Thursday, February 19, the first day of the astronomical month of Ramadan

The International Astronomy Center explained that most countries will sight the crescent of the month of Ramadan on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 AD, and based on all criteria for sighting the crescent published in peer-reviewed scientific research (including the standard of the Muslim scholar Ibn Tariq, researcher Fotheringham, researcher Maunder, researcher Bruin, researcher Muhammad Elias, the SAAO Astronomical Observatory, researcher Yallop, and researcher Odeh), seeing the crescent on Tuesday is between impossible or not possible from all regions of the Arab world. And Islamic studies, whether with the naked eye, using a telescope, or even using ultra-powerful astronomical photography technology. Accordingly, for countries that consider the correct sighting of the crescent a condition for the start of the Hijri month, it is expected that Wednesday will be the completion of the month of Shaban, and Thursday, February 19, will be the first day of the blessed month of Ramadan. Note that it is not unlikely that the beginning of the month of Ramadan will be on Wednesday, February 18, in some countries that stipulate other conditions for the start of the month.
Director of the International Astronomy Center, Engineer Muhammad Shawkat Odeh, said: “The reason why seeing the crescent is impossible or not possible on Tuesday, February 17, from all regions of the Arab and Islamic world is that the moon will set before the sun in the east of the Islamic world, and will set with it in the middle of the Islamic world, and will set a few minutes later in the west of the Islamic world, with an insufficient period for the moon to move from the new phase to the crescent phase to be able to be viewed by any visual means. The following is the duration of the moon’s stay in the sky after sunset on Tuesday, given that the crescent – If it exists – it is located at the lower edge of the lunar disk. The moonset date that was calculated is for the lower edge of the lunar disk where the crescent is located, and not for the upper edge as is usual. This is because in this case we are concerned with knowing how long the crescent will remain in the sky and not the entire lunar disk.
Shawkat added: “For Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, the moon will set six minutes before sunset. In the Emirates, the moon will set one minute before sunset. In Riyadh, the lower edge of the moon will set 42 seconds before sunset. In Tabuk, which is the region where the moon’s stay in Saudi Arabia this month will be the greatest, the lower edge of the moon will set with sunset, and the surface life of the moon at the time of sunset will be one hour and 49 minutes, and the moon’s distance from the sun will be only one degree! And the situation in the city Amman is similar to the city of Tabuk. In Cairo, the moon will set two minutes after sunset, and the moon will be only 1.3 degrees away from the sun. In Algeria, the moon will set six minutes after sunset.
He continued: “Seeing the crescent in all the aforementioned regions is not possible, neither with the naked eye nor using a telescope, especially since they are all below the global “Dungeon” limit. He is a French scientist who proved that seeing the crescent is not possible with the naked eye or with a telescope if the distance of the moon from the sun is less than about seven degrees, which is supported by reliable astronomical observations of the crescent. Moreover, seeing the crescent on Tuesday is also not possible according to all international standards, including the standard of “Elias,” a Malaysian astronomer who specializes in seeing the crescent. The Crescent, the “Yallop” standard, a former director of the Greenwich Observatory and former chairman of the Committee on Astronomical Zodiacs of the International Astronomical Union, the “South African Astronomical Observatory” standard, which is a standard produced by two astronomers in the United States, and the “Odeh” standard, which is one of the latest current standards.
Shawkat emphasized that seeing the crescent on Tuesday is not possible even using the latest scientific techniques in observing the crescent, which is the technique of astronomical photography using a specialized astronomical camera linked to advanced programs that process images instantly, which can see the crescent even in broad daylight due to its superior power. The distance of the moon from the sun at sunset in the best regions of the Arab world is only about two degrees, and this is a value that does not allow seeing the crescent even using this technology. As for the naked eye, it has not been proven in history to see the crescent correctly when its distance from the sun was less. From 7.6 degrees, and using a telescope, his vision was not proven to be less than 6.0 degrees.
He pointed out that to confirm that there is no possibility of seeing the crescent moon on Tuesday from the Arab region, the Earth will witness an annular solar eclipse on Tuesday afternoon, seen from southern Africa and Antarctica, and the eclipse will occur simultaneously with the sunset date in the east and center of the world until west of the Asian continent. A solar eclipse is a visible conjunction that people see with their own eyes and provides evidence that it is not possible to see the crescent at that time or a few hours after it.
He said: “Based on the above scientific and sensory evidence seen with the naked eye on Tuesday, it is necessary to pay attention to the misleading testimonies that may be received on that day, because if they are received, they definitively confirm the mistake that some people may make in imagining seeing crescents that do not exist in the sky. Especially since the planet Venus is located to the west, close to the position of the moon, which may cause confusion for the unexperienced and they may mistake it for the crescent, as we received from several official investigation committees.” Al-Hilal has witnessed similar incidents that occurred in the past.
It should be noted that many jurists and astronomers believe that there is no need to search for the crescent after sunset on Tuesday from areas where the moon sets before or with the sun, because the moon is not present in the sky at that time, and therefore seeing the crescent is impossible from these areas, and this is known in advance through conclusive scientific calculations. One of the recommendations of the Second Emirates Astronomical Conference, which was attended by jurists and decision-makers from many Islamic countries, was the text: “If astronomy decides that the conjunction does not occur before sunset or The moon sets before the sun on the twenty-ninth day of the month, so it is not necessary to find the crescent.” The jurists have agreed that there is no contradiction between this recommendation and the Sunnah of the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, to search for the crescent, as this recommendation only relates to cases in which we know in advance that the moon does not exist in the sky based on conclusive data, and therefore searching for it when we are certain that it does not exist may seem like a marginalization of reason and science. Among the jurists who called for such a recommendation even before the conference was held was His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Muni’, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and an advisor to the Royal Court there. In addition, this recommendation is of course approved in some Islamic countries that rely on the sighting of the crescent as the basis for the start of the Hijri month.
On the other hand, some Islamic countries will see the crescent of the month of Ramadan on Wednesday, February 18, as it is the twenty-ninth day of the month of Shaban in them. These countries include: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Morocco, Mauritania, and some non-Arab Islamic countries in Africa. In these countries, the beginning of the month of Ramadan will be on Thursday, February 19, or Friday, February 20, depending on the result of sighting the crescent and the weather conditions on that day.
Regarding the position of the crescent on Wednesday, February 18, in some Arab and international cities, the surface calculations of the crescent at sunset are as follows: In Jakarta, the moon sets 40 minutes after sunset, and its age is 21 hours and 55 minutes. Seeing the crescent is possible using a telescope, and it may be seen with the naked eye if the atmosphere is completely clear. In Abu Dhabi, the moon sets 58 minutes after sunset, and its age is 24 hours and 29 minutes. In Mecca, the moon sets 59 minutes after sunset, and its age is 25 hours and 37 minutes. In Amman and Jerusalem, the moon sets 65 minutes after sunset, and its age is 25 hours and 51 minutes. In Cairo, the moon sets 64 minutes after sunset, and its age is 26 hours and 11 minutes. In Rabat, the moon sets 73 minutes after sunset, and its age is 29 hours and 53 minutes. Seeing the crescent moon on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, Mecca, Amman, Jerusalem, Cairo and Rabat is easily possible with the naked eye.