The month of Sha’ban 1444 AH is marked by the conjunction of the moon occurring on Monday, February 20, 2023 at 2:06 PM WIB (7:06 GMT). The conjunction event, or ijtima’, is also called “the dark moon” as the moon cannot be seen with the naked eye. Traditionally, the Islamic month of Sha’ban does not begin with this time of conjunction. So, when does the 1st of Sha’ban 1444 AH begin in the year 2023 CE?
On the evening of that Monday, the crescent moon had already begun to form and will be visible in some parts of the world, especially in the western part of the America continents. The crescent moon of the 1st of Sha’ban 1444 AH will be observable using optical instruments in some parts of the United States, Mexico, and most of South America. The visibility map of the crescent moon of the 1st of Sha’ban 1444 AH is shown below:
The visibility map of the crescent moon of the 1st of Sha’ban 1444 AH on the evening of Monday, February 20, 2023. The crescent moon of the 1st of Sha’ban 1444 AH can only be seen in some parts of the western region of the Americas (HilalMap).
Thus, based on the global visibility of the crescent moon (imkan rukyat global), the 1st of Sha’ban 1444 AH begins on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 CE.
However, most parts of the world (including most Muslim-majority countries) will only be able to see the crescent moon on the evening of Tuesday, February 21, 2023. Thus, based on the local sighting of the crescent moon in each country, the 1st of Sha’ban 1444 AH will coincide with Wednesday, February 22, 2023 CE.
For Indonesia, both the Indonesian Government Calendar and the NU Almanac for 2023 CE have set the 1st of Sha’ban 1444 AH as falling on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 CE. Muslim countries such as Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and countries in Africa and Europe will also only be able to see the crescent moon of the 1st of Sha’ban 1444 AH on the evening of Tuesday.
Nisfu Sha’ban 2023 CE Date
With the information above, the night of Nisfu Sha’ban in 2023 (the middle of the month of Sha’ban, the 15th of Sha’ban 1444 AH) will fall on:
- Tuesday, March 7, 2023 CE (starting on Tuesday evening, March 6, 2023, after maghrib), based on the global Islamic calendar, or
- Wednesday, March 8, 2023 CE (starting on Wednesday evening, March 7, 2023, after maghrib), based on most local islamic calendar based on local moonsighting.
I hope this information is helpful.
