It is sad that Ramadan 1434 is coming to an end. May Allah accept our fasts and prayers. Ameen! Now at the end of Ramadan like every Ramadan we must determine whether or not it is a 29-day month or a 30-day month by sighting the crescent of the Shawwal moon.
There are three basic opinions/positions:
- Calculations: Use science to determine the date.
- Global moon sighting: Wait for any part of the world to sight the moon.
- Local moon sighting: Wait for your locality (region/continent) to see the moon
- Local hemisphere: If moon sighted in South America, North America accepts.
- Local continent: If moon sighted in South America, North America does not accept.
For this year’s Ramadan, the moon was reported to have been sighted in Saudi Arabia. I first learned about this from a tweet by Shaykh Muhammad al-Arefe:
غداً الخميس عيد الفطر، عيدكم مبارك، اللهم تقبل منا أجمعين.. أقول لكلٍ منكم : رب اغفر لي وله واجمعنا في جنتك.. pic.twitter.com/Kuw91hm024
— د. محمد العريفي (@MohamadAlarefe) August 7, 2013
He attached this image with that tweet of the moon sighting:
It was officially announced by the committee that the moon was indeed sighted in Saudi Arabia:
Official Decision and Announcement of the High Judiciary Council of Saudi Arabia…
Just a short time ago, Fatwa-Online was informed of the official decision and announcement of the High Judiciary Council of Saudi Arabia that since the moon of Shawwaal was sighted this evening, here in Saudi Arabia, we have completed twenty nine (29) days of Ramadhaan (1434 A.H.), in accordance with the hadeeth of the Messenger of Allaah (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam):
((Fast when you see the crescent. If it is obscured to you, then complete thirty days of Sha’baan. And break your fast when you see the crescent. If it is obscured to you then fast thirty days)), [transmitted by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim].
Subsequently, we shall be celebrating ‘Eed al-Fitr tomorrow, Thursday 8th August 2013, inshaa.-Allaah.
Source: Fatwa-online.com
The interesting part is that according to the visibility report of what parts of the world can see the crescent moon does not include Saudi Arabia:
Is it possible for someone in Saudi Arabia to see the crescent with the naked eye against what the astronomical reports suggests? If this was the case, wouldn’t this be breaking news to Astronomers and scientists in this field? NASA would love to learn about this amazing phenomena.
Perhaps Allah in His wisdom and power decided to position the moon to be easily visibly to the naked eye in Saudi Arabia and not in Australia or South Africa (Which by the way scientifically had a better chance to see the moon than Saudi Arabia).
I believe Allah is all powerful and can do whatever He wants, but this has to be an amazing miracle to give Saudi Arabians the ability to see the crescent moon with the naked eye contrary to science!
NASA needs to got Saudi Arabia and check this out!
Aug 07, 2013 @ 23:38:09
From Moonsighting.com…
15.2 Question: Your visibility maps (showing lunar visibility across the planet) many times show that Saudi Arabia is out of visibility zone, yet Saudi announcement comes they have seen the moon. Is there a possibility that your calculation have some error? (August 2012)
Answer: One Explanation: We recently found out that many a times Saudi sightings were before sunset. Saudi desert areas have been known to be without any city lights, or city pollution. It is well known that Saudi Bedouins (Baddoos) see stars in the day time. So, it is very possible that they see the new crescent moon before sunset (several hours before sunset). Plesae note that our visibility maps are calculated for visibility at local sunset time at every point on the globe for a specific date. All those calculations are based on the collected observation data after sunset (from 1860 AD to the present) from different locations on the globe. These data are not from desert areas with no city lights and no city pollution. The data of observations we have were all from cities which have city lights and after sunset. We do not have any data for sighting before sunset. New evidence show that Saudi claims of sighting comes from desert areas and many times the sightings were before sunset. We, at moonsighting.com started calculating the possibility of sighting before sunset, and our finding (under the special consideraion of Saudi desert areas) for sighting possibility before sunset was a big surprise. The moon being few degrees above the horizon before sunset may have been seen, which would set in a short time and would not be visible if people try to see it after sunset. It should also be noted that the new crescent moon in desert areas with dry climate and no city lights would have very different refraction effects.
My scintific basis to believe such sightings are three things; elongation being more than Danjon limit, thickness of the crescent more than 0.11 arcminutes and human optics of desert dwellers. Human optics cannot be put in calculations. On this scientific basis I think sightings before sunset may be possible. Such moon may not be seen if the observer waits to see after sunset because many a times, it sets while Muslims still are praying Maghrib prayer, thus making it invisible after sunset.
You can see our recent preliminary visibility analyses for actual Saudi dates on http://www.moonsighting.com/actual-saudi-dates.html from 1427AH to the present at the bottom of that page. (September 2012)
Link: http://moonsighting.com/faq_ms.html#visibility
Aug 07, 2013 @ 23:53:54
JazakAllah khair! This is a very good explanation.
Aug 09, 2013 @ 18:26:33
I have been in the south Jordan desert-yes, you can see stars in daytime, and it is unimaginable the clarity of the desert sky.
Aug 09, 2013 @ 18:28:49
ماشاءالله
Are there photos that people take in the desert?
Aug 11, 2013 @ 20:51:26
As-Salaamu `Alaykum,
That is a pertinent question. I would like to read Moonsighting.com response.
Hamid
Aug 12, 2013 @ 19:07:20
As Salamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh.
Being a general Muslim what I know is that it is our responsibility to look for the Hilal after the 29th day of any month finishes with sunset and we have to search for the Hilal after offering Salatul Maghrib.
Now coming to the specific case you mentioned in your post, i think the ‘moon’ here would be the ‘Qamar’ of Ramazan, not the ‘Hilal’ for Shawwal because it was seen before sunset.
Now, if the ‘moon’ stays in the sky for a very small period of time so that Muslims may miss it after offering Salatul Maghrib, are they allowed to look for it before sunset? Is it the custom of Rasulullahi Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam and Khulafaur Rashidun?