Muharram moon not sighted, Ashura on July 17 – M Haris

The Muharramul Haram crescent has not been sighted and Youm-e-Ashur (10th of Muharram) will be observed on Wednesday, July 17 across Pakistan, the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee announced on Saturday.

The first of Muharram – which is also the first day of Hijri year 1446, according to the Islamic calendar – will commence on Monday, July 8.

The announcement was made following a meeting for the moon sighting, chaired by Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad, in Quetta.

Members of Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Department of Meteorology, SUPARCO and representatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology attended the meeting.

The provincial and district moon sighting committees also held their meetings simultaneously at their respective headquarters.

Muharram is the month of mourning for the seventh-century martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and his family and companions during the battle of Karbala.

Also read: PMD indicates Muharram moon unlikely to be visible today

Security is beefed up across the country for the many processions taken out by the believers.

The country has seen a raft of attacks at imambargahs and processions in the past.

Earlier, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had indicated that it is unlikely the Muharram moon will be visible on Saturday.

In a statement, the PMD noted that the new moon of Muharram is expected to be born at the conjunction point at 03:57 PST on July 6.

Given the astronomical parameters, there is no chance of sighting the new moon on the evening of July 6, corresponding to the 29th of Zilhaj 1445 AH.

Additionally, the PMD forecasts partly cloudy to cloudy weather in most parts of the country, which may further impact the visibility of the moon.