ISLAMABAD – The non-governmental Ruet-e-Hilal Research Council has predicted that the crescent moon of Sha’ban will not be sighted in Pakistan on the evening of Monday, January 19, 2026. As a result, Sha’ban-ul-Muazzam 1447 AH is expected to begin on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.
According to the council’s Secretary General, Khalid Ijaz Mufti, the new moon will be born at 12:52 am Pakistan time on the night between Sunday, January 18 and Monday, January 19. At sunset on January 19, the moon’s age across Pakistan will be less than 18 hours, whereas a minimum age of 19 hours is required for sighting.
He added that the time difference between sunset and moonset will also fall short of the required criteria. This gap will be 29 minutes in Gilgit and Muzaffarabad; 30 minutes in Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore and Charsadda; 31 minutes in Quetta; and 33 minutes in Karachi and Gwadar, while at least 40 minutes is generally considered necessary for moon sighting.
