed on Tuesday, September 17, 2024.
The Director General of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Syed Mushahid Hussain Khalid, served as the liaison for the meeting, with technical assistance provided by Zain-ul-Abideen from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Chief Meteorologist Dr. Sardar Sarfaraz from the Pakistan Meteorological Department, and Ghulam Murtaza from SUPARCO via telephone.
Members of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee included Mufti Zameer Ahmed Sajid, Mufti Muhammad Iqbal Naeemi, Mufti Abdul Salam Jalali, Maulana Abu Bakr Siddiq, Maulana Haroon Rashid Balakoi, Allama Sajjad Hussain Jawad Naqvi, Pir Muhammad Mumtaz Ahmad Zia Nizami, and others. Additionally, religious scholars like Pir Syed Umar Farooq Shah, Maulana Abid Asrar, Hafiz Atiq Ullah Mehr, Maulana Pir Bilal Golravi, and Syed Ghulam Hussain Gilani were present.
Similar meetings of the Zonal Ruet-e-Hilal Committees were held at their respective headquarters in Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, and Karachi, where members of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committees and technical experts participated.
Maulana Azad said most parts of Pakistan experienced cloudy weather, while some areas had clear skies. However, he said no credible reports of moon sighting were received from any part of the country, leading to the consensus decision that the 1st of Rabi-ul-Awwal 1446 AH will be on September 6, 2024, and Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH) will be observed on September 17, 2024.
The meeting concluded with a special prayer for the unity of the Muslim Ummah, the protection of the holy cities of Makkah and Madina, the security and stability of Pakistan, national prosperity, unity, the liberation of occupied Kashmir, and the freedom of Gaza and Palestine.