People Not Celebrating Eid with Saudis are Qadiani-ANP Leader
Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.
PESHAWAR: Minister for Railways Ghulam Ahmad Bilour has said those who are fasting on Sunday stand by the side of Qadianis and ‘we’ can only be Muslims if we celebrate Eid with Saudi Arabia.
He said this while talking after offering Eid prayers on Sunday, according to a private TV channel.
‘Some Ulemas have made Eid a matter of their ego while this is not in any way a question of someone’s prestige. This is a religious matter, as the Eid moon was sighted in Lahore and Karachi and later the NWFP government announced to celebrate Eid,’ he underlined.
‘We should celebrate Eid ul Fitr with Saudi Arabia and this way no conflict or dispute would emerge. Those who are not celebrating Eid on Sunday are politicking. When there are no differences over Eid-ul-Azha then why it does arise on Eid-ul-Fitr’, he questioned.
He was of the view it was a grave sin to fast on Eid Day, adding those who observed fasting on Sunday they were on the side of Qadianiat.
‘Muslims all over the world should have to associate themselves with Makkah and Madinah,’ he stressed. –Online
My comment:
I do not know when Qadianis celebrated their Eid ul-Fitar this year, but we members of Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement (LAM) in USA celebrated our Eid on Sunday September 20, 2009.
I am somewhat disappointed with ANP leader. Their founder Wali Khan did not sign 2nd constitutional Amendment in 1974 that declared both LAM and Qadianis a non-Muslim.
Readers may like to read comments that followed above news item:
http://pkpolitics.com/2009/09/20/people-not-celebrating-eid-with-sauids-are-qadianis-anp-leader/
From Ikram:
Lo and behold! Even cinema owner politicians are now issuing fatwas in Pakistan. No surprises here when the targets are Qadianis again. What a despicable state of affairs.
Fatwas are most frequently used to spew venom and hate at their victims. There is no room for such attacks in Quran:
16:116. And do not say because of the lies which your tongues utter, `This is lawful and that is unlawful,’ lest you should forge a lie against Allâh. Those who forge lies against Allâh will never attain the goal.
16:117. (Though in forging lies) they may enjoy themselves for a brief spell in this life, yet a grievous punishment awaits them (in the Hereafter).
The target of a fatwa, on the other hand, is protected to speak up against such hate-mongerers:
4:148. Allâh does not like the public utterance of the hurtful speech, except (it is by) one who has been done injustice to. And Allâh is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
[The Holy Quran – Translation by Allama Nooruddin]
From Zahid Aziz:
It was simply impossible for the new moon to have been sighted anywhere in Pakistan on Saturday. It was as impossible as someone seeing the sun after sunset!
As to Saudi Arabia, Muslim astronomers and others who take an interest in this subject have come to realise, especially in the last 5 years, that the Saudi government declares the sighting of the new moon when it is impossible for it to have appeared. It’s fine if the Saudi govt. say that they use some other criterion than actual visibility (i.e. calculation). But the claim that it has been sighted is completely unfounded and false.
Since 1978 I have been responsible for setting the Ramadan and Eid dates for the U.K. Lahore Ahmadiyya Jamaat, usually several months or years in advance. Many others, including the Qadiani Jamaat, use a different criterion and they are a day later than us. We do not say that our date is right and their date is wrong. We say that we and they are using different criteria. May Allah accept their fasts and grant them a happy Eid, on the days different from us!
What is wrong is to claim that you are basing it on visibility, and then declare it as seen on your king’s instructions when visibility is impossible because the moon simply is not there.
From Rashid:
Dr. Zahid Aziz or anyone else, please post COMPLETE hadith regarding Moon Sighting. Thanks.
From Zahid Aziz:
In the Muhsin Khan translation of Sahih al-Bukhari:
Volume 3, Book 31, Number 131:
Narrated Abdullah bin Umar:
Allah’s Apostle said, “The month (can be) 29 nights (i.e. days), and do not fast till you see the moon, and if the sky is overcast, then complete Sha’ban as thirty days.”
Volume 3, Book 31, Number 133:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet or Abu-l-Qasim said, “Start fasting on seeing the crescent (of Ramadan), 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.”
Maulana Muhammad Ali quotes the same two hadith in A Manual of Hadith, and comments as follows:
“The interval between one new moon and the next is sometimes twenty-nine days and sometimes thirty. If there is cloud or mist, and the new moon cannot be seen, there are two ways suggested to determine its appearance; either thirty days may be completed , or the appearance of the new moon may be determined by calculation based on the course of the moon. According to another hadith (Bukhari, 30 : 13), the Arabs did not keep an account of the course of the moon, and therefore the easier way for them was to complete the interval of thirty days. It follows, therefore, that it is not forbidden for a people who keep the account to determine the appearance of the moon from its course. This would bring about more uniformity in the observance of the `Id in one country. Wireless [i.e. radio], however, has made uniformity possible even in the actual appearance of the moon is depended upon.”
From Rashid:
Dr. Zahid Aziz wrote: It was simply impossible for the new moon to have been sighted anywhere in Pakistan on Saturday. It was as impossible as someone seeing the sun after sunset!
Chief Meteorologist of Pakistan Arif Mahmud supports Dr. Zahid Aziz statement in TV talk show. Please watch it at 17 minutes.
In the same program Dr Muhammad Farooq Khan Ph.D is suggesting taking help of science in figuring Moon sighting and Eid dates. Please watch it at 26 minutes and 40 seconds:
http://pkpolitics.com/2009/09/20/jirga-20-september-2009/
Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) largest Muslim society in USA announced, in advance of recent Ramadan:
First day of Ramadan will be Saturday, August 22, 2009
and Eid ul-Fitr on Sunday, September 20, 2009, inshaAllah.
http://www.isna.net/events/Special-Announcement/Ramadan-and-Eid-ul-Fitr-Announcement.aspx
My question:
Will one day Muslims of the world use Astro Physics science and Calculations to figure Eid date?
From Ikram:
Editorial: Eid discord attains another peak…
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009/09/21/story_21-9-2009_pg3_1
“As time passes the thin line of the first-day crescent may not be visible at all because of the pollution that goes up daily and covers the evening sky. We may actually be left quarrelling with each other over something that we can longer see, and not because it is not there.” [excerpted from the above link]
It only goes to prove that Pakistani society and its constitution are hostage to medieval Mullahs. These Mullahs cannot even agree on a physical phenomenon of a new moon. To expect them to be a source of intellectual enlightenment is like chasing horizon. Wake up Pakistan. Liberate yourself for the second time, but this time it should be liberty of intellect and reason. However, buyer beware, every independence movement risk fatwa of Kufr. Eid Mubarak.
A refreshing look:
http://www.dailywaqt.com/openlink.asp?ddir=210909&im=fp-03.jpg
No skull caps, no long beards (including of Imam). Just plain main stream Muslim congregation for Eid.
From Rashid:
Ruit-I-Hilal
Arabic language root word Ra’a also means to know, knowledge. Among the 5 human senses the most important one is ‘sight’ or ‘power to see’. Using this sense humans mostly gain knowledge. Root word Ra’a has been used in many places in Holy Quran.
Holy Quran Sura Al-Fil, verse 1: Hast thou not seen how thy Lord dealt with the possessors of the elephant?
The fact is that incident referred in this chapter Al-Fil took place before birth of Rasul Allah SAWS. So he did not see that. But he had the knowledge of it.
If we apply meaning of root word Ra’a i.e. Knowledge in word Ruit-I-Hilal in Hadiths about moon sighting provided by Dr. Zahid Aziz, then issue of moon sighting is resolved. As science helps us in calculating date of new moon i.e. Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr, and at the same time we are not rejecting the Hadith.
Once again, Ra’a means to know and gain knowledge and it does not have to be only gained by seeing. In this modern era humans gain knowledge by using mathematics and laws of science.
NASA (space agency of USA) has provided lunar calendar from 2000BCE to 4000CE.
According to it:
New moon for Ramadan was on August 20, 09 and First Fast should have been on August 21, 09. Similarly new moon for Shawwal was on September 18, 09 and Eid should have been on September 19, 09.
ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) acknowledge scientifically and mathematically correct dates of moon for Ramdan and Eid, but unfortunately they do not understand meaning of root word Ra’a and provide their reason for not starting Ramadan and celebrating Eid on correct dates. According to ISNA although the correct dates are different i.e. a day earlier but since it is not possible for human to see moon with eyes on first day so they start and end Ramadan a day later when moon stays long enough to be visible to human eye, before it sets, provided one is in a geographical location where moon is visible.
In Libya based on LCRSSS (Libyan Center for Remote Sensing and Space Science) astronomical calculations Ramadan started on August 21, 09 and Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated on Saturday September 19, 09.
In regard to Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr, I would say “ISNA-Shariat” is more accurate than “Pakistani-Shariat” and “Libyan-Shariat” is more accurate than “ISNA-Shariat”.
I would suggest Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement in non-Muslim countries should follow “NASA-Shariat” or “LCRSSS-Shariat” for start of Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr dates. This will be in accordance with Astro-Physics and Hadith.
I am sure a day will come, perhaps in 100 years, when all over the world Muslims will start Ramadan and celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr based on knowledge of science and still not find themselves violating Hadith.
Link to NASA lunar calendar:
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/phase/phases2001.html
Link to Libyan public holidays:
http://www.qppstudio.net/publicholidays2009/libya.htm
From Rashid:
Funny Video Clip
Eid controversy continues in Pakistan.
Please watch following Video at 36 seconds. The caption reads:
“80% of Sarhad (NWF province) are with the Merkaz (Federal Government) therefore according to Bilour (ANP leader) all are with Rabwah mean Qadiani”.
Link to video clip:
http://www.awaz.tv/
Enjoy!
Note by Zahid Aziz: The link above is showing the video at the moment, but as it is their home page it will probably change to something else later.
From Ikram:
Whether it was originally a bigoted fatwa or a Freudian slip, the time old adage comes true – “a vessel spills nothing but its contents.” How much can one mop up thereafter…
(in urdu) http://www.dailywaqt.com/openlink.asp?ddir=250909&im=bp-06.gif
Physical wounds do predictably heal but injured soul takes time to recover. May Allah forgive and rehabilitate this transgressing nation and give it insight to recognize its short comings towards progressive ideologies different than theirs – Amen.
From Dr. MAS:
I’ve downloaded the clip.
M.
From Rashid:
Bilor Statement in news quote provided by Ikram:
“In democracy there is majority, but not in Shariat”.
I wish someone could ask him, what happened in 1974?