Saudi Supreme Court confirms Ramadan 1447 AH to begin February 18

Riyadh, February 17, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court confirmed on Tuesday the sighting of the Ramadan crescent moon, announcing that the holy month of Ramadan will begin on Wednesday, February 18.

The announcement follows reports from the Kingdom’s moon-sighting committee that credible witnesses observed the crescent on the evening of Tuesday, 29 Sha’ban 1447 AH, corresponding to February 17.

In an official statement issued by the Royal Court, the Supreme Court referred to its decision number 204/H dated 29/8/1447 AH, noting that a session of the crescent committee was held on Tuesday evening. After reviewing all reports and testimonies, and in accordance with Islamic tradition, the court confirmed that Wednesday, 1 Ramadan 1447 AH (February 18, 2026) marks the first day of Ramadan.

The court extended its greetings to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and all citizens, residents, and Muslims worldwide, praying for a blessed and accepted month of fasting.

As a result, the first Taraweeh prayers will be held on Tuesday night after the Isha prayer at mosques across the Kingdom, including the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, with fasting to begin at dawn on Wednesday.

The confirmation comes despite earlier statements from the International Astronomy Center, which had indicated that sighting the crescent on Tuesday evening would be “astronomically impossible” across the Arab and Islamic world, as the moon was expected to set before sunset or only one to three minutes after the sun in most regions, making it effectively invisible to the naked eye and telescopes.