Officially: 3 Islamic countries announce Thursday, February 19, 2026, as the first day of Ramadan

Arab Weather - The Sultanate of Oman, Turkey and Singapore have officially announced that Thursday, February 19, 2026 will be the first day of the holy month of Ramadan for the year 1447 AH, after astronomical authorities confirmed the impossibility of seeing the crescent moon of Ramadan on the evening of Tuesday, February 17.

Türkiye confirms that the Ramadan crescent moon will not be visible on Tuesday evening.

Turkey adopts a consistent approach in determining the beginnings of the Islamic months, based entirely on astronomical calculations, taking into account the possibility of sighting the crescent moon from any region that shares a part of the night with it, whether in the Arab and Islamic worlds or in large parts of the two American continents.

After calculations by the Turkish Presidency of Religious Affairs proved that it was impossible to see the crescent moon on the evening of February 17, it officially announced that Wednesday, February 18, would be the last day of the month of Sha'ban, and that Thursday, February 19, would be the first day of the holy month of Ramadan.

Singapore: The moon will set before the sun.

Singapore, through the Islamic Affairs Council headed by the Grand Mufti, announced that astronomical calculations confirmed that the crescent moon could not be seen on Tuesday evening, as the moon set before the sun on that day, making the sighting impossible. Official authorities confirmed that Thursday, February 19, 2026, is the first day of Ramadan in the country.

The Sultanate of Oman officially confirms the beginning of the month

For its part, the Sultanate of Oman officially announced that Thursday, February 19, is the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, after it was proven that the crescent moon could not be seen on Tuesday evening, February 17, astronomically.

The competent authorities explained that the moon sets before or with the sun in various parts of the Sultanate, which makes seeing it impossible legally and astronomically, stressing that the decision came in accordance with a methodology that combines legal controls and conclusive astronomical data to ensure accuracy in announcing the beginning of the holy month.