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Which Hilaal (Islamic crescent) to follow? By Salman Sheikh
Synopsis
Salman argues that:
-
Ummul Qura calendar is meant for civil
use only and not for religious purposes.
-
Saudi scholars like Sheikh Al Otheimeen
support local onsighting of moon.
-
Astronomy should be used to correct
errors or false sightings.
-
Saudi scholars do not support
calculations to support replace
sightings.
-
Sheikh AlOtheimeen is agsint use of
telescopes as it increases the burden on
Muslims, which Allah (swt) does not
want.
-
Concludes by saying “use local sighting
as supported by astronomy….”
Comments of Ali manikfan are in red are
inserted wherever necessary
2. Which Hilaal (Islamic Crescent) to
Follow?
Reasons for Islamic dates confusion and
their solution Insha'Allaah
Dr. Salman Shaikh; s.shaikh@ieee.org;
salman@lucent.com; salman7861@juno.com ;
+1-732-801-4590; +1-732-949-8948;
+1-209-633-5900Fax www.jas.org.jo/hilaal
Alhamdulillaah. WaSalaatu WasSalaamu Ala
Rasoolillaah. Aooothobillaahi
MinasShaytaanirRajeem.
BismillaahIrRahmaanIrRaheem.
RabbishRahli Sadri Wa Yassirli Amri
WahlulUqdatan Millisaani Yafqahoo Qauli.
Abstract
There has been considerable confusion
and bitterness about the dates of our
Islamic festivals,
(There is no
confusion about the dates of the Islamic
festivals. The Prophet (saw) has fixed
Eidul Fitre on the first of Shawwal and
Eidul Adha on the 10th of Zul
Hijjah. Muslims do not understand that a
date could represent only one weekday.
This creates confusion and this is
because they have adopted the Christian
calendar for their day to day affairs in
stead of the Islamic calendar.)
especially for Muslims living in
non-Muslim countries, where different
approaches result in Eid etc. in the
same town and sometimes in the same
Masjid to be celebrated on two or even
three different dates!
(It is not only
in non-Muslim countries but also
everywhere in the world that the Muslims
observe their Eid on different days
proving that they are foolish and they
are not united.) This paper
investigates the facts including
important information from the Ulema and
Astronomers of Saudi Arabia, and
presents an approach to reach accurate
dates acceptable to a very broad
consensus of Ulema Insha’Allaah. It
treats Astronomical Calculations and
Physical Sighting as complementary and
not contradicting, by supporting those
calculations which predict "Hilaal
visibility by naked eye" such as Shaukat/Durrani/MoonCalc
(http://www.starlight.demon.co.uk/mooncalc/),
and not just the birth of the Dark
Astronomical "new moon". These
calculations could be verified by the
ordinary Muslim masses by their own
local "group" naked-eye Hilaal sighting
which remains the dominant criterion,
closer to the Sunnah. The paper
recommends procedures for accurate
Islamic dates for "religious" purposes
as well as proposals for "Civil" use
Hejiri Calendar. It also outlines steps
to resolve the issue in North America as
well as all over the world Insha’Allaah.
(The problem can
be solved only if we are ready to give
up the Bid’a and follow the instructions
of the Quran and the Sunnah.)
Motivation
For a long time, many Muslims in many
parts of the world have experienced
considerable confusion and bitterness
about the dates of our Islamic
festivals, which should really be
occasions for happiness and getting
together. The celebrations of the Eids,
and the fasting of Ramadaan have been
marked by emotional and sometimes
"un-brotherly" exchanges, devoid of
mutual understanding, contrary to the
very spirit of our Deen. This is
especially true for Muslims living in
non-Muslim lands like North America,
where different Muslim groups tend to
follow different approaches resulting in
Eid etc. in the same town and sometimes
in the same Masjid to be celebrated on
two or even three different dates!
(It is because the educated people fail
to learn and understand the Deen. They
are satisfied with the blind following
of the Ulemas. They are ready to believe
that the first of Shawwal can be 3 days
in the Shariah.)
First of all, let me clarify that
Insha’Allaah for all of us, the goals
are the same: We would like Muslims to
be united, and celebrate the Islamic
occasions including start of Ramadaan,
27th of Ramadaan, EidUlFitr,
EidUlAdha etc. together correctly
Insha’Allaah. But often the approach to
"Unity" is that "I am right, I won’t
listen to you, and just follow me". I
humbly feel that honest search, open
communication, mutual understanding, and
trying to obtain the facts is an
essential pre-requisite.
(The Quran says:
“The right has been made distinct from
the wrong.” If we approach with open
minds without prejudice we can
understand the truth. Allah (swt) guides
his servants to the truth.) And
most importantly, we should sincerely
make du’a that Allaah (SWT) forgive,
guide and help us all. Aameen. All that
is required from us is sincere & proper
efforts & du’a. The results are in the
hands of Allaah (SWT).
Background
I recall since the 1400s AH / 1980s G,
when I was a student in New York city,
there were two main behaviors in the
American Muslim community regarding
Hilaal sighting and Ramadaan & Eid
dates:
The first behavior, which was common
among many immigrant Muslims was to
follow their "own" Muslim countries
rather than local sighting in North
America. Some suggested that Muslims in
North America had not yet matured to
organize our own local sighting. With
time there was a realization that
Muslims in North America have made a
good effort Alhamdulillaah, to do local
sighting, especially with the
coordination of ISNA (Islamic Society of
North America), ICNA, American Muslim
Society and al-Ummah Community, which
together formed the Islamic Shoora
Council of North America Alhamdulillaah.
Most people then gave up on following
their "own" countries. But still some
insisted on following the announcement
from Saudi Arabia, which was often ahead
of sighting (including my personal
sighting) in America, and also almost
always one or often even two days ahead
of sighting reported from countries east
of Saudi Arabia e.g. India, Pakistan and
Bangladesh. Others said that it was
incorrect to fix any particular place
(e.g. Saudi Arabia) for deciding the
date worldwide, as there are only two
opinions of the Ulema – Ikhtilaaf
AlMatale (Multiple Horizons / every
place do local sighting) and Wahdat
AlMatale (Single Horizon / sighting in
one place suffices for all). This second
opinion means that sighting anywhere in
the world e.g. USA / India / Libya /
Nigeria etc. should be as valid in
establishing the date worldwide
including Saudi Arabia as the sighting
in Saudi Arabia. Thus we can’t fix Saudi
Arabia as the only sighting place for
worldwide decision.
(Saudi Arabia fixes the dates according
to the Manazil of the moon as directed
in the Quran 2:189) and all people must
accept the announcement made from Makkah
al Mukarrama, the center of Islam. One
date can represent only one day. Shawwal
one of a particular year falling on
Friday and Saturday is absurd.)
The other behavior was based on the idea
that it was sufficient to follow the
calculated dates while others insisted
on actual physical Hilaal sighting in
conformance with the Sunnah. Further,
there were many "types" of calculations.
I got into contact with good practicing
Muslim astronomers like Dr. Mohib
Durrani and Br. Khalid Shaukat, and
learnt that first of all one has to do
the calculations for the Visible
Crescent, and not the calculations for
the dark invisible astronomical new
moon, which is typically one day before
the Hilaal.
(These astronomers are not scholars in
Deen. Their calculated dates do not
tally with the phases of the moon. They
are neither scientific nor religious.)Similarly
Moonset after Sunset does NOT mean that
the Hilaal will be visible.
(Hilal need not
be visible before beginning the month
according to Shariah. Hilal visibility
is not the criterion.) The main
criterion for Hilaal visibility is the
angluar separation between the Sun and
the Moon at sunset. There are excellent
models for predicting naked-eye
visibility of Hilaal now available
Alhamdulillaah including Shaukat,
Durrani, Yallop, Ilyas, many on MoonCalc
by Dr. Monzur Ahmed (http://www.starlight.demon.co.uk/mooncalc/).
Also, there are about 20% cases when the
calculation would not give a definite
answer as the point of observation lay
within the "zone of uncertainty" and
then physical sighting would be the only
recourse. My own sighting experience in
America always confirmed the predictions
of Br. Mohib and Br. Khalid. But usually
the Saudi announcements were at least a
day ahead of the predictions.
(Months will begin even if any one does
not see the crescent.)
So the natural question was – is there
some problem in the Saudi Announcement?
(There is no
problem in the Saudi announcement. The
problem is with other countries that
begin the months one or two days late.)
If the Saudi sighting is correct, then
the Hilaal should be more easily seen in
USA where the sunset is several hours
later and hence there would be no
conflict regarding the Eid date in
America. Also, how come at times the
Saudi announcement indicates sighting of
Hilaal when the moon sets before sunset
there, and even before the birth of the
dark invisible astronomical new moon!
Further, even the following simple
reasoning cast doubt in Saudi dates: The
world being a globe, any place round the
world (on the same latitude), should
over time be equally likely to be the
first place to sight the Hilaal.
Hence for some years, the sighting in
USA should be before sighting in Saudi
Arabia. (If USA
sees the Hilal before Saudi Arabia sees
it, Saudi Arabia must accept the
sighting of USA.)But if every
year the Saudi announcement is ahead of
the sighting in USA, the question
arises: Are there some errors ?
(We must learn
that the criterion is not seeing the
Hilal but knowing that the Hilal has
appeared somewhere in the world. People
often see the Hilal when it is not
present in the horizon. Hilal sighting
is certainly not what the Prophet (saw)
wanted us to do. He neither did it nor
asked anyone to do it for him. The words
“Soomoo liru’uyatihi wa aftiroo li
ru’uyathi” means “Fast at its appearance
and celebrate Eid at its appearance.” So
the months should begin at the appearing
of the Hilal and not on seeing it. The
crescent is rarely seen to the naked eye
on the last day of the month. But the
appearing of the Hilal can be known
exactly by observing the last phases of
the moon even before the occurrence.
Calculating the sunset and moonset
difference and looking for the invisible
Hilal on the day the moon sets after the
sun is a Bid’a invented in recent times.
We should give up the Bid’a and look for
the Hilal according to the Sunnah of the
Prophet (saw). The crescent becomes
visible only after 24 hours of
conjunction. If people waited till they
see the crescent they would begin the
month on the second or third day.)
Stay in Saudi Arabia
Against the backdrop of these questions,
Allaah (SWT) gave me a chance to work
and stay in Saudi Arabia for about 5
years (1416-1421H / 1995-2000G). I
wanted to use my stay to find out about
the system for Hilaal sighting there,
and to check my personal sighting
attempts there. I also wanted to find
more about the "UmmUlQura Calendar".
First, as was perhaps expected, I found
that most local people had no idea of
any mistakes in the Saudi announcements
for Hilaal, and an extremely small
percentage of my local Saudi practicing
Muslim friends had ever attempted to
sight the Hilaal in their life. Then
Alhamduilillaah I was able to meet some
Astronomers and also find that the
UmmUlQura Calendar is designed in KACST
– the prestigious King Abdul Aziz
University for Science and Technology in
Riyadh.
UmmUlQura Calendar
The local Astronomers brothers I met
were very warm and welcoming. I found
that there has been a major change in
the UmmUlQura Calendar computation
criteria starting 1420H. Before that
year, the UmmUlQura calendar was based
on Greenwich and not Makkah.
(The Ummul Qura calendar is based on the
Quran and the Sunnah. The months begin
at the appearing of the Hilal. It is
scientifically computed taking the
conjunction as the end of the month. The
sun, the moon and the earth come on a
line once in a month during the travel
in their destined orbits (36:39, 55:5).
This could happen at any time of a week
day. This day is known as the new moon
day. The time of occurrence of the
conjunction is immaterial because the
months are in units of days, not in
units of hours or minutes. It can happen
at any time of the day just as a child
can be born at any time of the day. This
day is counted as the birth day of the
new moon. In the evening of the new moon
day the Hilal must appear somewhere in
the world. So the next day is the first
day of the new month. This scientific
method of calculating the lunar month is
perfectly in accordance with the Quran
and the Sunnah. The dates can be
verified by naked eye observation of the
Ahillah of the moon by the laymen.).Also
it was based on the dark invisible
Astronomical new moon being born. Thus
it was totally different from the actual
Hilaal observation.
(Dr. Salman must
learn at least the preliminary laws of
astronomy.) Starting about 1420H,
the new criterion is that the Moonset be
after Sunset in Makkah (even by one
second). (The
day does not end with the sunset of
Makkah. How can the next day begin
before the end of the previous day?)
Starting 1423H Insha’Allaah it will
again change slightly to directly take
the astronomical new moon (conjunction)
also into account.
(The authorities
have not kept their word. They have not
come back to astronomical calculations
as promised. They have changed only the
name ‘New Ummul Qura’ calendar to ‘Ummul
Qura’ calendar and used the wrong method
of calculation. This is tantamount to
cheating the Public.)But the main
input I got was that the UmmUlQura
calendar was for CIVIL use only, and NOT
for predicting the Hilaal for religious
dates. (Islam
does not allow two calendars one for
civil and the other for religious
purposes. Only one calendar based on the
phases of the moon is allowed in the
Shariah 2:189.) The Astronomers
were well aware that the moonset needs
to be after sunset by a long time, and
not just one second (along with other
factors) for the Hilaal to be visible.
(Months do not depend on the visibility
of the Hilal.)But the point was
that the UmmUlQura calendar neither
attempts nor claims to predict the
Hilaal. It is merely used for the
official dates in the Ministries,
schools, Saudia Airlines, and indeed all
over the country Alhamdulillaah. Also,
the local Astronomers were very well
aware that there were a LOT of errors in
the Saudi announced dates.
(There is no error in the Ummul Qura
calendar. The astronomers who do not
know the rules of the Islamic Shariah
believe that the months begin only after
the people see the crescent. Will the
month wait till people see the Hilal? Is
not the month a predestined period of
time?)
Official Saudi Hilaal Sighting
Committees
Further, I was found that due to the
Saudi Government becoming aware of the
complaints of errors in the announced
dates, around 1419H, the ruling council
ordered the formation of Hilaal sighting
committees. Each such committee
includes:
one member of Qada (Islamic
Scholar/Justice department),
one member of KACST/Astronomer,
one member of Imarah (ruling council of
the city), and
volunteers.
As of 1421H / 2000G there were six such
committees in Saudi Arabia - near Makkah,
Riyadh, Qassim, Hail, Tabuk and Asir.
While they may carry a telescope with
them, the official sighting of the
committee is with naked eye only.
Saudi scholars like Sheikh AlOthaimeen (RH)
are against use of telescopes. Sheikh
AlOthaimeen (RH) for example indicated
that using telescopes increases the "Takalluf"
(Burden) on Muslims, which Allaah (SWT)
does not want.
(Appointing people for moon sighting is
a pure Bid’a. The Prophet (saw) did not
practice it.)
These official committees seemed to be a
wonderful news and excellent solution
Alhamdulillaah. So why should there
still be a problem ? Well, the answer is
as follows: (The
problem will not vanish till we follow
the Quran and Sunnah.)
Variance of Results
The problem is because even though these
6 official Hilaal sighting committees
exist, the Justice department still
accepts the witness of "any" Muslim and
not just the 6 official committees
mentioned above. Thus, often the new
month is declared while NONE of these 6
official Hilaal sighting committees saw
the Hilaal. In fact, most people,
including scholars are unaware of the
existence of these official committees.
In the case of EidUlFitr 1420H, I myself
went with the Makkah committee to a
sighting point on a hilltop of Shamesi
outside the city of Makkah Mukarramah on
Thursday evening. (Thursday was the 30th of Shaban. The Prophet (saw) has not
ordered to look for the Hilal on the 30th
of the month. Sheikh Salman and the moon
sighting committee had made a mistake.
Shaban 1420H began on Wednesday
according to the correct observation of
the Manazil of the moon. Ali manikfan
had informed this to Rabita and His
Majesty the King of Saudi Arabia at that
time. The Sunnah of the Prophet (saw)
was to observe the Ahillah of Shaban
very carefully in order to get a correct
beginning of Ramadan. Sheik Salman and
others did not do this. They did the
Bid’a of calculating the sun set and
moon set difference to know the day on
which the moon would set later than the
sun. This was neither the Sunnah of the
Prophet (saw) nor the scientific way of
calculating the lunar month. They
followed the Bid’a and got mislead.)
Neither we, nor the other 5
committees sighted the Hilaal. But we
came back to the Haram Shareef and were
astounded to hear the announcement that
EidUlFitr was next day (Friday). In fact
moonset was before sunset in Makkah for
Thursday evening. In this case the error
was quite brazen. Later I learned that
Sheikh Yusuf AlQaradawi issued a Fatwa
indicating that Muslims who celebrated
Eid 1420H on Friday following the Saudi
announcement should make up one missed
Ramadaan fast.
(Dr. Yusuf Al Qaradawi’s Fatwa was
wrong. He should not have issued the
hasty Fatwa before studying the matter
thoroughly. He is not an astronomer. He
does not know how to calculate the dates
and months of the Islamic calendar.)
(See Illustration 2). Further,
the Solar eclipse of Feb 5, 2000G
(The Solar eclipse occurred on Saturday,
the 30th of Shawwal and Zul
Quaida began on Sunday, 6-2-2000)
also proved the mistake in Eid date,
according to Sheikh AlOthaimeen (RH)’s
Fatwa on Solar Eclipse which implies
that if there is a solar eclipse
anywhere in the world after sunset in
your city, then next day is not the 1st
of lunar month for your city.
(Solar eclipse occurs on the day of
conjunction and this marks the end of
the Islamic month. If it took place on
Saturday somewhere in the world Sunday
will be the first of the next month for
all people. Sheikh Al Otheimeen is not
an astronomer. He is not competent to
give a fatwa on the solar eclipse. His
Fatwa is wrong and contrary to Quran and
Sunnah.)The solar eclipse implied
that if the Saudi announcement for
EidUlFitr 1420 was correct, then Shawwal
1420 would be 31 days which is
impossible.
(Shawwal began on Friday and ended on
Saturday giving it 30 days. Dr. Salman’s
statement that Shawwal would get 31 days
is baseless. His method of calculating
the lunar month basing on sunset and
moonset difference is not scientific.)(See
Illustration 6). I also learned that
apparently it is the same few people at
certain locations (in Tabouk, Hareeg and
Hawtah Sudair ?), reporting on those
occasions when the claims are
extraordinarily early in Saudi Arabia,
year after year. Wallaahu A’alam! I
wondered if the presence of numerous
objects in the sky today could cause
errors. (E.g. see Airplanes, wisp of
clouds, crescent of planets, satellites,
or even a white hair in the eye, etc.).
I was also told by more than one
knowledgeable local brothers that there
have been some claims to journalist of
Hilaal sighting BEFORE Maghrib from one
of these regular extraordinarily early
Hilaal sighter! Wallaahu A’alam!
(It is a pity
that Sheikh Salman has not studied the
subject in a befitting manner. He is
taken away by the common belief that
every month begins after the crescent
becomes visible to the naked eye. This
view has no support in the Quran and
Sunnah.)
Thus while Saudi Astronomers are quite
aware of the problems, there seemed to
be negligible awareness in the community
at large. But then I was surprised to
see that Saudi Press began limited
discussions on the errors. I saw an
excellent article in Arab News of
February 11, 2000G about the inaccuracy
of EidUlFitr 1420H (See Illustration 1).
(The celebration of Eidul Fitre of 1420H
on Friday was correct according to the
Quran and Sunnah. Scientific data prove
it. Please visit www.hijracalendar.com
for full explanation.)Subsequently
I also saw nice articles in Arabic in
AdDawah magazine, 6 Shawwal 1420H etc.,
and the article of Sheikh AlManea (of
Makkah AlMukarramah) in AlJazeerah,
December 12, 1999. So while the coverage
was still limited, at least there was
some acknowledgement of the errors,
though not officially.
(All these articles are written without
proper study and they only add to the
confusion. They criticized Saudi when it
was correct and justified when they made
a mistake.)
Views of Islamic Scholars of Saudi
Arabia
I started writing letters to a lot of
the respected Ulema of Saudi Arabia,
mentioning in particular the EidUlFitr
1420H error as proven from the Solar
Eclipse also (even without reference to
calculations), and I attached the Fatwa
of Sheikh AlOthaimeen (RH) about Solar
Eclipse and Hejiri dates. I mentioned
that these days there are so many
artificial objects in the sky that it is
possible for Muslims to mistake other
objects for Hilaal.
(Hilal and these objects are quite
different. Only a man who has never seen
a crescent may mistake them for the
Hilal.)Hence the people who want
to sight the Hilaal should accompany one
of these official Hilaal sighting
committees which include scholar,
astronomer, and local official. This
would help check the testimony and
reduce the errors Insha’Allaah. Most
scholars seemed to be totally unaware of
the problem. Some scholars, however like
Sheikh AlOthaimeen (RH) and Sheikh
AlManea (of Makkah AlMukarramah), we
found have a broad knowledge in this
field. (Hilal
sighting is not the method of the
Prophet (saw). Sheikh al Otheimeen or
Sheikh Almanea has not done any
practical research on Hilal. They have
only bookish knowledge. So they do not
know any thing about the method of Hilal
observation.)We did not get much
response to the scores of letters we
sent. But then Alhamdulillaah we managed
to get a meeting with Sheikh AlOthaimeen
(RH)!
Meeting with Sheikh AlOthaimeen (RH) in
Unayzah
Alhamdulillaah Sheikh AlOthaimeen (RH)
welcomed us at his big Masjid in Unayzah
after the Friday prayers on 15/02/1421H
(date per UmmUlQura Calendar)
(15-2-1421H was Friday is correct
according to the Manazil of the moon.
But Sheikh Salman does not know whether
it is correct or not.) and gave
us a special private audience after the
‘Asr prayers. We found that
Alhamdulillaah Sheikh AlOthaimeen was
himself aware of some of the errors from
other complaints. But he indicated it
would take time for most scholars to
understand and fix the problem. He asked
us to write a letter to the Majlis
AlKabair AlUlema (Council of the Senior
Ulema), which I believe meets twice a
year in Taif. I personally did send a
letter, but somehow did not receive any
response. I also learned that scholars
like Sheikh Abdullaah bin Sulaiman
AlManea (Makkah Mukarramah) support
using calculations to reduce errors.(
Sheikh Al Otheimeen does not know how to
observe Ahillah and the Manazil of the
moon. He may not know even the
elementary principles of astronomy. He
is only a layman in the subject. His
statements are based on knowledge from
books. He is not a Mujthahid on the
subject.)
Sheikh AlOthaimeen (RH) supports
Ikhtilaaf AlMatale (Multiple Horizons /
Local Sighting) for all 12 months
(including DhulHijja)
I mentioned to Sheikh AlOthaimeen (RH)
that for Muslims in America, the error
in Saudi date announcements causes big
problems, since some Muslims follow
that, while others follow local
sighting, thus resulting in multiple Eid
celebrations in the same city, if not
the same Masjid! I learned that Sheikh
AlOthaimeen supports Ikhtilaaf AlMatale
(Multiple Horizons / Local Sighting) -
Muslims outside Saudi Arabia should do
their own Local Sighting (instead of
calling Saudi Arabia). This is already
published in the book: Fatawa Islamiya
(Sheikh Bin Baaz, Sheikh AlOthaimeen &
Sheikh AlJibreen, published by
DarulWatan LilNashr, Riyadh – see
Illustration 4). Sheikh AlOthaimeen also
writes that Sheikh Ibn Taimiya supported
Ikhtilaaf AlMatale.
(Shaikhul Islam
Ibn Taimiyya (RA) writes:”
The basic principle here is getting the
news about the Hilal. The Prophet (saw)
said: ‘Begin the fasting at its
appearance’. "When one gets the
information that it has appeared it is
binding on him as well without any
restriction as to the distance." (Majma'
fatawa Vol 25 p. 107)
In fact Saudi Arabia itself practices
Ikhtilaaf AlMatale (e.g. they did not
follow Yemen’s earlier sighting in
1420H). (Saudi
Arabia does not practice Ikhthilaaf
AlMataali’a. They accepted the sighting
of Yemen and the Hilal for Eid was
looked for on Wednesday because Ramadan
had actually begun on Wednesday. They
had missed the first day of Ramadan and
this was compensated by fasting one day
after the Eidul Fitre. It is strange Dr.
Salman did not get this information.)
I mentioned that while most Muslims in
America agree to local sighting for 11
months, some want to follow the Saudi
announcement for EidUlAdha. Sheikh
AlOthaimeen (RH) indicated that he
supports Ikhtilaaf AlMatale for
EidUlAdha also, and that the sighting
process for all the 12 months should be
the same (Thus Muslims outside Saudi
Arabia should do their own Local
Sighting for EidUlAdha also, instead of
calling Saudi Arabia).
(Date is not a local affair and the
first of Shawwal for 1420H is Friday for
all people in the world. It cannot be
Saturday or Sunday. It is strange that
Sheikh al Otheimeen forgot about this
important point when he issued the
fatwa. Dr. Salman who is an engineer
should have enlightened him about this
if Sheikh al Otheimeen was not aware of
this worldly affair.) He
immediately wrote a Fatwa on this and
gave me the original paper, while
keeping a photocopy for his records (see
Illustration 5). Thus in his opinion,
Muslims in North America should not have
multiple dates for Eid etc. and just go
by local sighting, unaffected by the
errors in Saudi announcements including
Eid UlAdha. I learned that there are
also other references from Sheikh
AlOthaimeen (RH) supporting local
sighting for EidUlAdha. (See http://www.ummah.net/moonsighting/fatawah/saudalim.htm).
Also see at http://www.ummah.net/moonsighting/fatawah/isnaqa.htm
that the Annual Session of Fiqh Academy,
held in Jordan, October 11-16, 1986
attended by more than 100 outstanding
scholars of Shari’ah adopted a
resolution recommending that all Muslim
countries should determine all the lunar
months including Dhul-Hijjah on the same
basis for both EidUlFitr and EidUlAdha.
Also available on the website is the
Fatwa of Mufti Taqi Usmani from Pakistan
supporting Ikhtilaaf AlMatale for
EidUlAdha as well.
(The view of
Sheikh Al Otheimeen and others not to
accept the news from other cities
contradicts the view of the Four Imams
who said that the sighting of one place
is enough for the whole world. Hadees
“If two Muslims witness begin fasting
and celebrate Eid .” substantiate it.
Please visit
www.hijracalendar.com for more
details)
Later I also found the following very
illustrative Fatwa of Sheikh Al
Uthaimeen (RH) Ref: Al-Aqalliyaat Al-Muslimah
- Page 84, Fatwa No.23, supporting
Ikhtilaaf AlMataale from the Qur’aan,
Hadith, and Qiyas (Analogy).
Question:
Should we fast and end our fast
according to the sighting of the new
moon in Saudi Arabia or should we do it
according to the sighting of the new
moon in the country where we are?
(Months do not begin after the crescent
becomes visible to the naked eye. This
factor is ignored.)
Response:
There are as many as six different
opinions amongst the scholars concerning
this issue. However, there are two main
points of view. The first is that
everyone should sight the moon in their
own country and those countries where
the moon rises at the same time should
follow them. The reason for this is that
the time at which the moon rises, varies
from place to place. The second opinion
is that the beginning of the new month
need only be confirmed in any one of the
Muslim countries. If the sighting of the
new moon is confirmed in any Muslim
country, it is then obligatory for all
Muslims to use that sighting to begin
the fast of Ramadhaan or end it.
According to this last opinion, if the
new month is confirmed in Saudi Arabia
it is obligatory upon all Muslims, in
all parts of the world, to fast if it is
the beginning of Ramadhaan and to end
their fast if it is the beginning of
Shawwaal. This is the most common
opinion held by the followers of the
madhhab of Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal.
(All Imams have given the verdict that one reference is enough for
all people in the world. This is the
correct view according to Quran and
Sunnah. So the decision taken at the
centre of Islam should suffice for all.
If they go wrong those who possess
knowledge on the subject will alert
them,)
However, the first opinion is more
correct because of the evidence in the
Qur.aan, Sunnah and because of analogy.
With regards to the Qur.aan, Allaah (Subhaanahu
wa Ta'aala) says:
{The month of Ramadaan in which was
revealed the Qur.aan, a guidance for
mankind and clear proofs for guidance
and the criterion (between right and
wrong). So whoever witnesses the month
should fast it...}, [Soorah al-Baqarah,
Aayah 185].
This last sentence is a conditional
sentence, and the ruling contained in a
conditional sentence is established for
whomever the condition applies to and it
is annulled for anyone for whom the
condition does not apply. So the
sentence:
((Whoever witnesses the month should
fast it)) implies that whoever does
not witness it does not fast it.
(This
interpretation is contrary to the Quran
which clearly states that the dates
depend on the Ahillah/Manazil of the
moon.)
It is well known amongst astronomers
that the time the moon rises differs
from place to place. The moon might be
seen in one place and not in another.
Therefore, according to the verse,
whoever does not see it is not obliged
to fast.
With regards to the Sunnah, the Prophet
(sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) said:
((If you sight it (the new moon of
Ramadaan), then fast and if you sight it
(the new moon of Shawaal),then end the
fast. And if it is obscured from you,
then complete thirty days (of Sha'baan))).
(The Translation is not correct. It
should be “Fast at its appearance and
break the fast at its appearance and if
it became doubtful complete 30 days of
Shaban.)
He (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) said:
((If you sight it)). He therefore
linked the ruling to the sighting and if
a ruling is linked to an effective
cause, then that ruling is annulled in
the absence of that cause.
(The rendering ‘if you sight it’ is not appropriate. It should be ‘at
its appearing’.)
With regards to analogy, we say that in
as much as the times for beginning the
fast and breaking the fast every day
vary from place to place so, in the same
way, the times for the beginning and
ending of the monthly fast also vary. We
here in Riyadh, for example, begin our
fast every day before the people in Al-Hijaaz
and we also break our fast before they
do. It is, therefore, obligatory upon us
to start fasting while they are still
eating. On the other hand, at the end of
the day we are eating while they are
still fasting. If, therefore, each place
has its own ruling due to the variation
in the time that the sun rises and sets,
the same also applies due to the
variation in the time that the moon
rises and sets.
(According to the statement made above
the date of Makkah and Riyadh must be
different. But these two cities always
celebrate Eid on the same day. People
today lack even the preliminary
knowledge of time management in the
Islamic Shariah. Time in units of hours
vary everywhere in the world whereas
time in units of days is common for all.
For example Friday is common for all.
The Friday prayer cannot be said on
Saturday or Sunday. All must do it at
noon of Friday. How this is carried out
in the world? The same should be
possible with the days of Eid too.)
Therefore, the answer to the question is
clear. It is obligatory for you to
follow the sighting of the new moon in
the place where you are.
(This view is contrary to Quran and
Sunnah. The Prophet said: “If two
Muslims bear witness begin fasting and
celebrate the Eid”. The Imams have
decreed that the decision of one place
will be applicable to all.)
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen
Ref: Al-Aqalliyaat Al-Muslimah - Page
84, Fatwa No.23
Following Saudi Arabia for EidUlAdha is
neither Ikhtilaaf AlMatale, nor Wahdat
AlMatale
Further, even those scholars who support
Wahdat AlMatale, say categorically that
one cannot fix any one point on earth
(e.g. Saudi Arabia) for worldwide
decision on date. Thus, sighting in USA
/ India / Yemen / Nigeria / Fiji etc.
should be as valid in establishing the
date worldwide including Saudi Arabia as
the sighting in Saudi Arabia, if one
follows Wahdat AlMatale. Thus to "Just
follow Saudi date" is neither Ikhtilaaf
AlMatale, nor Wahdat AlMatale, and hence
should have no daleel / basis in Shariah.
(The view of Sheikh al Otheimeen
contradicts the Quran and the Sunnah, He
contradicts the opinion of the four
Imams too. He is not a Mujthahid on the
subject. The Prophet (saw) said: “If two
Muslims witness you begin fasting and
celebrate Eid.” So when we get the
information we must abide by that. This
is the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw) which
must be followed.)
Also, we find in Tirmidhi: Reported on
the authority of Ibn Umar (RA):
Rasulallah (SAW) lived in Medina for ten
years and made sacrifice each year. (Tirmidhi).
Thus the EidUlAdha was instituted in the
first year of Hijrah - several years
before Hajj became obligatory in the
sixth year of Hijrah (see lam'at
commentary on Mishkat).
Further, even after the 6th
year of Hijrah, there is no evidence
from the Sunnah that the Prophet
Muhammad SAW made any attempts to
synchronize the EidUlAdha in Medinah
etc. with the Hilaal sighting in Makkah,
even though 10 nights and 9 days were
enough to send a messenger between
Makkah and Medinah. Ofcourse the
Salaah of Eid-ul-Adha is not wajib
(incumbent) upon the Hujjaj.
(The order to
unify the years, months, weeks and days
was given during Hajjathul wida. The
Prophet (saw) did not live till next
Ramadan. The custom that prevailed
before the order for unification is not
applicable to us.)
For centuries, the Muslim world had no
way of knowing the date of Hajj in Saudi
Arabia until the Hujjaaj came back,
perhaps months later. Muslims celebrated
EidUlAdha by local sighting.
(These are the
words of those who do not know any thing
about the dates of the Islamic calendar.
They have certainly not looked at the
moon in their life. They do not know how
to read the date by seeing the Ahillah.)
According to Mufti Taqi Usmani,
this itself implies that it is not
obligatory according to Quran or the
Sunnah to celebrate Eid al-Adha
according to Saudi calendar.
(Can the author prove that the Ummul
Qura calendar is not according to Quran
and Sunnah?)Had this been so,
Muslims would have tried their best to
find the exact date of Hajj in Saudi
Arabia. However, no jurists have ever
stressed that such information be
collected in order to celebrate Eid al-Adha
according to Saudi dates.(Fasting
on the Eid day is Haraam)
Further, if it is held that the real
intention of Quran and Sunnah was to
link the celebration of Eid al-Adha with
the Saudi dates, as a mandatory
provision for all Muslims in the world,
it means that the Shari'ah has stressed
a principle which was not acceptable for
1300 years.(No
one in the past or in the present begin
the fasting on the second of Ramadan or
celebrate Eid on the second of Shawwal.
All do it on the prescribed date. The
question is whether the first could be
two different days? This is what the
Muslims do not understand.) Is it
not against the Quranic declaration that
Allah does not make a thing mandatory
unless it is practical for the human
beings ?(The
Prophet (saw) fixed the date of Eidul
Adha on 10th of Zulhijjah.
Can the 10th of Zulhijjah
fall on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in a
particular year? Will any rule of the
Shariah be impractical in the world?)
If it is argued that the
celebration of Eid al-Adha was not
linked with the dates in Makkah in the
past but it has become a mandatory
requirement of the Shari'ah now, then
the question arises, who has abrogated
the previous principle and on what
basis? There is no provision in Quran or
the Sunnah which orders the Muslims to
celebrate Eid al-Adha according to their
local dates up to a particular time and
to link it with the dates in Makkah
thereafter. (It
is a pity that Dr. Salman has not
studied the subject thoroughly. In fact
all the Imams and scholars have said
that the sighting of one locality would
suffice for the entire Ummah. Dr. Salman
has conveniently overlooked this. The
Quran has already ordered to follow the
dates shown by the moon every day. Who
abrogated this order of Allah (swt)?
There are many Ayaths in the Quran that
the month should be calculated depending
on the moon’s Manazil. The dates should
be identical with the Manazil of the
moon. The Quran does not say that the
Hilal should be seen before a month
begins. The word Hilal itself is not
found in the Quran)
Further, using sighting in Saudi Arabia for North America
can force us to ignore our earlier local
Hilaal sighting. (The world is round -
for certain years, e.g. North America
should see Hilaal one date before
Middle-East– e.g. see Illustration 5).
Clearly wouldn’t this violate the hadith
of fasting on seeing the Hilaal and
breaking on seeing it ?
(The hadees is
given a wrong interpretation. It does
not say that one should begin the
fasting only after seeing the crescent.
The Prophet (saw) said: “If two Muslims
witness begin fasting and celebrate Eid.”
Fasting becomes compulsory to those who
get the information about the beginning
of the month.)(Compiled by
Bukhari 3-124: Abu Huraira (RA) has
narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said:
"Start fasting on seeing the crescent
(of Ramadaan) and give up fasting on
seeing the crescent (of Shawwal) and if
the sky is overcast (and you cannot see
it) complete thirty days of Sha’ban").
(The
interpretation is wrong. It should be
“Start fasting at its appearance and
give up fasting at its appearance and if
it is doubtful complete 30 days of
Sha’ban.)So shouldn't "Just
follow Saudi date" be obviously
incorrect in the Islamic Shariah for
people living far from Saudi Arabia It
can lead to Eid al-Adha being celebrated
in North America on 8th or 9th of
Dhul-Hijjah, and people also performing
the sacrifice before its correct time.
(Dr. Salman does not realize that the
dates are common for all in the world.
Certainly he is taken away by the
propaganda of the enemies of Islam.)
WahdatAlMatale is impractical for
countries East of the first sighting
point
In any case following a sighting from
Saudi Arabia to decide the date, is too
late for people east of Saudi Arabia
e.g. Indonesia or Japan, where it may be
too late in the night or even past
Sohoor (Dawn) time by the time the news
reaches them. It also makes us prone to
the frequent errors in the Saudi Dates
Decisions. (The
fasting does not begin at Magrib. It
begins only at Fajre which is after 9
hours. So there is sufficient time for
all to enter into fasting on the same
day. Allah’s orders will always be
practical. If they got the news too late
they must compensate for it after the
Eid.)
Astronomy supports Ikhtilaaf AlMatale
(Multiple Horizons / Local Sighting)
(Astronomy does not support Ikhtilaaf al Matalie. Those who do not
know astronomy say that astronomy
supports it.)
Since the world is round like a globe,
the First Hilaal Sighting ("Lunar Date
Line" for a month) can occur anywhere
Around the Globe. Programs like MoonCalc
of Dr. Monzur Ahmed (obtain software
from http://www.starlight.demon.co.uk/mooncalc/)
can predict the first Hilaal sighting
curve (see Illustration 8). Thus we see
that Astronomy supports Ikhtilaaf
AlMatale (Multiple Horizons / Local
Sighting) since areas outside the "Lunar
Date Line" Curve see the Hilaal on the
Next day (Cross International Solar Date
Line). Hence we should aim towards
EidulFitr & EidUlAdha celebration around
much of the world in about 24 hours (But
Two "Solar Dates" because of the
Artificial International Solar Date
Line). We should NOT force an effort to
artificially make the worldwide Lunar
date coincide with a solar date.
(Islam advocates solar day. Days and
nights alternate depending on the sun.
The moon has no authority over the day.
Months and dates depend on the Manazil
of the moon. Months are comprised of 29
or 30 solar days. When the week days are
incorporated into months we get the
dates. A month cannot begin at the mid
of the day. Month begins with the
beginning of the day. The so called
lunar date lines are meaningless. They
are impractical, unscientific and
useless. The astronomers who do not know
the laws of Shariah do not understand
this.)Also, note that at any ONE
given moment of time, one part of the
world has one solar day/date while
another part of the earth has the NEXT
solar day /date! E.g. at the exact time
of my writing this sentence, it is
Wednesday evening in USA, but Thursday
morning in China / Japan! So we should
focus on e.g.: Eid prayer around the
globe in about 24 hours rather than one
SOLAR date. Local sighting for Eid is as
natural as local timings for prayer.
After all, New York does not pray Fajr
by Tokyo time!
(Islam has defined the beginning time
and place of the day by appointing the
Jumu’a prayer of Friday at the time of
Zuhar. Those who pray the first Jumu’a
of the week begin the day. The Eid
Prayer also should commence from there.
The Eid prayer just as Jumu’a prayer
should not continue for more than 24
hours on the earth. The present practice
of Eid prayer continuing for more than
72 hours is a Bid’a which must be
stopped immediately. )
Prof. Muhammad Ilyas of Malaysia, a
pioneer in the calculations of Hilaal
prediction, Masha’Allaah has hence
proposed for civil use, a Tri-zonal
Hejiri calendar: dividing the earth into
3 zones: Americas; Europe-Africa-West
Asia; Asia-Pacific and calculating
Hilaal visibility separately for each
region. (Dr.
Muhammad Ilyas of Malaysia says that he
is not competent to say any thing on the
Shariah aspect. How can a person
ignorant of the Shariah draw the rules
of science for the Islamic calendar? He
depends on the Ulema who do not know
science. It is like the blind leading
the blind.) This Tri-Zonal
Calendar concept has also gained support
in the Jordanian Astronomical Society
(Mohammed Odeh and others) and elsewhere
Alhamdulillaah.( Please see http://www.starlight.demon.co.uk/ildl/zone3
for details. Thus for example, sometimes
Hilaal sighting in North America can be
One Date Before Hilaal sighting
in Saudi Arabia, e.g. see projection
from MoonCalc in Illustration 8. Also
see http://www.ummah.net/moonsighting
for more details.
Note that if earth was Flat (instead of
spherical) - WahdatAlmatale (Single
Horizon) would be valid – we would then
see the hilaal at the same time
everywhere !
But since earth is more like a globe,
the countries east of the place of first
hilaal sighting (which shifts every
month), have to wait till the next day
before their hilaal sighting.
(Allah (swt) who
gave the order to fast in Ramadan was
aware of the spherical shape of the
earth. Allah (swt) will not issue an
impractical order. We make such wrong
statements because of our own
ignorance.)
Use Astronomy to negate Erroneous
sighting, but not to replace sighting
As Muslims, we believe that all
knowledge is from Allaah (SWT), who is
the ultimate source. Thus we find that
the Qur’aan has no contradiction with
established facts of science. In fact
the description of the embryo in the
womb of the mother, the stability
provided by the mountains, the hydrology
/ water cycle, composition of living
matter mostly with water, origin of the
universe and the movement of both the
sun and the moon are among the amazing
examples of how accurately the Qur’aan
revealed over 1400 years ago describes
scientific facts discovered recently.
The Qur’aan states in Sura ArRahmaan
#55,Verse 5: (Yusuf Ali translation):
The sun and the moon follow courses
(exactly) computed. Thus I was happy to
learn that several scholars including
Sheikh AlManea (of Makkah Mukarramah)
support using calculations to negate
erroneous sightings. Similarly,
historically, great Islamic Scholars
like Imam Taqi al-Din al-Subki (d.1355
GC) and others have also supported using
Astronomy to negate erroneous hilaal
sighting, comparing sighting report to "Zan"
(with doubt), while calculation (when
confirmed) as "Yaqeen" (without doubt).
Imam Taqiy Al-Deen Al-Subki said in one
of his rulings on the subject:
"Calculation provides certain and
confirmed information, while testimony
based on sighting provides only probable
information. What is probable cannot
counterbalance what is certain, let
alone be preferred to it. Evidence is
accepted only if what is testified for
is possible physically, logically and
legally. If we assume that calculation
indicates with certainty the
impossibility of sighting, then a
testimony of sighting must be rejected
because it testifies to what is
impossible. Islamic law does not make
impossible requirements." (Source: Arab
News, 05 November 2002). Also, Sheikh
Ibn Taimiya has written on how long it
takes for the Hilaal to appear after the
"old moon" (seen at Fajr) disappears. Of
course, none of the Saudi scholars I
know, support calculations to completely
replace sighting. Even those
scholars worldwide who support using
calculations to assist Hilaal sighting,
mostly do not agree to calculations
completely replacing actual sighting,
supporting that actual sighting is the
Islamic law.
(Dr. Salman has believed that the months are determined after seeing
the Hilal. This is wrong. Months begin
with the appearing of the Hilal. We must
know this by any means available. When a
month gets 30 days we know for certain
that the Hilal has appeared on the 30th
day evening. In the same way when we
know that the Hilal has appeared on the
29th evening we can begin the
new month on the next day because we are
sure of the appearing of the Hilal even
though we may not see it due to bad
weather or other reasons.)
Further I learned from reliable sources
that that last Eid UlFitr (1421H),
several "early witnesses" in Saudi
Arabia were turned down due to the Solar
eclipse. (A
solar eclipse marks the end of the lunar
month. Many people do not know this.)This
is perhaps the first time I hear of
"witnesses" being turned down in Saudi
Arabia due to contradiction with basic
scientific facts. Insha’Allaah this
seems to be a new and good trend in
Saudi Arabia, but there may not be a
Solar Eclipse every time! (There is a
Solar Eclipse on 29th of Ramadaan 1422H
though). (The
month of Ramadan of 1422H began on
Friday and ended with 29 days on Friday
with the solar eclipse. The Eidul Fitre
was on Saturday the first of Shawwal
1422H for all people in the world.
Fasting on Eid day is Haraam in the
Shariah ) There should also be an
investigation into the reasons for the
errors. Perhaps the presence of numerous
objects in the sky today could cause
errors. (E.g. see Airplanes, wisp of
clouds, crescent of planets, satellites,
or even a white hair in the eye, etc.).
Also, if Insha’Allaah all who wish to
sight the Hilaal in Saudi Arabia should
accompany one of these several existing
Official Saudi Hilaal Sighting
Committees which include Scholar,
Astronomer & Government representative,
the errors should be reduced
considerably Insha’Allaah.
(Dates published
in the Ummul Qura calendar are correct
and all should follow them.)
Thus as a "guide" to reduce errors, we
should use Astronomical Calculations for
Naked Eye Hilaal Sighting Criterion e.g.
Dr. Durrani’s results or Br. Shaukat’s
or Yallop’s criterion in MoonCalc. As
mentioned before, however, it is
important to use the correct
calculations – not calculations for the
astronomical dark new moon, or simply
moonset after sunset, but calculations
for naked eye visibility of the young
crescent Hilaal. The time after
astronomical new moon birth is NOT the
best determining factor for hilaal
visibility. Instead the angular
separation between moon and sun at local
sunset must be at least 7 or 8 degrees
for Hilaal to be visible. (7 degrees is
the theoretical minimum "Danjon limit"
agreed by Astronomers). For different
months this could lead to different
minimum time between sunset and moonset
for Hilaal to be visible by naked eye.
(Hilal visibility is not the criterion
to define the months in the Shariah.)
The calculations related to the position of moon, earth and
the birth of the astronomical (dark) new
moon are extremely precise. But due to
the variations of atmospheric optics, as
related earlier, there are certain cases
(about 20%) when the calculations for
Hilaal visibility would not give a
definite answer as the western part of
our Matala (e.g. California for North
America) lies within the "zone of
uncertainty". Thus actual physical local
naked eye sighting definitely has a role
to play even from the point of view of
Astronomers, and is of course closer to
the Sunnah, which is very important.
Practically speaking this means that
Insha’Allaah for about 80% of the cases,
the dates for Eid etc. would be
predictable, while for about 20% of the
cases the date could be one of the two
days given by the Astronomers, who may
also indicate which of the two dates is
more likely.
(Those who say that there can be two
days for one date are not astronomers.)
Latest research in Atmospheric Optics,
such as that by Br. Mustafa Helvaci
should be used to further reduce the
"zone of uncertainty" and increase the
predictability beyond the current 80% of
the times Insha’Allaah.
Second Islamic Astronomical Conference,
in Amman, Jordan, October 29-31, 2001
I presented a paper based on much of the
material presented here, in Amman,
Jordan, at the "Second Islamic
Astronomical Conference", October 29-31,
2001. This conference was jointly
organized by the Arab Union of Astronomy
and Space Sciences (AUASS), Jordanian
Astronomical Society (JAS) and the
Jordanian Ministry of Islamic Affairs.
Participants were from all over the
world, including several from Saudi
Arabia and Alhamdulillaah my talk was
very well received with unanimous
agreement about the errors in Saudi
Arabian dates announcement.
(Those who took part in the conference were not aware of what is
happening in Saudi Arabia and other
places of the world. They are ignorant
of the rules of the Islamic Shariah and
the calendar. They were only laymen who
have no choice. Dr. Salman’s statement
that Saudi Arabia is often wrong is not
correct. Saudi Arabia goes wrong only at
rare occasions. The other parts of the
world begin the months always one or two
days later while the Haramain began the
month according to the Quran and Sunnah
on the right day.)
Alhamdulillaah some Excellent
resolutions were passed at this Amman
conference, which support the position
of the Fiqh Council of North America /
ISNA, including:
-- REJECTION OF THE CLAIM OF SIGHTING
THE CRESCENT, IF IT IS INCONSISTENT WITH
THE CONDITIONS FOR A POSSIBILITY OF
SIGHTING THE CRESCENT.
(Possibility of
visibility of the crescent is not the
criterion to determine the months in the
Shariah.)
-- Verification of the meticulousness
and the honesty of the witnesses to a
sighting of the crescent, and not only
the honesty.
-- Collaboration with the legal Muslim
scholars and their participation in the
dialogues and astronomical researches.
-- Consultation of an astronomical
adviser in every committee being
entrusted with the determination of the
beginning of months in the Islamic
countries.
-- Providing the Muslim scholars of the
fundamentals of sighting the crescent,
as well as providing the astronomers of
the information about sighting the
crescent from Shari'a perspective.
-- Encouraging the Muslims in different
countries of the world to do a monthly
observation of the crescent.
-- Support of the Islamic Crescents'
Observation Project (ICOP), headed by
the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space
Sciences, and the Jordanian Astronomical
Society.
-- Emphasize on the recommendation of
the First Islamic Astronomical
Conference, being held in the year 1999
in Amman, with regard to the carrying
out of studies of evaluating the
percentages of errors in the
determination of the beginnings of
Hejric months in the Islamic states
during the past decades.
-- Inclusion of astronomical scientific
subjects in the [teaching] programs of
the faculty of Shari'a for a general
spreading of an astronomical education,
because of the direct relation it is
bearing to the sciences of Shari'a.
Alhamdulillaah Jordanian Astronomical
Society (JAS) is doing a great job in
educating the Ummah on this issue.
Please see their website www.jas.org.jo/icop.html
which clarifies that it was not possible
to see the Hilaal on the evening of
February 12, 2002.
(February 12, 2002AD was Tuesday the 30th
of Zul Quaida 1422H according to the
Manazil of the moon. Why did they look
for the Hilal on 30th
contrary to the teachings of the Prophet
(saw)?)Please read the Official
Statement of the Arab Union of Astronomy
and Space Sciences about Dhul-Hijja
1422H start Insha'Allaah:
-- In Arabic at:
http://www.jas.org.jo/hej22s.jpg
-- In English at:
http://www.jas.org.jo/hej22s.html
-- In Arabic, as it appeared in Al-Ra'i
Jordanian Newspaper at:
http://www.jas.org.jo/hej22sr.jpg
Use Group Sighting, and support the
Official Saudi Hilaal Sighting
Committees
Insha’Allaah we should encourage the
Sunnah of Naked-Eye Hilaal Sighting.
After seeing the Hilaal, the recommended
du’a is: "Allaahu Akbar, Allaahu Akbar,
Allaahu Akbar. AlHamdulillaah Aladhi
Khalaqani Wa Khalaqaka, Wa Qaddara Laka
Manazil Wa Ja’alalaka Ayatna Lil
Aalameen" (Translation: Allaah is the
Greatest, Allaah is the Greatest, Allaah
is the Greatest. Praise be to Allaah who
created me and you and decreed for you
the phases and made you a sign for the
universe).
Thus we should replace "Hilaal-Fighting"
with Hilaal sighting! Also, we should
use "Group Sighting" to reduce errors.
Research shows error in reports of
(honest) solo observers. Further, we
observe from the times of our Pious
Predecessors the following incident: It
was puzzling when Hadrat Anas (RA) (very
old age) claimed to have seen a crescent
moon when everybody else, at the same
location could not see the crescent
moon. Then on removing the white hair
from the eyebrow of Hadrat Anas (RA), he
was asked to see again. Now he could see
no ‘crescent moon’. (See Aujaz al
Masalik v.5, p.21, Tantawi’s Irshad
p.154, Bain al- Sunnah wal Ijtihad by
Nimr p.50 etc. Similar cases where Qadi
rejected the claim of sighting/Shahadah
of very prominent people only because
others did not see any crescent from the
same location. (Shuraih, etc.)". Many of
the Ahadith referring to Hilaal sighting
also apparently indirectly imply that it
was a group of Muslims who did
the sighting.
Following the same principal, for
improving the process in Saudi Arabia
too, Insha’Allaah, I suggest that we
write to the Ulema, Ambassadors,
WazaratulAdal, the Crown Prince, Majlis
AlQada AlAala, Masjlis AlKabair AlUlema
etc. of Saudi Arabia, and support that
all who wish to sight the Hilaal in
Saudi Arabia should accompany one of the
several existing Official Saudi Hilaal
Sighting Committees which include
Scholar, Astronomer & Government
representative, and thus use group
sighting to reduce human errors
Insha’Allaah.
Use Naked-Eye Sighting
As mentioned before, scholars like
Sheikh AlOthaimeen (RH) support naked
eye sighting rather than using
telescopes. He indicated that using
telescopes increases the "Takalluf"
(Burden) on Muslims, which Allaah (SWT)
does not want.
(Telescopes or spectacles are not
required to observe the Ahillah of the
moon. Sheikh AlOtheimeen (RH) is
correct.) Thus even though the
Official Saudi Arabian Hilaal committees
may carry a telescope, the official
witness is only on naked eye visibility.
Other scholars also cite Surah Al
Baqarah, verse 189 which refers to the
Hilaal as a definite sign that ushers in
each new Islamic lunar month and a sign
is something that is visible to a common
person. (The
Quran has used the word Ahillah, not
Hilaal. Ahillah means Phases of the
moon. We can read the date by observing
the Ahillah just as we read the time by
watching the sun. It is so simple but
most of the people do not understand.)
This also makes Islam easy for
ordinary Muslims, no matter where, since
the ordinary Muslim does not have a
telescope. If the telescope criterion
was used, the majority of Muslims would
be effectively excluded from the Hilaal
sighting process. Using a telescope may
result in seeing the Hilaal one day
earlier on many occassions. (See
illustration 8 – Areas between Curves C
and D would see Hilaal only by
telescope. Naked eye visibility for this
area would be next day). Using naked eye
sighting also appeals to the logic that
whatever criterion we use today should
back calculate to the same dates that
were likely decided at the time of
Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Thus for example
Br. Yaser ElMenshawy, Chairman of the
Majlis AshShoora (Council of Masajid) of
New Jersey, USA, supports naked eye
sighting, as this would result in the
Hilaal (Islamic New moon Crescent) being
typically One Day After the Astronomical
new moon (Dark moon / Invisible / No
moon) and thus makes 13,14,15 of month
as "white fasts" (full moon) as
mentioned in Seerah.
(In the Islamic calendar prescribed in
the Quran Full moon falls on 14, 15, and
16. The full moon falls on 13, 14 and 15
in the Pre-Islamic calendar rejected by
the Prophet (saw). Please see the
Illustration 7 and also refer to
http://www.moonsighting.com/ and
http://www.columbia.edu/~mnd/ for more
details. Of course I personally do not
equate eye-glasses to telescopes. Since
eye-glasses are meant to correct the
vision, and make it equivalent to the
normal naked eye. Further, the use of
correctional eye-glasses does not
introduce the "Takalluf" / burden (as
referred to by Sheikh AlOthaimeen (RH)
above). Rather I feel that dis-allowing
eye-glasses may introduce a burden. The
unaided (naked eye) sighting has proved
to be a method that is, straightforward,
pure and not complex, used successfully
and correctly by overwhelming majority
of the Muslim Ummah Alhamdulillaah year
after year (including India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh and Indonesia which comprise
about 70% of the entire Muslim
population).
(The method of beginning the month after
seeing the crescent which is practiced
in other countries except Saudi Arabia
and Gulf is contrary to the Quran and
the Sunnah. It is a pure Bid’a.)
Summary of the Saudi Arabian Process
This document threw some light on
Reasons for Islamic dates confusion and
their solution Insha'Allaah, based on
first hand information on the Saudi
UmmUlQura calendar, which is not
calculated to predict the Hilaal, but
for "Civil" purposes only, (NOT for
determining religious dates).
(Islamic Shariah allows only one
calendar for the people for both
religious and civil purposes)
Also as we have found, the Official
Saudi Hilaal Sighting Committees (which
include Scholar, Astronomer and
Government Representatives) differ from
"Official" Saudi announcement of dates.
Some Saudi Ulema (Sheikh AlOthaimeen RH
etc.) and some Saudi Press are aware of
errors (e.g. Arab News article February
11, 2000G about the inaccuracy of
EidUlFitr 1420H, AdDawah magazine 6
Shawwal 1420H etc.; AlJazeerah December
12, 1999G). But it may take some time to
fix the problem there.
Conclusions for Islamic Hejiri Dates for
Religious Use
Insha’Allaah we all share the objective
to Unite Muslims towards Correct Dates
for Islamic Occasions. As explained
earlier, for Muslims living outside
Saudi Arabia, "Just follow Saudi
announced date" should have no basis in
Shariah, since it is neither Ikhtilaaf
AlMatale, nor Wahdat AlMatale (which
means follow the first report of Hilaal-
no matter which country it comes from).
Saudi scholars like Sheikh AlOthaimeen (RH)
support Ikhtilaaf AlMatale (Multiple
Horizons / Local Sighting) for both
EidUlAdha and EidUlFitr (& Saudi Arabia
itself follows Ikhtilaaf AlMatale).
Astronomy also supports Ikhtilaaf
AlMatale (Multiple Horizons / Local
Sighting). Also, scholars like Sheikh
AlManea (Makkah Mukarramah) support
using calculations to negate
erroneous sightings, while Saudi
scholars do not support calculations to
replace sighting. The Hilaal, as
seen by the naked eye, is typically one
day after the Astronomical new moon
(Dark moon / Invisible / No moon). This
makes 13,14,15 of month as "white fasts"
(full moon) and thus brother like Br.
Yaser ElMenshawy, Chairman of Majlis
Ash-Shoora of New Jersey supports naked
eye sighting (No telescopes). Sheikh
AlOthaimeen (RH) is also against use of
telescopes. He indicates that it
increases the "Takalluf" (Burden) on
Muslims, which Allaah (SWT) does not
want. (I bear
witness that the Ummul Qura calendar is
correct according to Quran, Sunnah and
science. If my statement is wrong the
Ulema and the astronomers should prove
it from the Quran, Sunnah and science.)
Thus I believe in order to unite Muslims
towards correct Islamic dates
Insha’Allaah, we should use Local
Sighting as supported by Astronomy and
recommended and used by Saudi scholars
(e.g. Sheikh AlOthaimeen (RH), also
referring to Sheikh Ibn Taimiya) &
others for both EidUlFitr and EidUlAdha
etc. Insha’Allaah. Hence Alhamdulillaah
the joint decision of ISNA, ICNA,
American Muslim Society and al-Ummah
Community (Islamic Shoora Council of
North America) is an excellent one
Insha’Allaah: Use Validated Local
sighting in contiguous America (except
Hawaii & Alaska) + Canada for both
EidUlFitr & EidUlAdha, unless proven
impossible by Astronomy i.e. (Less than
7 degree geocentric angular separation
between sun & moon at local sunset
implies impossible to sight Hilaal-
Danjon Limit). These dates would also be
completely predictable about 80% of the
time, when the naked eye sighting
criterion is used.
I believe that perhaps the best
procedure in the world is already
established in Saudi Arabia – the
Official Hilaal sighting committees near
Makkah, Riyadh, Qassim, Hail, Tabuk and
Asir, each of which include an Islamic
Scholar, an Astronomer and a Government
Official in addition to any volunteer.
But the results of these committee are
often different from the official Saudi
announcement. May Allaah (SWT) help in
resolving that properly. Aameen.
A similar method (Hilaal sighting
committees) is also adopted in India,
Bangladesh and Pakistan (with over 400
Million Muslims just in these 3
countries), where Alhamdulillaah year
after year, the correct date is reached.
(The Hilaal sighting as it is done today
is a pure Bid’a which must give up
forthwith. All Bid’a lead to hell.)
May Allaah (SWT) help in establishing
similar appropriate efforts all over the
world. Aameen.
Conclusions for Civil use Hejiri
Calendar
If there is a need for a Hejiri Calendar
for Civil use in North America,
calculations by Br. Khalid Shaukat or
Dr. Mohib Durrani for prediction of
Hilaal visibility by naked eye, should
be the best Insha’Allaah. For the
roughly 20% of the cases, these dates
may different from the actual naked eye
Hilaal sighting.
(The method adopted by Dr. Khalid
Shaukat and others is not supported by
the Quran and Sunnah. The correct
scientific way of calculating the lunar
month should be used. Two calendars are
not allowed in the Shariah.)
(Shariah allows only one calendar)
For world wide civil Hejiri calendar
purposes, the Tri-zonal calendar of
Prof. Muhammad Ilyas of Malaysia seems
quite good Masha’Allaah – doing 3
separate calculations for hilaal
visibility for 3 zones of the earth:
Americas; Europe-Africa-West Asia;
Asia-Pacific (see http://www.starlight.demon.co.uk/ildl/zone3
for details). This Tri-Zonal Calendar
concept has also gained support in the
Jordanian Astronomical Society (Mohammed
Odeh and others) and elsewhere
Alhamdulillaah. These calculations may
be done by any of the excellent existing
models on MoonCalc for naked-eye
criterion Insha’Allaah.
The UmmUlQura Calendar should
Insha’Allaah also be updated to reflect
the best calculations for naked eye
visibility of Hilaal, and not just the
moonset after sunset (even by one
second). Note that the single major
factor in predicting Hilaal visibility
is NOT the time after astronomical new
moon birth, nor the moonset – sunset
lag. Instead, the single biggest
factor is that the angular
separation between moon and sun at local
sunset must be at least 7 or 8 degrees
for Hilaal to be visible. Good models
(including Br. Shaukat’s) are now
available on MoonCalc.
Action Items
In North America we are Insha’Allaah
implementing the decision of the Islamic
Shoora Council of North America: Local
sighting in North America unless proven
impossible by Astronomy i.e. (Less than
7 degree geocentric angular separation
between sun & moon at local sunset
implies impossible to sight Hilaal-
Danjon Limit). We should also educate
(with Hikmah) and encourage Muslims in
other countries to adopt similar local
sighting criteria validated by the
Danjon astronomical impossibility limit
Insha’Allaah. Alternatively, Hilaal
sighting committees such as those in
Saudi Arabia (which are not used fully
yet) should be established for decision
making in every countries. Such
committees are used very effectively
Alhamdulillaah in India, Bangladesh and
Pakistan (with over 400 Million
Muslims), where Alhamdulillaah year
after year, the correct date is reached.
For improving the process in Saudi
Arabia Insha’Allaah, I suggest that we
write to the Ulema, Ambassadors,
WazaratulAdal, the Crown Prince, Majlis
AlQada AlAala, Masjlis AlKabair AlUlema
etc. of Saudi Arabia, and support that
all who wish to sight the Hilaal in
Saudi Arabia should accompany one of the
several existing Official Saudi Hilaal
Sighting Committees which include
Scholar, Astronomer & Government
representative, to reduce human errors
Insha’Allaah.
We should also write to the UmmUlQura
Calendar brothers to encourage an update
to their model to reflect the best
calculations for naked eye visibility of
Hilaal, and not just the moonset after
sunset (even by one second). Even though
the UmmUlQura calendar is for "civil"
use and not "religious" use, it sets the
expectations, and makes it difficult in
many cases for us to tell the Saudi
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