Sultan Declares Start Date for Safar After Key Decision on Moon Sighting

(Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III. Photo Credit: Vanguard News)

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has proclaimed Thursday, July 16, 2026, as the opening day of Safar 1448AH, following the failure to sight the new crescent moon anywhere in Nigeria.

Professor Sambnoon Wali Junaidu, who chairs the Sultanate Council’s Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday.

He explained that the National Moonsighting Committee, working alongside moonsighting bodies nationwide, received no verified account of the Safar crescent being spotted on Tuesday, July 14, which corresponded to the 29th day of Muharram 1448AH.

The statement noted that since no moonsighting committee anywhere in the country could confirm sighting the Safar crescent on that Tuesday, Wednesday, July 15, would therefore stand as the 30th and final day of Muharram 1448AH.

Based on this, the Sultan gave his approval for the ongoing Islamic month to run its full course before the new month begins on Thursday.

This declaration ushers in the second month of the Hijri calendar and stands as the official reference point guiding Nigerian Muslims in carrying out religious observances linked to the Islamic calendar.