“Muslims Should Adopt Moon sighting to Establish Ramadan” – The Goatmilk Debates
“THE GOATMILK DEBATES” will be an ongoing series featuring two debaters tackling an interesting or controversial question in a unique, irreverent manner.
Each debater makes their opening argument. They can elect to post a rebuttal.
The winner will be decided by the online audience and judged according to the strength of their argument.
The motion: “Muslims Should Adopt Moon sighting to Establish Ramadan”
For the motion: Irfan Rydhan
Against the motion: Aziz Poonawalla
IRFAN RYDHAN FOR THE MOTION: “Muslims Should Adopt Moon sighting to Establish Ramadan”
My Answer: Yes.
Why? Simply Because the Qur’an and Hadith tell us to. But at the same time there is a great spiritual benefit in looking for the Hilal (new crescent moon) with our eyes, which will be lost if we are to forgo this sacred tradition for the sake of convenience and so called “unity”!
Let’s begin by looking at what the Holy Qur’an says:
“The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Qur’an was revealed as a guidance for humanity and clarifications of that guidance and a standard. So whoever witnesses (shahida) the month among you, let him fast” (2:185).
Many Islamic scholars state that in the above verse the word “Month” here actually refers to the crescent moon of the month and was called “the month” (al-shahr) due to everyone knowing of its arrival.[1]
The Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be upon Him), clarified this further in the following Hadith:
Narrated by Abu Hurayrah:
The Messenger of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) made a mention of the new moon and (in this connection) said: Observe fast when you see it (the new moon) and break fast when you see it (the new moon of Shawwal), but when (the actual position of the moon is) concealed from you (on account of cloudy sky), then count thirty days.
There are many narrations of this same Hadith, which very clearly states that we Muslims should go out to witness (see with our own eyes) the Hilal (visible crescent moon) to start the Islamic months – in this case the month of fasting: Ramadan.
Since the Lunar months are either 29 or 30 days, we are only allowed to “calculate” if on the 29th day of the previous month (in this example the month of Shaba an), we cannot see the Hilal due to an overcast and cloudy sky which blocks our view.
Some people may ask, “We all know the new moon is there, and we now know (with current technology) when exactly the new moon will be “born”, etc. so why can’t we just calculate the whole Islamic calendar in advance?”
First some definitions are needed:
Hilal, an Arabic term, refers to the bright waxing crescent when it becomes visible to a normal observer by naked-eye.[2]
The “New Moon” is a modern astronomical term. It refers to the completely invisible moon at the start of a synodic cycle (29 days 12 hours, 42 minutes and 2.8 seconds).[3]
This “new moon” occurs when the Moon, in its monthly orbital motion around Earth, lies between Earth and the Sun, and is therefore in conjunction with the Sun as seen from Earth. At this time, the dark (unilluminated) portion of the Moon faces almost directly toward Earth, so that the Moon is not visible to the naked eye.[4]
Often Muslim and non-Muslim experts alike confuse astronomical “New Moon” for “Hilal”. During the time of the Prophet Muhammad (S), the Arabic language had only “Qamar” (Moon), and Hilal (Visible crescent moon) terms. It had no word for the astronomical New Moon. Thus, both the Qur’an and Sunnah instruct Muslims to start the lunar months after visually seeing the new crescent moon (hilal) with their naked eyes. No fancy telescopes, binoculars or other equipment are needed.
Now, let’s put aside these verses of the Holy Qur’an and Hadith for a moment, and look at it this question from a more universal view.
Human beings have 3 components: Physical, Intellectual and Spiritual. Most of us take care of the first two fairly well. We eat, exercise, study and excel in our school and careers. But unfortunately many of us, including myself, are lacking in our spiritual development.
All human beings whether they consider themselves “religious” or not, need some type of spiritual nourishment in their lives. Many people around the world, especially those people living in the “West”, with all the emphasis on science, technology and busy career oriented lives, are looking toward Eastern cultures which are more focused on family and spirituality. Many Westerners are employing many Eastern techniques such as Yoga, meditation, etc. to fill that spiritual void in their lives.
Muslims are no different. Although we have many rituals in our religion of Islam, which can help us to develop our spirituality, such as five daily prayers, fasting in the month of Ramadan, going on the pilgrimage to Mecca, etc. We still find ourselves sometimes feeling empty or missing something.
This is where the physical action of moon sighting prescribed by our religion can help us bridge that gap. When we go out to look for the Hilal with our own eyes, we are not only fulfilling a great Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (S), but we are also connecting with nature and the creations of Allah.
There is a great feeling of astonishment, wonder and excitement when one spots the newly born crescent moon in the sky. We become in awe of what Allah has created. It is like the birth of a child – where we are witnessing creation happening right in front of our very eyes! Our Iman (faith) in Allah increases greatly and this is definitely one of the reasons why we were instructed by the Prophet Muhammad (S) to go out and see it for ourselves!
Some people still argue the point of Unity of Muslims (either across North America or even globally) is lost by not using a calculated calendar to determine the start of the Islamic months.
Unfortunately, ISNA (Islamic Society of North America), in the false name of Unity, has set a new criteria of starting Islamic months using the calculated date of when the new moon will be astronomically born (not visually sighted) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. If the Prophet Muhammad (S), wanted us to be united in this way, he would have instructed us to follow whatever time that Mecca started the Islamic months, but he did not do this.
This basically ignores the Qur’an and Sunnah requirements of visual sighting and tries to make a living Islamic calendar which is based on the celestial lunar movements into an averaged and incorrectly calculated system for mere convenience of when people can plan to take off a day from school or work! There is no reason why Muslims need to celebrate Eid on the same exact day everywhere in the world!
The Prophet Muhammad (S) emphasized the importance of Muslims to go out and look for the Hilal themselves. Many scholars even emphasized that their own local sighting is preferred. Such with the following narration:
Kurayb reported that Umm al-Fadhl Bint Al-rith sent him on a mission to Mu`awiyah (Radiya ‘Llahu `anhu) in Damascus. He accomplished his mission and was still in ash-Sham when Ramadan started. He saw the new moon on Friday evening. He then returned to al-Madinah, arriving therein near the end of the month. He met Ibn `Abbas who asked him when the new moon of Ramadan was sighted in ash-Sham. Kurayb said, we saw it on the night of Friday. Ibn Abbas inquired, Did you see it yourself? Kurayb replied, Yes I saw it; and People did too. Based on that, they fasted and Mu`awiyah fasted as well. Whereupon Ibn Abbas said, But we saw it on the night of Saturday; and we shall continue to fast until we complete thirty days or see it [the new moon of Shawwal]. Kurayb asked, Wouldn’t you accept Mu`awiyah’s sighting and fasting. Ibn Abbas answered: No! This is how Allah’s Messenger commanded us. [Narrated by Muslim]
In our modern world with digital clocks, calendars, daylight savings time, etc. we forget that these are all man-made systems to help us organize our busy day to day lives, but in reality a real day is not 24 hours, but 23 hours and 56 minutes. We are programmed to eat, sleep and work at certain times every day. But our religious and spiritual lives cannot be forced into a set man-made calendar. We cannot control everything. Just like we cannot control when we are born or when we die. And that is the whole point of going out and looking for the new crescent moon. We do not know for sure if we will be able to see it. Even if it is expected that it will not be seen, due to atmospheric conditions, we could see it. Same as if we are anticipating it to be seen, but for some reason we cannot see it. It is all in Allah’s hands, and we are just God’s servants who are obeying his command to look for the Hilal to mark our religious months. This is a sacred tradition and Sunnah which has been passed on from generation to generation for over 1400 years of Islamic History. Do we really want to throw it all away; just so that we can say we are united on one day out of the year and perhaps get a special “Eid Day” sale at Macy’s in the future (they can give us 2 or 3 days instead of just 1J)?
I for one would rather be united in following the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (S) and go out and look for the new moon to reconnect with nature and remember that Allah is the creator of the universe and in control of this world; Not a calendar on my refrigerator which I printed from a website.
[1] Cesarean Moon Births, Part I by Hamza Yusuf, 2006
[2] From www.islamicmoon.com, “Confusing Hilal” page, URL: http://www.islamicmoon.com/Moonsighting%20Confusing%20Hilal.htm
[3] ibid
[4] Wikipedia, “New Moon” page, URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_moon
Salam Irfan,
your article is not intellectually honest. You have:
a. not mentioned any opinion, again derived from Ahadith of Prophet (Pbuh), and actions of Sahaba (May Allah be pleased with them), that goes against your position. You simply chose to hide them away.
b. One place where you refer to Quran to support your opinion. You do it by changing the translations of choice Arabic words, to fit your position.
c. Few places you refer to scholars and Ahadith, but no name concrete reference is forthcoming.
d. You don’t mention that a number of traditions that people held sacred have transitioned to the relevant utilitarian forms in the current times. Some of these were changed by the very Sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them), that were the close companions.
I’ll give you an example. SBIA and almost all mosques publish and follow daily prayer schedule that is synchronized by Clock-time. No one goes out to check the position of Sun or Shadow anymore.
Whereas in the time of Prophet (pbuh), there was a Sahabi appointed for calling the Azaan exactly at the right time, based on Sunlight and Darkness.
e. I like to know, if In your daily life, do you consult/refer/use common Time. Or are you running your life with Daylight estimates?
f. How about the calendar, are you referring to Hijri calendar in all your affairs ? Are you planning to switch ? At least for Ramadan ?
g. If you have been in administrative positions (and I know you have been), you would agree that uniting People is a far greater cause than checking the height of everyone’s trouser ankle bottoms. (BTW, are you wearing traditional Arabic dress in the month of Ramadan ?)
I can go on. And I am only basing upon common sense arguments. Without quoting religious texts.
Shafqat
Niharee
August 15, 2010 at 2:08 pm
WaSalaams Shafqat
Thanks for your comments. You bring up some valid points. Since this article was about moonsighting specifically, that is what i focused on. There will be another brother who will be debating me on the subject and will post his article shortly.
In regards to your comments. Majority of the Quran and Hadith do in fact refer to naked eye visual sighting, and I did not change any translations to meet my needs. In fact, this is the majority opinion, and the people who support “calculations” are the ones who have really strecthed the meaning of the translations to fit their needs!
If you look at my footnotes, you will see the references I used and you can look up those articles and websites if you would like more information on the names of the Fiqh jurists and scholars with those opinions I was summarizing. My article was limited to 1500 words, so I had to keep it to the point and just gave the references so people can look up if they want to.
The 5 daily prayer times and the lunar month times are two separate items. I’m only discussing moonsighting here.
I am no longer on the Board of SBIA, but our mission has always been to follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (S).
Wearing Arab dress is a cultural thing, and not required Islamically.
Thanks again for your comments.
Peace
Irfan
IrfanR
August 16, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Dear Brother Irfan
Please simplify. i have some doubts.
1) What Age prophet (SAW) had Mai’raaj ?
ANS : aprrox 40.year
2) What Age prophet (SAW) has passed away to jannah ?
ANS : approx 63 year.
3) As an understanding prophet must have Fasted in Ramazan for approx. 23 Years. How many year if documented must have prophet(SAW) fasted for 29 days.
ANS : ???????
4) Are there any recorded events says prophet (SAW) gathered people for Crescent Sighting for Ramazan. ?
ANS : ???????
5) If it would be 29 days of any Ramazan then why does Quraan (Afzalo ma kullo shai’n dun ALLAH (SWT)) Prescribe 2 MONTHS fasting to leave Single Fasting purposely or feeding 60 masakin.. Why not 29 + 29 ie 58 or 29+30 ie 59.
ANS: ??????
6) in the verses “O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint.” Holy Quran (2:183). people before us were “Christians” and “Jews” they do fast but they never see the “Crescent”. Why do muslim see ?
ANS: ????????
Thanks for you reply.
Real Muslim
August 23, 2010 at 7:55 am
@Real Muslim
Salaams. Thanks for your comments. Our religion, Islam is suppossed to be simple and easy for us. There are many Hadith where the Prophet Muhammad (S) stated that Islamic months are either 29 or 30 days. Here are a couple more, besides the ones I listed in my piece above, for your reference:
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) took these differences in months into consideration and emphasized that Ramadan may sometimes be 29 and sometimes 30 days:
Abdullah Ibn-i Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, narrates:
Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) said:
“The Month of Ramadan is so-and-so (Meanwhile he shook both hands with all fingers for two times; in the third shake, he closed the thumb of either his right or left hand.)
In a narration by Muslim and Nasai, the Prophet (PBUH) said:
“We are an illiterate nation; we know neither how to write nor how to calculate. The moon is so-and-so.” It is said that at one time he showed twenty-nine and at another thirty. (Bukhari, Sawm: 13; Muslim, Sawm: 13-15; Abu Dawud, Sawm: 4; Nasai, Sawm: 17)
This shows that you do not need to be a scientist or astronomist or expert to witness or look for the new Hilal moon. All you need is your eyes, InshaAllah.
In regards to your questions below about following the Christians and Jews. We do not follow their calendars for our Islamic dates. We have our own calendar and our own procedures which are stated in the Qur’an and in the Hadith, some of which I referenced for you already. So it doesnt matter if the Jews and Christians look for the new crescent moon. It is part of our religion, so we need to do it, and they do not. Just like we have to fast in Ramadan and they do not. We also have to pray 5 times a day and they do not. You get the idea.
IrfanR
August 23, 2010 at 4:35 pm
You make some good points. One thing I noted is that Arabs also had a word for the full moon – Badru.
I would have liked to see more development of the spiritual aspect. I think this is really what missing in the lies of everyone, Muslim of otherwise. The creation is a sign, a proof of the existence of the Creator, just like the tracks of an animal left in the mud indicate that an animal was there some time earlier.
But the world we live in was not just created by Allah and left to itself. Allah is the Creator and the Destroyer AND the Sustainer at every instant. Each instant of time is Created, then Sustained and the Destroyed by Allah in such rapidity that it appears to us to be continuous while it is in fact a “digital” existence that is constantly going “On” and “Off” and if at any instant Allah does not want something to be in existence anymore it is just not “turned back on”.
So too is the new crescent moon. Frequently when the new crescent is seen it tends to appear before our eyes and then for a brief instant vanishes again and reappears. When we can witness that, and actually be in audience to seeing the Creator at work, it throws the heart into AWE! And this brings the soul that much closer back to it Lord, the Lord that created it, The Lord that asked it “Am I not your Lord” and it replied “Indeed you are my Lord”, and the Lord to which our souls will all return. Our souls that were breathed into these bodies of ours, long to return to it source and be in bliss with its Maker. This is what sighting the moon brings of benefit to us. When our individual souls can experience that joy, they will by default come into unity all on their own in perfect resonance glorifying Allah with the rest of creation.
Youssef Ismail
August 15, 2010 at 4:44 pm
JazakAllah Br. Youssef
IrfanR
August 16, 2010 at 4:15 pm
At last! Someone who undrsetnads! Thanks for posting!
Terry
May 16, 2011 at 3:48 pm
The Quran and Hadeeth both state the beginning and end of the months shall occur only upon the “sighting” of the Hilal. Enough said.
Proponents of the calculation based method are clearly contradictory in nature–on the one hand they follow the Quran and Sunnah to Fast during Ramadan, however, disregard the same to base the arrival of Ramadan.
Unity is extremely important in Islam and for all mankind. However, it was never contemplated that unity be achieved by clearly disregarding the Quran and Hadith. To hold otherwise is actually considered, “disunity.”
Here’s a thought: If “unity” is indeed what we’re after, let’s first try to unite by following the
Quran?”
Hassan
August 15, 2010 at 5:09 pm
JazakAllah Hassan
IrfanR
August 16, 2010 at 4:15 pm
Very well written article that clearly proves that it is very important to continue the Sunnah of Moonsighting without the use of any optical aid.
Wasi Imam
August 15, 2010 at 6:54 pm
If unity is all we are after, then uniting one day of the year is not the answer or the way to go. Let us first stop killing one another. There are more Muslims killed at the hands of Muslims than by anyone else.
Abdulkader Khatri
August 15, 2010 at 7:37 pm
JazakAllah Wasi
IrfanR
August 16, 2010 at 4:16 pm
I totally agree with Irfan’s viewpoint on moon-sighting. Religion is revealed as COMPLETE. It needs neither edition nor subtraction. The Noble Qur’an and Hadith are very clear on this point. Furthermore, the question of identity is simply not the case here. This is because even when there used to be one Khilafa-State, Muslims in various regions like Sham, Iraq, Najd, Hijaz, Egypt and Mawaraa-Nahr used to have different fasting depending on nothing but moon-sighting…
و الله من وراء القصد
Isselmou Ghaly
August 15, 2010 at 7:54 pm
JazakAllah Br. Isselmou
IrfanR
August 16, 2010 at 4:16 pm
Good article…
Those who think that we will achieve that unity through superficial uniformity (calculated start of Ramadan) are mistaken. There are more fundamental issues impacting us than the start of Ramadan or the day of Eid that we need to be united on.
Moonsighting re-invigorates our spirituality. The very act of moonsighting is an act of submission to Allah swt, where we acknowledge His mastery over the creation, admitting that we do not know what the next instance entails. It is a reminder to us that we don’t know when our last moment will be.
Let us endeavor to follow the sunnah in the best way possible.
Arif Khan
August 15, 2010 at 8:40 pm
JazakAllah Br. Arif
IrfanR
August 16, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Salam Irfan,
Thank you for your article. It is well articulated, and I totally agree with your point of view. The crescent moon is a sign of Allah’s majesty. Ramadan and Shawwal provide us with great opportunity to witness his majesty, by looking for the crescent moon in the sky. This is unity. When Muslims all over the world look for the crescent moon, so that they can start or end their fast, it brings them in harmony with the nature. And nature is what we should be attuned to. Not some man-made calendar. Following some calendar is not going to unite us. What is going to unite is adhering to the sacred traditions of our beloved Prophet(S), and his rightly guided companions(R).
Abdul Rahim Rydhan
Abdul Rahim Rydhan
August 15, 2010 at 10:25 pm
JazakAllah Rahim uncle
IrfanR
August 16, 2010 at 4:17 pm
The author does not indicate any alternatives for places where it is PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE to sight the crescent moon. I live in Singapore and the highest point that can be found in my country is Bukit Timah, which is a mere 164m tall (around 530ft) – not high enough to peek through the skies in hopes of a glimpse of the new moon. The Islamic council here uses astronomical calculations to overcome this limitation; it’s only practical.
I see from the photo above the crescent-sighting party is at the top of some hill with clouds! You can’t get that anywhere here.
Arrafah
August 16, 2010 at 3:49 am
Salaams Arrafah
Thanks for your comment. I do not believe you need to go to a high mountain or hilltop to view the new crescent moon. You just need to look near the horizon where the sun sets. You can use the moonsighting charts, software, websites, etc. to help you predict where the Hilal should be seen in your area.
As the Hadith states, if you do not see the new crescent moon on the 29th day of the month, then you just complete 30 days, InshaAllah.
Irfan
p.s. In the photo which I posted with my article, we are not above the clouds – that is actually fog:) Although we were in the Santa Cruz Mountains, but it was not necessary to go that high (just makes it easier sometimes).
IrfanR
August 16, 2010 at 4:23 pm
Yes, it seems most of the possibility for consistent moon-sighting occurs in deserts where cloud cover is relatively rare. They don’t seem to have thought of the needs of those of us who don’t live in a desert…
OmarG
August 17, 2010 at 12:04 pm
Omar – the moon can be visible from most areas on earth and not just in the desert. check crescentwatch.org (and other sites) for visibility curves and you will see that it varies from month to month on what the best place to see the new moon will be, but it is not just the desert.
IrfanR
August 17, 2010 at 4:19 pm
as-salaamu `alaykum
I have alwasy argued that, as moonsighting for determining the dates is a critical necessity for all Muslims to observe certain acts of worship, it needs to be something that can be done by ALL people, regardless of education level, etc. Thus, as Islam is a religion in which we do not have a priesthood or anything similar whereby only the “experts” can tell us when and how to perform the critical basic acts of worship, we should be relying on moonsighting (which everyone can do) rather than rely on calculations (which only an elite group of people with a particular type of education can do).
Mombeam
August 16, 2010 at 3:50 am
JazakAllah Mombeam.
You are correct. Moon sighting can be done by anyone who can see. No specialy knowledge or equipment is needed. Very simple and easy, Alhamdullilah.
IrfanR
August 16, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Salams,
While I appreciate the discourse on this issue, I think it is a potentially slippery slope when “lay” individuals, as opposed to Islamic scholars, are deciding how to proceed on issues like this. The Fiqh Council of North America, comprised of respected Muslim scholars from across the continent, has recognized calculations as an acceptable means to determining the start and end of Ramadan: see http://www.fiqhcouncil.org/. Surely, there are scholarly opinions that differ with the Fiqh Council of North America. Masajid leadership should consider these legitimate opinions and make decisions for their communities. Their memberships should follow suit. I follow the calculation method because the leadership of the MCA in Santa Clara chooses to do so. Who am I, a lay Muslim, to argue with my masjid’s leadership and the scholars that comprise the Fiqh Council of America?
Sajid A. Khan
August 16, 2010 at 6:04 am
Clarification: Our leaderships should consult with scholars and make the decision that is best for their communities. As an MCA community member and participant, I choose to follow their leadership’s educated decision to follow the Fiqh Council of North America’s scholarly opinion.
Sajid A. Khan
August 16, 2010 at 6:34 am
Video explaining the Fiqh Council of America’s decision to use “calculations” method… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfKYkZCS_ho
Sajid A. Khan
August 16, 2010 at 6:05 am
Salaams Sajid
Thanks for the comments.
As a former board member of SBIA masjid, I know that our leaders are sometimes not the most knowledgable to make these type of decisions that affect our religious practices. Many times things are done for the sake of conveience and/or people become lazy. I’m not saying that all of our leaders are like this or anyone specifically at MCA or SBIA, but we are all human beings and we make mistakes. So as Muslims, if we feel something is being done incorrectly, we should speak up and question the decisions our leaders make. This is our right and also our responsibility.
Thanks for sharing the information about the Fiqh Council’s decision. I have in fact read and watched those videos a couple years ago when they first came up with the decision for calculations. They do have some valid points, but i suggest you also read and look into the other side (in support of moon sighting). Here is a good article by Sh. Hamza Yusuf, which I also referred to in my post. The link to Part 1 of his article is here:
http://www.zaytuna.org/forms/Cesarean_Moon_Births_Pt_1.pdf
After reading it, let me know what you think.
JazakAllah
Irfan
IrfanR
August 16, 2010 at 4:32 pm
I agree with the spirit of this article. Thanks, Irfan, for standing up for your views and taking the time to post them.
In addition to the points that have been raised, I’d just like to make a further point on calculations. Personally, I’d be fine with using a calculation to determine the start of the month if I knew for sure that that calculation was accurate. However, the mere fact that people who follow calculations and people who follow moonsighting tend to celebrate occasions on different days implies that the calculation method employed does not yet accurately project when the moon will be sighted. If the calculation’s methodology was accurate, then there wouldn’t be an issue – the celebrations would all be on the same day and the debate would be purely academic.
This is the main difference between using calculations to determine the start of months and using calculations to determine prayer times. Whether I look up the timetable or I measure the sun’s zenith by hand, I end up with the same result. Simply put, if my pocket calculator did not always provide me the same result for 5 + 5 that I got by manually counting my toes, I wouldn’t trust it.
The problem, of course, is not that we don’t have the right equations, but that we don’t all agree on the right definitions for all of the variables used. I’ll stop here as I’m quickly starting to talk about things that I have little knowledge on, but until we agree on a calculation methodology that correctly predicts the sightability of the moon as manually measured by moonsighters, we will continue to have this debate.
imran
August 16, 2010 at 9:54 am
Good points Imran!
JazakAllah
IrfanR
August 16, 2010 at 4:33 pm
I love moonsighting it’s the way of our Beloved (s).
Rehan
August 17, 2010 at 11:25 pm
AsSalamoAlaikum,
This is not the first time this issue is being debated. There has been many extensive debates on this topic since 2006 when ISNA announced the “fixed” Islamic calendar.
I beg to differ with Sajid Khan’s comment above that ““lay” individuals, as opposed to Islamic scholars, are deciding how to proceed on issues like this”. Irfan’s position on moonsighting as the only criteria for determining the beginning of an Islamic month, is certainly not a lay man’s opinion. With all due respect to the scholars of the Fiqh Council, there are hundreds of renowned scholars, muftis and Imams who refute ISNA’s decision of following a fixed Islamic calendar which is based on scientific calculations. Please see the document in the link below, signed by many San Francisco Bay Area scholars, Imams and Muftis.
http://moonsightingdebate.files.wordpress.com/2006/09/iscc-refutes-isnas-decesion.pdf
Personally, I have the same problem like Imran above, for following the ISNA calendar. I can only be convinced that it is correct, if and only if it is 100% synchronized with the actual moonsighting.
May Allah (SWT) guide us to do what is right and protect us from doing any wrong..Ameen
Aziz
August 19, 2010 at 12:17 am
WaSalaams Br. Aziz
Thanks for your comments and also for sharing the document from the Islamic Sharia Council of California.
Unfortunately, I know a couple of the Imams on that list have no changed their opinion on the use of calculations.
Also Imam Zaid Shakir and Crescent Watch have recently changed their opinion to accept global sighting. Are you aware of this? Any response from the Islamic Sharia Council on this latest development?
Thanks again for your support.
Peace
Irfan
IrfanR
August 19, 2010 at 3:58 pm
Our Mosque goes with Saudic Arbaric moon sighting. The Saudic use moonsighting and the calaration to demine if the moon will be possible to sight At all. If the moon set before the sun you cannot see the moon at all.
Brian C. Hoff
August 21, 2010 at 7:38 am
[...] For the motion: Irfan Rydhan [...]
“Muslims Should Not Adopt Moon sighting to Establish Ramadan”: The Goatmilk Debates « GOATMILK: An intellectual playground edited by Wajahat Ali
August 24, 2010 at 11:40 am