ICOI Decision on ‘Eid-ul-Fitr 1429/2008
Islamic Center of Irvine in conjunction with Orange County Islamic Foundation in Mission Viejo and Masjid-Al-Rahman in Garden Grove have agreed over the past 4 years that …
- If there is universal consensus about the sighting of the moon for the beginning or end of Ramadan, then we bind ourselves to that.
- In the absence of such consensus, we go with the consensus or majority decision of scholars in our country
- If there is dissension locally then these three mosques which are in the same proximity would go with the best available decision.
According to moonsighting.com …“The Astronomical New Moon is on Monday, September 29, 2008 at 8:12 GMT, 4:12 am EDT, 1:12 am PDT). It will not be visible on September 29 except small possibility in Ploynesian Islands. On Tuesday, September 30, it will be visible in New Zealand Australia, Indonesia, South Asia, Africa and Americas. In North America on September 30, it can be seen in Southern belt states.”
Please note that is was scientifically impossible to see the moon in Saudi Arabia. The moon set before sunset and moon age was only less than 7 hours.
* (see article by Mufti Taqi ‘Usmani below)
The consensus of scholars in our country has been stated …
Eid al-Fitr 1429: October 1, 2008: “The Astronomical New Moon for Shawwal is on Monday, September 29, 2008 at 8:12 GMT, 4:12 am EDT, 1:12 am PDT). According to the criteria adopted by the Fiqh Council of North America, and European Council for Fatwa and Research, [the conjunction before sunset and moon setting after sunset in Makkah] the first day of Shawwal is on Wednesday, October 1, 2008.”
- If there is universal consensus about the sighting of the moon for the beginning or end of Ramadan, then we bind ourselves to that.
- In the absence of such consensus, we go with the consensus or majority decision of scholars in our country
- If there is dissension locally then these three mosques which are in the same proximity would go with the best available decision.
Scientific evidence indicates that it is impossible for the moon to be sighted on Monday September 29th, except with the vague possibility of it being sighted in the Polynesian Islands (south west of Hawai).
According to moonsighting.com …“The Astronomical New Moon is on Monday, September 29, 2008 at 8:12 GMT, 4:12 am EDT, 1:12 am PDT). It will not be visible on September 29 except small possibility in Ploynesian Islands. On Tuesday, September 30, it will be visible in New Zealand Australia, Indonesia, South Asia, Africa and Americas. In North America on September 30, it can be seen in Southern belt states.”
Please note that is was scientifically impossible to see the moon in Saudi Arabia. The moon set before sunset and moon age was only less than 7 hours.
* (see article by Mufti Taqi ‘Usmani below)
The consensus of scholars in our country has been stated …
Eid al-Fitr 1429: October 1, 2008: “The Astronomical New Moon for Shawwal is on Monday, September 29, 2008 at 8:12 GMT, 4:12 am EDT, 1:12 am PDT). According to the criteria adopted by the Fiqh Council of North America, and European Council for Fatwa and Research, [the conjunction before sunset and moon setting after sunset in Makkah] the first day of Shawwal is on Wednesday, October 1, 2008.”
http://www.isna.net/events/Special-Announcement/FCNA-ANNOUNCES-EID-AL-FITR.aspx
The local SHURA Council sent out this message today
“The Islamic Shura Council of Southern California reaffirms its decision that the day of Eid –ul- Fitr is Wednesday, October 1, 2008. The decision is not based on any country's announcement but based on undisputable scientific evidence. There was no possibility of sighting the crescent in Saudi Arabia. The moon was not on the horizon this evening after sunset. Often the planet Mercury, above the horizon is confused with the moon.”
Our Religious Director has personally been in touch with the leaders of the various masajid in our locality and has confirmed from Dr Muzammil Siddiqi, Brother Mazhar Zubayri, Sheikh Yassir Fazaga, and Sayyed Mustafa Qazwini and each one of these the mosques in the Irvine area (ICOI, Tustin Masjid al-Falah, OCIF and IECOC ) will be celebrating ‘Eid-ul-Fitr on Wednesday October 1st, Insha-Allah.
* Moon Sighting Announcements in Saudi Arabia
by Mufti Taqi Usmani
(Responding to a question posted in 1998 that referred to the controversy surrounding the announcement of the sighting of the crescent moon over Saudi Arabia for the start of the month despite the overwhelming scientific evidence indicating impossibility of sighting the moon on that day in Saudi Arabia.)
A.) Thank you for your letter asking me about the issue of sighting of moon at the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr and about the acceptability of evidence despite its being impossible according to the astronomical calculations. In fact the contemporary scholars have different views on this point.
I personally believe that if it is certainly proved that the moon is not yet born and its sighting is not at all possible on a particular evening, the evidence of only a few persons should not be taken as a proof of existence of moon at the horizon and the Ramadan or ‘Eid should not be started on that basis alone unless there is evidence of people in overwhelming numbers that they themselves have seen the moon in which case it may be said that there was something wrong in the astronomical calculation. But in the absence of such an evidence, the only evidence of two or some more persons should not be relied upon. This view of mine is based on the ruling given by a large number of jurists that if the horizon is clear the evidence of two persons is not enough for proving a crescent moon unless it is established by the evidence of a great number of people about whom it is not is not imaginable that they may have connived to give a false evidence. The requirement of such overwhelming evidence in this case is based on the common sense that if the horizon is clear the moon must have been seen by a large number of people and merely the evidence of two persons is doubtful. By the analogy, if the astronomical calculation proved that new moon cannot be sighted on a particular day the evidence of a few people should not be relied upon. …..http://www.albalagh.net/