Observation Report for Safar 1448 AH

Mr Hameed Mamaniat commented: "The Moon was tracked digitally from 20:00 BST using a GT71 telescope fitted with an ASI2600MM camera and an IR746 nm pass filter, with an ASI585MC on a 50 mm guide-scope providing tracking. Although the Moon was being tracked, it was not detectable either through the telescope visually or with the naked eye at that stage. The crescent was first seen through the GT71 approximately 15 minutes before sunset (21:34). Using a 25 mm eyepiece, it remained clearly visible throughout the session until it finally disappeared into the dense haze at an altitude of approximately 1°. A naked-eye sighting was extremely difficult. Although I may have briefly seen the crescent, I could not be certain enough to record it as a confirmed observation. The main difficulty was the very low contrast between the thin crescent and the bright, hazy, light-polluted sky near the horizon. This observation was essentially a battle between contrast and visibility, with the naked eye struggling to separate the faint crescent from the bright background sky, while optical aid made the crescent much easier to detect [The crescent photos are from the astro-cameras]".

Mr Motosir Ali commented: "It was clear skies, but a little hazy. I and another brother did not spot it, but close by, in the same location, another brother spotted it".

Dr Mohammad Ishack Ramtoola commented: "Moon observed for about 8 minutes. The moon was low and behind a thin layer of haze on the horizon [but the phone camera was unable to detect it]. (Submitted on 16/7/2026 - Admin)".

Shaykh Suliman Gani commented: "The 3 of us observed the sunset between 2 buildings in Pollards Hill. At low altitude the crescent moon could not be seen with naked eye. It was very hazy on the horizon".

Mr Zahid Ali commented: "The crescent was not seen".

Maulana Yusuf Mota commented: "Clear skies, but very hazy near sunset point and close to the horizon. Negative sighting in Leeds".

Mr Azim Mahomed Abdul Karim commented: "I saw it along with another brother (Tauseef)".

Mr Irfan Momin commented: "We had gone in a group of 12, but as the crescent moon was faint, only 2 of us managed to see it. We couldn’t manage to get any pictures of the moon, either".

Imam Sabri Alabri commented: "AlhamduliLLāh, the hilāl of Ṣafar was sighted with the naked eye as well as through binoculars by a few local brothers (Imran Arif Awan, Abdurrahman and Saabiq Taha Abubakar)".

Mr Juned Patel commented: "I, Juned Patel, along with my sister, attempted to observe the crescent moon (Hilal) after sunset. The western horizon was clear with no clouds, but it was significantly hazy. The Hilal was first seen with the unaided eye at 21:26 BST. It remained faint throughout the observation because of the haze. The Sunset was at 21:11 and the Moonset 22:08 BST. (Submitted on 16/7/2026 - Admin)".

Mr Ashruf Amod commented: "I arrived at the site at around 8:15 pm BST. I was on my own, and I could not see any crescent after sunset with my glasses or binoculars. At about 9:45 pm BST, I was following a bird in flight, and it happened to pass in front of the moon. I could not take a good picture, but I managed to get one. I was later joined by Ali Akbar, who arrived around 10 pm. At this point, the moon was overtaken by the atmospheric haze due to human pollution".

Eng Qamar Uddin commented: "We (I and Hafiz Mian Khizar Ayub) arrived at our usual location (at 9 pm BST) before sunset (9:28 pm), and saw that the sky was clear but hazy. We prayed Maghrib on site and waited for the sky to darken, saw Venus (at 9:58 pm), but we could not see the moon, as the lower horizon was very hazy and bright with solar glare".

Hafiz Imraan Moolla commented: "The sky overhead was clear, but thick clouds on the western horizon in the distance. Venus was seen clearly, but the cloud cover was exactly where the moon should have been. Search from the coast just after maghrib till about 21:50, but nothing was seen".

Prof Hassan Talibi commented: "هلال صفر من بنسليمان المغرب أهله الله علينا باليمن والإيمان والسلامة والإسلام. / Translation: Safar crescent moon from Benslimane, Morocco. May Allah bless us with peace, faith, safety, and Islam".

Mr Hatim El-Harrak commented: "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This took place yesterday evening, Wednesday, the 29th of Muharram 1448 AH, corresponding to July 15, 2026. The sky was clear, and the crescent moon was photographed and sighted with the naked eye".

Mr Atiq Hussain commented: "From the location of Troopers Hill in Bristol. The Safar Hilal was sighted before and after sunset time on 16th July using both optical aids (before sunset) and naked eye (after sunset). The sky was clear, and both the moon and Venus were visible. The 8.6% illuminated moon was visible by naked eye up until it descended to an altitude of ~1 degree, where it became very difficult to distinguish by naked eye. I then switched to the binoculars, and it was still visible until it descended to an altitude of ~0.5 degrees, where the upper horn disappeared. (Submitted on 17/7/2026 - Admin)".

Mr Shakil Qureshi commented: "I went out for a walk after maghrib. I spotted Venus in the sky then I decided to look for the Hilal. I saw it not long before Moonset. (Submitted on 17/7/2026 - Admin)".

Mr Saif Osmani commented: "The Safar Hilal was clearly visible from the Thames Path, Bermondsey Wall East location of Bermondsey (Rotherhithe) in South East London, United Kingdom on Thursday 16th July 2026 at 21:12 hrs BST. (Submitted on 17/7/2026 - Admin)".

Eng Qamar Uddin commented: "I went to my usual location today (16/7/2026), well-after sunset (having prayed maghrib at home) to easily see the 2nd day's moon and to test a new moon sighting app under development, which helps to locate the moon easily in the sky using Augmented Realty (AR). I was able to find the moon immediately using the app, but the moon was so faint (above the dark haze and clouds on the horizon), it was very difficult for the camera to pick it up clearly. However, I am fully satisfied with the app that it's very helpful, Alhamdulillah".