Ramadan 2013
The home page of the Central London Mosque is still displaying the message, as at 14.30 UK time, 8th July, that the 1st of Ramadan will be on either 9th or 10th July. "We will make the announcement the exact moment the new moon has been sighted", it says. The page informs us that we can join them on Facebook and be kept informed of all announcements from them.
It strikes one as strange, or incongruous, that it is not considered objectionable, in fact it is considered quite normal, to use the latest technology, such as the Internet, mobile devices etc., to try to find out news about the appearance of the new moon (if indeed their announcement is based on appearance and not on political partisanship), yet it is considered un-Islamic to use science and technology to calculate the same appearance well in advance.
From An Ahmadi:
Why did Mirza sahib (as) at first deny (1891) the concept of Mahdi, then all of a sudden he accepted it (1894) ???
Can anyone answer??
From Zahid Aziz:
Although this is not relevant to Ramadan, I will make a brief response. The premise in your question is not correct. So there is no question to answer.
From Omar Ahmad:
My esteemed brothers and sisters, Ramazan kareem to you and your families. May Allah accept our prayers of acceptance as Muslims in this land of yours.
Omar
From Omar Ahmad:
While there is a difference of opinion in this matter my comment is well received by the majority of people I know. Omar
This is my opinion. Omar
I agree Ramazan is a complex issue best left to the proletariat to decide since the law is clear it must be seen with the eye in your local area. As the fiqh council and ISNA decided it upon their wisdom there is room for discussion. The masses will follow the hadith of Prophet Mohammad SAW though they relegate it to the world wide view which I consider correct, since the masses know this matter the world is one nation nowadays due to communication we receive instantly.
Omar
From Zahid Aziz:
Today the Central London Mosque has announced that the 1st of Ramadan will be Wednesday 10th July 2013. Here is a link to their statement on their website.
This was the same date which I fixed at the end of last year, and which was then announced in our UK Jamaat Annual Planner for 2013.
Year after year since 1978, the dates for Ramadan and the Eids as worked out by an ordinary individual like me, who has no formal Islamic training or education, and announced months and years in advance by a Jamaat which is regarded as kafir, have proved correct on the last day when these great organisations representing millions of Muslims were holding last minute discussions!
From Omar Ahmad:
I am in agreement with you Mr. Zahid Aziz that the calculation of the moon can be determined by scientific calculation. However people have the mindset that Islam is fulfilled when they follow the call of our Prophet Muhammad SAW, in regard to its sighting rather than its calculation. While the calculation is required in observing our fasts the hadith is fulfilled and the mind is at ease only when the eye has seen the moon as calculations have been considered to incorrect at times when the idea was first formulated. As indicated above the mind is put to ease when our Lord and Savior has recommended we follow the aqueedah of our Prophet's conduct in our lives. For those with a heart of a simple nature it always helps to allay the state of intranquility when the witnessing of the moon is performed as the sun and the moon are his signs which involve our imagination from time immemoriable.
Omar
From Zahid Aziz:
Muslim specialists in this field, for example those who run the website http://www.moonsighting.com, have proved, again and again, that many sightings of the new moon that are reported are impossible. One of several examples is that in 2012 Saudi Arabia declared visibility of the moon for the start of Ramadan which was impossible, which I reported in this blog at the time. Please see this link.
Let us go back one more year to 2011. At this link in this blog please read the news item: "Saudi Arabia’s Mistake in Announcing Eid al-Fitr Angers Muslims Worldwide".
Research has shown that when people who look out to observe the new moon are asked to record data such as the time when they saw the new moon, the moon's location and its shape, it turns out that many of these observations are simply impossible.
These mistakes are of course observational errors due to lack of knowledge by individuals. In case of governments, especially Saudi Arabia, false announcements are knowingly made in order to manipulate the date for political reasons. So the interesting question is: When a reported sighting is in clear conflict with scientific data, which is right: the Muslim who claimed seeing the moon or the calculation?
If the calculation method is used, the scope for political manipulation disappears. The moon sighting issue is an issue of control and power, not of Islam or science. Boards of Ulama and Muslim governments want control over setting this date. They don't like principles (such as the principle that all those who recite the Kalima are Muslims), because accepting principles removes your power to do as you wish.