In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Announcement Concerning:

The Crescent Moon of the Month of Rajab, 1438 A.H.

إضغط هنا لملاحظة بيان هلال شهر رجب المرجّب

To the respected believers in North America,

Peace be upon you.

The Moon-Sighting Committee of the Council of Shia Muslim Scholars in North America announces that Wednesday, March 29th, 2017 will be the first day of the month of Rajab, 1438 A.H. for all regions falling under the arc starting from New York City, and passing through Toronto, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, proceeding to the West coast. For all other regions outside of this arc, Thursday, March 30th, will be the first of Rajab.

This determination is based on the fact that there were reported sightings of the crescent moon by the naked eye at sunset on Tuesday, March 27th, 2017, from multiple locations in the west coast of the United States.

We ask Allah, the Most High, for success in performing good deeds and hasten the Return of Our Master, Imam Mahdi (p).

Important Islamic events in this month:

1 Rajab (Mar 29) Birthday of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (p), (Year 57 A.H.)
2 Rajab (Mar 30) Birthday of Imam Ali al-Hadi (p), (Year 212 A.H.)
3 Rajab (Mar 31 ) Martyrdom of Imam Ali al-Hadi (p), (Year 254 A.H.)
10 Rajab (Apr 7) Birthday of Imam Muhammad al-Jawad (p), (Year 195 A.H.)
13 Rajab (Apr 10) Birthday of Imam Ali (p), (Year 23 B.H.)
15 Rajab (Apr 12 ) Death of Lady Zainab daughter of Imam Ali (p), (Year 65 A.H.)
25 Rajab (Apr 22 ) Martyrdom of Imam Musa al-Kadhim (p), (Year 183 A.H.)
27 Rajab (Apr 24 ) The day of Mab’ath. (Year 13 B.H.)

The Crescent Committee

Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi, Toronto, Canada.
Shaykh Fadhil al-Sahlani, New York, NY.
Sayyid Mahboob Mehdi Abedi, Chicago, IL.
Shaykh Muhammed Ja’far Banglori, Miami, FL.
Shaykh Sabah al-Ebadi, Vancouver, Canada.

The Moon-Sighting Committee

The Moon-Sighting Committee was established in 2007 by The Council of Shia Muslim Scholars of North America, which annually selects new members to serve on its behalf. It has offered its services to the believers in North America every month since. The current committee was appointed at the Fifteenth Conference of The Council of Shia Muslim Scholars of North America held in Chicago in August 2015.

To learn about our basis for determining the beginning of lunar months and the theory about the unity of horizons, please click here.