Ramadan 2005
The Light (UK), October 2005 Issue (pp. 1–2)
Ramadan begins on Wednesday 5th October this year. Eid-ul-Fitr is on Friday 4th November. These have been set by your Jamaat according to the following data and method.
The birth of the new moon takes place (regardless of your location in the world) on 3rd October at 11.27 our time. We then examine the sunset and moonset times that evening in London and find that the moonset at 18.32 local time is before sunset at 18.33. If the moonset had been after sunset that evening, then we would take that as the beginning of the new month. We would also have taken that evening as the beginning of the new month if the moon had been at least 18 hours old, but it is not. Therefore, the evening when the new month begins is 4th October, and hence the first fast is on 5th October.
In case of Eid-ul-Fitr, it is a similar position. The birth of the new moon is on 2nd November at 01.23 our time and the moonset and sunset on the evening of 2nd November are at 16.20 and 16.31, respectively, local time. Therefore, we cannot take that evening as marking the start of the new month but it must be the next evening, 3rd November, making Eid as the 4th.
We use this method as there is no generally accepted and agreed method among Muslims for pre-determining the start of the new month. If there were agreement on some other scheme for pre-determination we would follow that.
We kindly request you not to cause confusion near the start of Ramadan or just before Eid by informing that other groups or countries are starting on the day before us or after us. It is now widely known that Saudi Arabia has often been declaring the new month too early. But, to be fair, Saudi Arab religious authorities say that other countries should make their own determination of the dates locally and not follow the Saudi announcements. However, the Central London Mosque always follows the Saudi dates, thus causing confusion as they did at the last Eid-ul-Adha in January and the Eid-ul-Fitr before in November 2004. This further encourages other Muslims in U.K. to follow the Saudi dates as well.
Based on previous experience, we have reasons to think that Saudi Arabia will hold Eid-ul-Fitr earlier than Friday 4th November. Firstly, they might start Ramadan on Tuesday 4th October, in which case they would have to hold Eid on 2nd or 3rd November. Secondly, even if they start Ramadan with us on 5th October, but as they prefer to avoid holding Eid on a Friday, they would declare Eid to be on Thursday 3rd November. Let us see what happens. It is regrettable that these futile discussions and controversies deflect us from the true purpose of Ramadan, which we describe below.