Doha: Tuesday, January 20, 2026, will mark the astronomical commencement of Sha'ban 1447 AH, and Monday, January 19, 2026, will be the completion of Rajab for this year, according to the precise astronomical calculations conducted by the specialists, the Qatar Calendar House (QCH) announced on Saturday.
Eng. Faisal Al Ansari (Executive Director of QCH) stated that the new crescent moon of Sha'ban 1447 AH is predicted to be born on the evening of Sunday, January 18, 2026 (the sighting day), at 10:53 p.m. Doha local time (7:53 p.m. GMT).
It is astronomically impossible to sight the Sha'ban crescent on the evening of the sighting day (Sunday, January 18, 2026) in the skies of Qatar and most Arab and Islamic nations, as it won't have been born by sunset on that day, Al Ansari suggested.
Noteworthy, it is an immutable astronomical fact that the movement of the moon in its orbit around the Earth dictates the beginnings and endings of the Hijri months, while the Earth's motion around the Sun determines the commencement and conclusion of the Gregorian months.
