The UAE Council for Fatwa has announced that the Committee for the Sighting of the Crescent of the blessed month of Ramadan for the year 1447 AH will convene under the chairmanship of eminent scholar His Excellency Shaykh ʿAbdullāh ibn Shaykh al-Maḥfūẓ ibn Bayyah on Tuesday 17 February 2026 at the historic Qasr Al Hosn site in Abu Dhabi.
The convening of the committee comes within the framework of the council’s mandated responsibilities in crescent observation and official proclamation, and in its commitment to unifying religious authority, thereby establishing a disciplined institutional methodology for confirming the commencement of lunar months and strengthening public confidence in the procedures of observation and announcement.
The council explained that the committee’s proceedings will commence after the Maghrib prayer, during which the reports of field observation teams and the findings received from the officially accredited observatories within the country will be presented, alongside the examination of testimonies that may be submitted from various regions of the UAE, in accordance with established Sharīʿah guidelines and approved procedures.
The UAE Council for Fatwa had earlier invited members of the community to observe the crescent on Tuesday evening and to participate in registering their testimonies through the designated electronic link announced on the council’s official platforms, in affirmation of the importance of reviving the Sunnah of crescent sighting and promoting community engagement in this significant religious occasion.
The council concluded its statement by affirming that the official announcement regarding the confirmation of the Ramadan crescent will be issued through the accredited official channels immediately upon the conclusion of the committee’s deliberations.
