Islamic Calendar > Crescent Moon (Hilal) Visibility > How does each country set the start of the Hijri month?
The start of the Hijri month rests on crescent sighting (ru'yat al-hilal) as each authority understands it: direct naked-eye vision, accepted astronomical prediction, or a pre-computed calendar. Dates may therefore differ by one day between countries, especially for Ramadan and the two Eids. Here are the methods publicly declared by the main committees.
Updated on 5 Oct 2026 at 12:46 AM
| Country / body | Declared method |
|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | Judicial crescent-sighting committee: testimonies of direct naked-eye vision, examined by the courts. The pre-computed administrative calendar (Umm al-Qura) is not followed for Ramadan and the two Eids. |
| Morocco | Central crescent-sighting committee (Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs): direct naked-eye vision, with cautious altitude and elongation conditions. |
| Algeria | National sighting committee: testimonies of direct naked-eye vision, unified at the national level. |
| Tunisia | Committee of the Ministry of Religious Affairs: direct naked-eye vision. |
| Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen | National sighting committees: testimonies of direct naked-eye vision. |
| Türkiye | Diyanet (Directorate of Religious Affairs): calendar established in advance by calculation. Declared technical criterion: elongation of at least 8 degrees and lunar altitude of at least 5 degrees at sunset, observation by telescope accepted. |
| UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman | Official sighting committees: testimonies of direct naked-eye vision examined by the religious authorities. |
| Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt | National naked-eye sighting committees, with verification by astronomical calculations; Jordan additionally applies visibility conditions (elongation, altitude) to admit a testimony. |
| Europe: ECFR | European Council for Fatwa and Research: the month starts the day after conjunction if the latter occurs before midnight and if the Moon sets after the Sun on the day of conjunction; otherwise the day after that. A calculated criterion adopted by many European mosques. |
| North America: FCNA / ISNA | Fiqh Council of North America: the month starts the day after conjunction if the latter occurs before 12:00 UT and if the Moon sets after the Sun the same day (in Makkah); otherwise the day after that. |
| Indonesia | Two practices coexist: the government and Nahdlatul Ulama combine calculation and sighting testimonies (rukyat), while Muhammadiyah applies the calculated criterion wujud al-hilal (conjunction before sunset and Moon setting after the Sun). Hence starts sometimes shifted by one day. |
| Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore | Joint committees: calculation (hisab) followed by a sighting search (rukyat); the official calendar unifies dates at the national level. |
| Pakistan | Central Ruet-e-Hilal committee: collection of direct naked-eye sighting testimonies across the country, unified announcement. |
| India, Bangladesh | Sighting committees (Markazi Chand Committee in India, Islamic Foundation Bangladesh): testimonies of direct naked-eye vision, centralized. |
| South Africa | Regional sighting committees (including the United Ulama Council of South Africa): testimonies of direct naked-eye vision. |
| Nigeria | Announcement by the Sultan of Sokoto, president of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, after naked-eye sighting testimonies. |
| France | Multiple practices: a pre-computed calendar published by the EPSMF, ECFR followed by several mosques, or local sighting in Europe. No unified national body. |
| Other countries | Most other committees fall into one of the families above: direct naked-eye sighting, calculated criterion, or a combination of both. |
Two approaches coexist: direct crescent sighting (ru'ya) and astronomical calculation (hisab). Some committees require a real naked-eye sighting, others accept a visibility forecast, others follow a pre-computed calendar. Depending on the position on ikhtilaf al-matali', the unity or multiplicity of horizon zones, a testimony valid in one country may or may not be accepted elsewhere. Two countries may therefore start the same month one day apart.
The lunar phase cycle lasts about 29.5 days, so each Hijri month has 29 or 30 days. If the crescent is not visible on the evening of the 29th day, the month is completed to 30 days, following the rule of not starting the month before sighting.
Usually not: just after conjunction, the crescent is very thin, near the horizon, and sets shortly after the Sun. Its visibility depends on three parameters measured by the map criteria: the Sun-Moon separation (ARCL), the difference in altitude between the two bodies (ARCV) and the crescent width. The greater the gap between sunset and moonset, the more observation becomes possible.
They are two complementary means. Calculation rules out impossible cases in advance: the Moon setting before the Sun, a conjunction too recent, a crescent below the Danjon limit. Sighting authenticates possible cases. Several committees today combine both: calculation prepares the search, a reliable testimony concludes it.
The methods presented reflect the practices publicly declared by each body and may evolve. The official announcement of the start of the month belongs to the religious authority of each country.