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Rabi Al Awwal crescent photographed in Abu Dhabi on August 13
Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday falls on 12th day of Rabi Al Awwal in the Hijri calendar
- PUBLISHED: Wed 12 Aug 2026, 6:29 PM UPDATED: Thu 13 Aug 2026, 3:49 PM
[Editor's note: This story was originally published on August 12, 2026. It has been edited to add the afternoon photographing of the Rabi Al Awwal crescent on August 13.]
The last crescent moon of the Islamic month of Safar was photographed by the Khatm Astronomical Observatory in Abu Dhabi on August 12, UAE's Astronomy Center said.
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Wednesday, August 12, was the 29th day of the month of Safar in some Islamic countries including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Palestine and Egypt.
According to the Astronomy Center, the image clearly showed that the crescent could not be sighted on Wednesday, and thus, the 30th day of Safar would mark the last day of that month and the next month of Rabi Al Awwal will start on Friday, August 14.
On August 13, the Khatm Astronomical Observatory captured the Rabi Al Awwal crescent in the afternoon. Since the image was captured before sunset, it does not indicate the start of the next Islamic month.
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When is Prophet's birthday?
Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday falls on 12th day of Rabi Al Awwal in the Hijri calendar. Calculating from Friday, August 14, this would fall on August 25. However, UAE is yet to officially announce this date.
Earlier, Friday, August 28, 2026, was declared as a public holiday for public and private sectors this year, giving UAE employees who have a Saturday and Sunday off a long weekend.
This is possible due to new law that came into effect at the beginning of 2025 that allows certain public holidays to be transferred to the start or end of the week to give people longer breaks.
