Our Ramadan Moon Sighting Article and Response to it
The Light (UK), November 2005 Issue (pp. 2–3)
At the beginning of Ramadan, the A.A.I.I.L. (U.K.) published a brief note on this topic after Saudi Arabia, and most countries in the Middle East, declared the first day of Ramadan as Tuesday 4th October, 2005 under the claim that the new moon had been observed on Monday evening. We pointed out that Muslim moon-sighting websites (moon sighting.com and hilal-sighting.com) had announced beforehand, on the basis of astronomical data, that it would be impossible to see the moon anywhere in the world on Monday evening, although the birth of the new moon had taken place at 10.27 GMT on Monday.
Here we make clear that we have no objection to anyone starting Ramadan on Tuesday (while we started on Wednesday), but what is highly objectionable and quite improper is for the false claim to be made that this date was set due to the moon being sighted on Monday. They should say plainly that they follow the time of the birth of the new moon (which can only be known by calculation, not observation), and don’t wait for its visibility. If they declare this, they would be doing a service to the Muslim world, and we would also follow the date announced by them.
Regrettably, this is another of those many instances of trying to pander to the ignorant, obsolete thinking of the religious leaders. The authorities of those countries dare not say that their determination is based on the birth of the new moon and not on its visibility to the human eye, lest they incur the wrath of the religious circles. So, they maintain a false pretence that the moon was seen. We are condemned as going against Islam for suggesting that moon sighting by eye is not necessary, yet those who invent false sightings to cover up the fact that they don’t rely on seeing the crescent are regarded as the authentic Muslim authorities.
When our published note was circulated, the following two were among the responses from our Jamaats [branches] around the world.
From Suriname, Khaliel Ghafoerkhan wrote:
“In our country Suriname, Eid ul Fitr is a National Holiday. Every year the Government of Suriname is facing the same problem to predetermine the Hilal [new crescent moon] and consequently the Holiday. The Majlis Muslimeen (of which we are not a member) advises the Government on the basis of astronomy and reckoning two weeks before Eid ul Fitr. However, many of their members also prefer to see the moon!
“The Sunni majority also use their naked eyes to see the lunar crescent and sometimes they ignore seeing the moon only not to start fasting on the same day with us (SIV-Lahore)!
“As a result, every now and then, we have two days of celebrating Eid: a National Holiday and the next day! We cannot agree with you more that they bring Islam and themselves into ridicule.
“We compliment you for the correct way the UK Jamaat pre-determines the new moon. Imagine that the world would start New Year on Jan. 2 or 3! What chaos would be on earth! But Muslims have no qualms to start a new month after 24 to 55 hours. This time we had our first Taraweeh-prayers on Monday, Oct. 3 and we commenced fasting on Tuesday Oct. 4.”
From Guyana, Mansoor Baksh:
“In Guyana we have a similar problem. However, the Ahmadiyya Jamaat uses calculations to determine the beginning of Ramadan. It was Maulana Kemal Hydal from Trinidad who did extensive research in this field. Through close contact with him and Maulvi Rasheed the Guyana Ahmadiyya Jamaat was able to establish itself as the Jamaat that correctly predicts the appearance of the New Moon.
“When I got involved in making the calendar for the Anjuman that tradition continued. I started using Mooncalc, a computer program available on the Internet to calculate the appearance of the new moon and Islamic dates.
“The Ahmadiyya Jamaats in Guyana sometimes (though very rarely) have Eid on different days from the others. They rarely see the moon for the first day of Ramadan but they hardly miss it on the first day for Eid. So, we would normally start a day before but we usually end on the same day.
“According to our calculations this year, Ramadan began on Wednesday October 5, 2005. Our first Tarawih was on Tuesday, 4th October, 2005. I think it is time now for the Ahmadiyya Jamaat globally to start and finish Ramadan on the same dates.”