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Moon sighting News, Analysis and Articles
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Moon sighting News, Analysis and Articles |
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Latest NewsJumada 2 Insha-Allah Junada 2 crescent Moon will be visible on June 4, 2008 by naked eye and binoculars from Western Pakistan westwards within the lunar parabola. The moon will not be visible anywhere in the world on June 3 by naked eye as its angle is less than 10 degrees and its altitude at sunset is between 1.2 (Istanbul, Turkey) to 6.0 (Honolulu). The Moon has moved to too far north. Therefore from Australia to Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Central and South Africa, and most of South America will see Jumada 2 Hilal on June 5, 2008 only. ISNA & Saudi INCORRECT Hijri Dates On August 1, 2007 ISNA Fiqh Council (ISNA FC) changed its rules for Ramadan and Eidain again. Now its Islamic calendar dates are by “ the conjunction must take place before sunset in Makkah and moonset after sunset in Makkah” (Not the visible Hilal). The Muslim organizations, groups and some ME countries have dispensed with the Hilal-sighting requirement. They argue: “There is no need for the Muslims to resort to actual sighting.” (Dr. Z Shah (Islamic Horizon (Sep/Oct. 2006) p. 51) Saudi dates are not fixed by the crescent moon visible in Makka. Since 1999 (1420AH) Saudi first date of Ramadan, etc. begins at sunset of the 29th day if: 1. The geocentric conjunction (NM) occurs before sunset; and 2. The moon sets after the sun (in Makka). ISNA has finally discarded the moon-sighting in the USA for Saudi Ramadan and Eidain dates. Islamic Hijri dates published in the ISNA calendar and on the web of Mr. Khalid Shaukat (www.moonsighting.com) copy the Saudi dates and are incorrect for most months. For correct dates (always fixed by Hilal in the US go to www.Islamicmoon.com. CFCO Intl. moon-watch ensures that a Hilal is actually observed within the US. Islamic Dates Mess 1. Saudi and ISNA Calendar is calculated by the Conjunction (NM) in Makkah 2. Libya follows the Conjunction Before Dawn 3. Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Turkey, Bosnia, Tunis, etc.: calculate by lunar altitude of 3-5 degrees at sunset. 4. European Fatwa Council (ECFR), and European Muslim organizations follow Saudi Arabia. 5. Some Muslim groups in UK have adopted “Morocco sighting” as valid for UK. 6. Toronto Council in 2007 decided to go by a sighting in the Caribbean. Some Mosques in New York, Buffalo, etc. follow Toronto decision. 7. Chicago based Shari’ah Board accepts all claims of sighting. For them the Calculations and non-sighting in California are “Not valid Shari’ah arguments”. 8. Connecticut Council of Masajid decides Islamic dates strictly by local CT sighting. 9. Only Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Morocco, Oman, etc. follow a sighted moon. Fist Fights? From Ramadan to Muharram is the yearly season for fistfights among the Muslims. Ramadan starts and Eids are celebrated on 4 -5 solar dates. Allah and His Messenger (S) have provided clear guidance of Ahilla (waxing crescent moons) for us to start / end the Islamic month. That is how the Muslims have determined the beginning of an Islamic month for fifteen centuries. Now you decide who you want to follow? Islamic Hilal On May 5, 2008 ICOP@yahoogroups. Com reported an interesting observation: “We are currently observing the crescent, again through near real-time imaging during the day. Currently 3.5 hours before conjunction and decreasing. We see a 90° arc of the crescent, at already less than 5° elongation. If the weather holds, we will capture the crescent AT conjunction. Regards, Martin” A few hours later the observer reported: “Our attempt to image the crescent around conjunction was quite successfull. We captured it just 5 minutes from conjunction. Some hours earlier we still saw a 90° arc, at less than 5° elongation.” The imaging techniques used can definitely be improved to a near real-time experience. Also, the filters used this time captured some visible light, too. That might be of interest to someone.” Can someone tell this observer and all those chasing the youngest crescent moons to the point of the Conjunction (?) through imaging devices that for the Islamic dates /months:
The crescent moon that this device was "imaging" is worthless for the Muslim calendar. An observer on the space shuttle could see a moon dozens of times during one solar day and so does an astronomer working with the Hubble. Visibility Curves The visibility curves generated by Dr Monzur’s excellent MoonCal.6 have helped the moon-watchers all over the world for the last two decades. Br. Mutoha of Indonesia has recently created another useful program that projects the location the moon on the horizon on the Conjunction date at various points on Earth. Our concern is that both raise 'expectations' of “easy visibility” in regions where a Hilal could not be seen. Our interest for the last 38 years was in testing the limits of the earliest lunar visibility. The Muslim astronomical experts should realize that the lunar visibility is not only an "astronomical" phenomenon for the Muslims but is also tied to a "religious" function: Fixing the first date and beginning / ending of the Islamic month. For example we mentioned on two places for Jumada 1, 1429 (May 2008) where we are pretty much sure the Hilal will not be visible on May 5, 2008 (LA) and May 6 (Cape Town, S. Africa) though Mutoha’s diagram for the two cities shows “easy naked eye sighting.” 31 Days long ISNA/Saudi MonthsISNA’s decision to tie the start of Islamic months in N. America to Saudi-fixed dates has created a quandary for the Muslim masses. The Islamic months become 31 days long. Saudi’s admit it: http://www.phys.uu.nl/~vgent/islam/ummalqura.htm In some cases the advancement of the month can result in a month length of 31 days which is awkward as traditional Islamic sources only allow month lengths of 29 or 30 days. In such cases one of the days in the month is reckoned twice. For instance both Friday 28 December 2007 as Saturday 29 December 2007 were reckoned as 19 Dhū 'l-Hijja 1428 AH. The Muslims who celebrated Eid al-Fitr on Friday, Oct. 12, 2007, and Eid al-Adha on Wed. Dec. 19, 2007 had to extend Shawwal and D. Hijja both months to 31 days. Saudis started Muharram 1429 on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008 and made two solar dates (Dec. 28 and Dec. 29 2007) as one Islamic date. This is not the first time Saudis adjusted their calendar. In the last 50 years they have done it hundreds of times, without any public announcement. What ISNA Fiqh Council has to say now that its blind following of Saudi dates has messed up Ramadan fast and Eidain for the last two consecutive years? A-Jazeera aired a program on the absurdity of Saudi sightings. It can be watched in Arabic. http://www.icoproject.org/icop/muh29.html http://www.aljazeer a.net/NR/ exeres/73070C7C- D390-423C- B056-52772F9DA1D 2.htm ) What is an Islamic Moon (Hilal)? CFCO Intl. affirms the definition of Hilal as follows: It is a waxing crescent moon, seen after the sunset, on the 29th or 30th day of the lunar month. The moon should be visible after the sunset, by the naked eye, to everyone with normal vision. A moon seen through only a telescope or binoculars, not followed by a naked eye sighting or seen by one or two, does not fulfill the Shari’ah requirement of the visibility, as stated by Fuqaha for the last 1400+ years. Seeing A Hilal The majority of Ulema allow only a naked eye sighting for fixing the first date of the Islamic month. (Optical aid may be used to gain “certainty” (Ghalabatal-Yaqeen)) Lunar Visibility Curves (MoonCal) Months after months, credible Moon Watch reports received from Australia to Hawaii confirm that Dr. Abdali’s calculations (used by the CFCO Intl.) predict the lunar visibility more accurately than Yallop’s (MoonCal) and others. Only CFCO Intl. predicted Sep. 14 Ramadan for N. America and Oct. 14 for Eid al-Fitr. Several computer programs distort the lunar visibility curves grossly because they extend them too far eastward. Spurious sightings by world record-chasers are indiscriminately added without careful scrutiny. Hundred of shiny objects appear on the lower western horizon in the glare of twilight. A jet trail, patch of clouds reflecting sunrays, stars like Mercury, etc. all can be mistaken for a Hilal. The Muslim witnesses feel insulted if they are asked a few simple details to support their sighting claims. Our religious authorities refuse to use astronomical data to check obviously false claims. They insist that the Messenger (S) had forbidden it. Did he really want the Muslims to ignore writing and Hisab forever? Watch for Hilal after Sunset in the Lower Western Horizon Watch for a moon some ten minutes after the sunset. Scan the skies to the right or left of where the sun has just set. Look straight at the level of your eyes or below. If possible, carry a 7x35 binocular. Ask others to join you for Thawaab. Once you see it, move your gaze away and try to see the object again. Be sure it is a Hilal. Tell us (e-mail: oa12@cornell.edu): What and When (time); Where (to the right or left of the Sun); How high (over your head, at the level your eyes or lower); For how long, and by how many? On 30th of Ramadan Shawwal Moon Must be Seen The Messenger (S) said: La Tuftiru … “Don’t stop fasting until you see a (Hilal). Ibn ‘Abbas asked Kuraib to fast 31st day by mass sighting in Syria when a moon was not seen in Medina on 29th day of Ramadan. Ibn ‘Abbas repeated: “This is the way the Messenger (S) had ordered us to do.” Why We Cannot See a Hilal Every 29th Evening A lot of confusion about the length of lunar month arises from lack of understanding the geophysical facts: 1. On an average, a Synodical lunar month is 29 days 12 hours 44 min. and 2.9 seconds long. As the earth is a globe, this results in lunar months of 29 days for some areas and 30 days for the rest. 2. The moon's orbit around the earth moves from as far north as Alaska (May 2007) and as far south as New Zealand (Oct. 2007). 3. The moon is seen within a ‘visibility parabola’, and not by a whole country, or a continent. It is not seen at a single longitude or latitude every month. 4. Every month the Hilal becomes visible on 2, 3 or 4 different solar dates. In other words, the first date of the lunar month will be different in various parts of the globe. 5. The Muslims have added more complication by the “Unity” factor. A large geophysical region (Saudi Arabia, Europe, 48 US states, etc.) is defined as one "unit" (Matla) for determining Ramadan and Eidain dates whereas the actual visibility in this "unit" often occurs on two or three solar dates. 6. A Hilal will not be always seen by the dates calculated on the basis of the “Conjunction before 12:00Noon GMT” or “the Conjunction date with the moonset after the sunset in Makkah”. Islamic Dates Are A Mess Ramadan to Muharram is the yearly season of fistfights among the Muslims. They start Ramadan and celebrate Eidain on 4 -5 solar dates. This mess is created because the Muslim don’t agree on how to make a lunar calendar. Allah and His Messenger (S) provide clear guidance: Ahilla (waxing crescent moons) determine the beginning of an Islamic month (2:189). Organization/Country Practices 1. CFCO Intl. calculations and monthly moon-watch reports ensure that a Hilal has actually been observed (within the US and all over the world). 2. Saudi Umm al-Qura Calendar (from 1423-, as calculated by KACST in Riyadh) follows the rule: - If on the 29th day A. The geocentric conjunction occurs before the sunset; and B. The Moon sets after the Sun. Then the next day is the first day of the new lunar month. Otherwise, the current lunar month will last 30 days. 3. Libya: The Conjunction Before Dawn makes the day the first date of the lunar month. 4. Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Turkey (and Bosnia), Tunis, etc.: - Imkaan al-Ru’yah (Probability calculated by lunar altitude of 3-5 degrees at sunset.) 5. ISNA Fiqh Council, European Fatwa Council (ECFR), and other Muslim organizations: - The Conjunction based Saudi calculated dates All these groups intend to dispense with the Hilal-sighting requirement. They argue: “There is no need for the Muslims to resort to actual sighting.” (Dr. Z Shah (Islamic Horizon (Sep/Oct. 2006) p. 51) ISNA Fiqh Council (Aug.1, 2007) following European Council of Fatwa (ECFR) adopted to fix the Islamic dates by “ the conjunction must take place before sunset in Makkah and moonset after sunset in Makkah.” 6. Some Muslim groups in UK have adopted “Morocco sighting” as valid for UK. 7. Toronto Council decided (since 2007) to go by sighting in the Caribbean. (Some Masajid in New York, Buffalo, etc. followed Toronto decision) 8. Chicago based Shari’ah Board readily accepts all claims of sighting. Calculations and reports of non-sighting from the western US states are dismissed as “Not a valid Shari’ah argument”. 9. Connecticut Council of Masajid decides Islamic dates in the US strictly by local sighting. 10. Only Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, Oman, etc. fix their Ramadan and Eidain dates by a sighting. (Dissention and rival claims often result two Eids). Saudi Dates Neither Shari’ah nor Astronomy The Qur'an and the Sunnah give very clear instructions of "La Tasumu... wa la tuftiru..." about: 1) When to begin the Islamic DATE? and 2) When to end an Islamic month? Saudi official announcements of Ramadan and Eidain and Saudi Ummal Qura calendar ignore both: a) “What is an Islamic date?” and b) “How the first date is fixed?” However, Ummal-Qura calendar fixes the first Islamic date from the moonset after the sunset on the Conjunction date in Makkah. Of course, Saudi calendar experts, ISNA Fiqh Council and European Fatwa Council (ECFR) all agree that a Hilal CANNOT BE SEEN in Makka on the dates calculated by the Umm al-Qura criteria. But they assure the Muslims that Saudi Majlis al-Qada al-A’ala fixes Ramadan, Eidain and Hajj dates solely by the actual sighting of a Hilal in Saudi Arabia (a joke made abundantly clear by Eid al-Fitr 2007 on Friday, Oct. 12, and Eid al-Adha 2006, etc.) Any Saudi Umm al-Qura date can prove that Saudi calculated dates are “astronomically” incorrect for S. Arabia) (any country in the world). Let us check Eid al-Fitr 2007 date to see if it is a valid calendar rule. The data for Makka shows: 1. The Conjunction date was Oct. 11, 2007 2. The moonset was ONE minute BEFORE the Sunset in Makka on Oct. 11 Therefore, Umm al-Qura calendar by its rules fixed Eid al-Fitr for October 13, 2007. Had the moon set in Makka only one minute later at 6:00 pm (with the sunset in Makka, also at 6:00 pm, instead of 5:59 pm) then Oct. 12 would be the Eid date by Umm al-Qura rule. (One minute’s difference makes the difference of a date). However, in some parts of S. Arabia (not Makka) the moonset was with the sunset on Oct. 11. At least there, UQ rule requires Eid on Oct. 12, instead of Oct. 13. Similarly, in places east of Makka (from Taif to N. Zealand) where the moonset was AFTER the sunset on Oct. 11 (Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, etc.) Eid should be on Oct. 12 by Saudi rule. In the countries located west of Makka where the moonset was BEFORE the sunset on Oct. 11 (Egypt, Turkey, Morocco, etc.) of course, the fixed date should be Oct. 13. But what about western Africa, North and South America where the moonset was AFTER the sunset on Oct. 11? The criteria that Saudi Arabia, ISNA, ECFR endorse for fixing the Islamic dates is fully met in all these countries. Why should these countries wait till Oct. 13 for Eid? In other words, UQ rule is not a valid calendar rule for determining the first dates of Islamic months (besides failing the obvious “Hilal” condition). Islamic Dates Messed Up By Rules Islamic dates are messed up because Saudis, Libyans, ISNA, ECFR etc. have abandoned the Hilal of the Qur'an and the Sunnah. They "FIX" their dates without carefully evaluating the options that satisfy both the requirements of Shari'ah and geophysical facts. Conjunction Date Some Ulema and Muslim countries decide Ramadan and Eid dates by the conjunction date. But the conjunction occurs at all times of day and night. These Conjunction followers do not say: When (time) and from where (longitude, latitude, country??) the Islamic date shall start? When ISNA experts suggested “the conjunction BEFORE 12:00 Noon GMT” rule on June 10, 2006 they were unable to answer these two basic questions (and some justification for their decision to discard the visible moon). Islamic Date Islamic date, as the Qur’an and Sunnah define, begins post sunset after a Hilal is SEEN. Muslim experts have to find a solution that satisfies both the Shari’ah and the calendar-making rules in the light of the recent advances in lunar visibility. The Muslims may either adopt the “Visibility Separator Curves” for “Most likely local visibility-based fixed 2-4 solar dates for the first date of Islamic month” or follow either of the two alternate suggestions given below for a unified global lunar calendar: a) The Islamic date begins from the solar dateline when a Hilal most likely becomes visible at 180E (Pacific) at the sunset. Or b) The Islamic date starts from 30W if a Hilal is most likely visible at sunset at 30W (Atlantic). Both have their advantages and drawbacks. The Muslim Ulema, calendar experts and political elite have to sort out the details and create a consensus. Makka as the Dateline suffers from the major drawback of diving a lot of countries into two-lunar-date states. Unity of Muslims For fourteen centuries, unity of Muslims was never a Shari’ah consideration for fixing the local observance of Islamic occasions. Islamic dates always began from the local sunset that differed from place to place. By the middle of 20th century, the means of communication improved slightly, and what was vaguely known from the Hadith of Kuraib (Muslim) became a reality. Muslims realized that Ramadan or Eid crescent moon is not seen in all Muslim countries or towns on the same solar date. In 1980s, the Muslims were told (Afzal: 1987, Ilyas 1989) that the moon normally takes 2-3 days to become visible over the populated regions of the globe. Depending on the most northerly or southerly ecliptic latitude the moon sometimes may not be seen until five days after the conjunction. The Muslims living in England and Scotland experienced it for decades. Bickering about which country or town started Ramadan or had Eid on the correct date intensified in1940s. By then, the “unity of Muslim Ummah” – a political need also became an obsession. Fuqaha used to justify the discrepancy of dates by Ikhtilaaf al-Mataali. But Shakir (1939) believed the “eye-witnesses” were the reason; the Ummah would unite if the Islamic dates were fixed by the “exact” (Qata’i) New Moon. In 1966, Gamal Nasser convinced the Ulema in Egypt that the New Moon is the Hilal of the Qur’an and that there is no need to wait for the moon’s actual visibility. The knowledge of the existence of moon on the horizon is sufficient to begin the Islamic month from the sunset on the conjunction date. Egypt set the limit of “at least five minutes after the sun on the conjunction date” to declare the beginning of Islamic date in Egypt. In 1986, Egypt further reduced five minutes lag to ONE minute after the sunset. To justify one date for the whole country or for all Arab nations, “Sharing the night” argument was invented. Both the “Unity” and “Sharing the night” rules clearly violated the Shariah norms and the consensus of the Ummah besides the physical facts of lunar visibility. Qaradawi (1987, 2005) went a step further to declare the beginning of Ramadan from the visible solar eclipse at noon. Ulema, the Muslim calendar-makers and political leadership ignored numerous facts including the following: 1. The conjunction does not occur at sunset (in Makka?) when Islamic date is suppose to begin. It happens at all times from mid-day to mid-night. 2. A calendar date must start from a fixed point in time and from a fixed location on earth every month. 3. A lunar date or an Islamic month cannot start from the conjunction as its time and place constantly change every month and do not repeat for thousands of months. 4. The Earth is a globe, and the Night is a continuum. The whole globe shares the same night. Fast by Sighting the Moon Uniform global lunar dates require lunar visibility from a) a fixed lunar dateline and b) a fixed time (sunset) to commence the Islamic date (Afzal: 1987, IIIT Herndon VA). It must also consider the following physical visibility factors:
Muslim experts have to find solutions to several knotty issues before proposing a unified global Hijri Calendar. Accurate Moon sighting Information:
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