KARACHI: The first day of Eidul Azha will be celebrated across Pakistan on July 21 (Wednesday), Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee Chairman Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad announced on Saturday evening.
The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee announced that the Zilhaj moon had not been sighted and 1st Zilhaj, 1442AH would commence from July 12. The announcement was preceded by meetings of the moon-sighting committee and other zonal committees in all provincial capitals of the country.
Earlier, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PDM) had predicted that the moon would not be sighted in the country. There are no chances of the moon being sighted in Islamabad either, the department said.
According to climate data issued earlier by the Met office, the new moon of Zilhaj will be born on the crossing conjunction point at 06-18 PST on July 10 and its age at the time of moon sighting will be less than 14 hours across the country, making it almost impossible to be sighted.
Eidul Azha commemorates the Quranic tale of the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to Allah, before the Almighty replaced the son with a ram to be sacrificed instead.
It marks the end of an annual Hajj, or pilgrimage to Makkah, which is one of the five pillars of Islam, and should be undertaken by every Muslim who can afford to do so.
