The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee meeting for the sighting of the Zil Hajj 1447 Hijri moon has been called on May 17 Sunday, corresponding to 29 Zil Qadah.
According to a spokesperson of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the meeting will be held at the Pakistan Meteorological Department office in Karachi. It will be chaired by Chairman Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabeer Azad.
Zonal and district Ruet-e-Hilal committee meetings will also be held the same evening at their respective headquarters. The spokesperson further stated that the final announcement regarding the sighting of the moon will be made by the chairman of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee.
According to SUPARCO, the new moon of Zil Hajj 1447 Hijri is expected to be born on May 17, 2026 at 1:01 am. At sunset, the age of the new moon will be approximately 18 hours and 30 minutes. A gap of around 60 minutes between sunset and moonset is expected in coastal areas of Pakistan.
Based on these astronomical calculations, conditions for sighting the Zil Hajj crescent on the evening of May 17, 2026 are considered favorable, provided the weather remains clear and visibility near the horizon is good.
SUPARCO has also indicated that the first day of Zil Hajj 1447 Hijri is expected on Monday, May 18, 2026, marking the end of Zil Qadah. It further suggested that Eid-ul-Adha may fall on May 27, while the final decision will be made by the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee.