Rabi al-Awwal, 1438

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Announcement Concerning:

The Crescent Moon of the Month of Rabi al-Awwal, 1438 A.H. إضغط هنا لملاحظة بيان هلال شهر ربيع الأول

    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, November 30th, 2016, is the last day of the month of Safar 1438 A.H., and Thursday, December 1st, 2016, will be the first day of the month of Rabi al-Awwal, 1438 A.H. for the entire region of North America. This determination is based on the fact that there were no verified sightings of the crescent moon by the naked eye at sunset on Tuesday, November 29th, 2016, in any region of North America. 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:   
8 Rabi-1 (Dec. 8)   Martyrdom of Imam Hassan al-Askari (p), 260 AH
 12 Rabi-1 (Dec. 12)   Arrival of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh & hf) to Yathrib city (al-Madina) marking the start of the Islamic calendar.
17 Rabi-1 (Dec. 17)   Birthday of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh & hf) (53 B.H.)
17 Rabi-1 (Dec. 17)   Birthday of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (p) (Year 38 A.H.)
18 Rabi-1 (Dec. 18)   Establishment of al-Nabawi Masjid (Mosque) in the city of al-Madina in the first Hijri year.
  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.