The crescent moon has a famously lofty place in Arab and Islamic culture. A symbol of transformation, it signals the beginning and end of every month of the Hijri calendar. Even now, astronomers ...

1. The Moon: A Symbol of Impermanence and Transformation The moon has always fascinated human beings. It appears in the sky, waxing and waning, always shifting, never staying the same.

After the sun sets on the night of February 28, the 29th day of Shaaban month in the Hijri calendar, moon sighters face west with a clear view of the horizon for a first glimpse of the crescent moon.