The crescent moon marking the start of the holy month of Ramadan 1447 Hijri was sighted in Bangladesh on Wednesday evening, February 18, 2026. Following the sighting, the National Moon Sighting Committee announced that fasting will begin on Thursday. According to the decision, the holy night of Lailatul Qadr will be observed across the country on the night of March 16.

The announcement came after a meeting of the National Moon Sighting Committee held at the Islamic Foundation’s Baitul Mukarram office in Dhaka. The meeting was chaired by Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain Kaykobad MP, the new Minister for Religious Affairs and Chairman of the committee. The decision was based on reports from district administrations, the Islamic Foundation’s offices, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, and the Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (SPARRSO).

Senior officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Islamic Foundation, and other government agencies attended the meeting, confirming the start of Ramadan across Bangladesh from Thursday.