The moon marking the beginning of the Islamic month of Shaban for the year 1446 Hijri was not sighted in Bangladesh. As a result, the holy night of Shab-e-Barat will be observed on the night of February 14 by devout Muslims across the country.

The decision was announced following a meeting of the National Moon Sighting Committee held at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque on Thursday, January 30. The meeting was presided over by the Advisor to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Dr. AFM Khalid Hossain.

During the meeting, Dr. Khalid Hossain stated that no reports of moon sightings were received from any part of the country. Consequently, the month of Rajab will be completed with 30 days, and the month of Shaban will commence on February 1. Based on this calculation, Shab-e-Barat will be observed on the night of February 14.

Several officials were present at the meeting, including Islamic Foundation Director General (Senior District and Sessions Judge) A. Salam Khan, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs Saiful Islam, Joint Secretary of the Cabinet Division Mohammad Khorshed Alam Khan, Chief Scientific Officer of the Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization Dr. Muhammad Shahidul Islam, Deputy Director of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department Md. A. Rahman Khan, Additional Director of Bangladesh Television Ruhul Amin, and Senior Imam of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque Muhammad Mizanur Rahman, among others.

Shaban Moon Sighted in the UAE

In contrast to Bangladesh, astronomers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have confirmed the sighting of the Shaban moon, officially marking the beginning of the month from Friday, January 31.

According to a report by Khaleej Times on Thursday, January 30, the International Astronomy Center (IAC) in the UAE announced the sighting of the new crescent moon for the month of Shaban 1446 Hijri.

The report mentioned that an image of the moon was captured at 9:30 AM from the Al Khatim Astronomical Observatory in Abu Dhabi. At the time, the moon was 10.5 degrees away from the sun.

Shaban is the eighth month of the Islamic lunar calendar and is traditionally considered a period of spiritual preparation for the holy month of Ramadan. Since Islamic months are either 29 or 30 days long, the beginning of Ramadan will depend on the sighting of the next crescent moon. The official moon sighting committee will convene on the 29th of Shaban to determine whether Ramadan begins the following day.

Based on astronomical predictions, Ramadan is expected to begin on March 1, but the final date will be confirmed only after the official moon sighting.