Why SIEA decides Ramadan & Eid days in advance?
Solihull Muslims agreed 76.2% vs 23.8% in a survey done in 2019 to follow Scientific calculation to decide start & end of Ramadan
Astronomical sites tell that the April 2023 crescent moon would be visible in parts of Canada and Americas Thursday 20th, hence Eid Friday 21st.
Also It means that it’s certainly born. (These sites also tell about the visibility of the crescent of each month all year round and for future years to come)
A Hadith (read below) tells that Allah prolongs it’s size/period of visibility so people could see it and that explains why it’s seen in Middle East.
SIEA follow the method of ISNA (Islamic Society of North America). ISNA don’t do moon sightings. They decide on moon certain visibility.
Only mazhab Shafie allow local visibility while Hanafi, Maliki & Hanbali accept any shariah complied visibility no matter where it is seen across the globe. Shafie Scholar “AL-Shikheer الشخير Allows the use of astronomical calculation if done scientifically (but by future tellers منجمين)
According to Hadith
Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “Fast when it’s (moon) seen and break your fast when it’s (moon) seen, and if the weather is cloudy treat Sha‘ban as having thirty days.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)
وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «صُومُوا لِرُؤْيَتِهِ وَأَفْطِرُوا لِرُؤْيَتِهِ فَإِنْ غم عَلَيْكُم فَأَكْمِلُوا عِدَّةَ شَعْبَانَ ثَلَاثِينَ»
مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ
Also calculation allowed in this Hadith
It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
‘When you see the new crescent, fast, and when you see it, stop fasting. If it is cloudy then calculate it”
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مَرْوَانَ، مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُثْمَانَ الْعُثْمَانِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ سَالِمِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ “ إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ الْهِلاَلَ فَصُومُوا وَإِذَا رَأَيْتُمُوهُ فَأَفْطِرُوا . فَإِنْ غُمَّ عَلَيْكُمْ فَاقْدُرُوا لَهُ ”.
Grade: Sahih (Darussalam), Reference : Sunan Ibn Majah 1654
When it’s seen in Middle East while others say visibility is impossible to see explained in this Hadith:
Abul Bakhtari said:
We went out to perform the ‘umra, and when we encamped in the valley of Nakhla we tried to see the new moon. Some of the people said it was three nights old and others that it was two nights old. We then met Ibn ‘Abbas and told him we had seen the new moon, but that some of the people said it was three nights old and others that it was two nights old. He asked what night we had seen it, and when we told him we had seen it on such and such a night he said, “God’s messenger deferred it (prolonged its size & period of visibility) to be seen, so it is to be reckoned as being on the night you saw it.” In a version he said: We saw the new moon of Ramadan when we were in Dhat ‘Irq* and we sent a man to Ibn ‘Abbas to enquire of him. He replied that God’s messenger had said, “God most high has deferred it till it is seen, but if the weather is cloudy observe the fast after the complete number of days you have calculated .” Muslim transmitted it.
وَعَنْ أَبِي الْبَخْتَرِيِّ قَالَ: خَرَجْنَا لِلْعُمْرَةِ فَلَمَّا نَزَلْنَا بِبَطْنِ نَخْلَةَ تَرَاءَيْنَا الْهِلَالَ. فَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْقَوْمِ: هُوَ ابْنُ ثَلَاثٍ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْقَوْمِ: هُوَ ابْنُ لَيْلَتَيْنِ فَلَقِينَا ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ فَقُلْنَا: إِنَّا رَأَيْنَا الْهِلَالَ فَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْقَوْمِ: هُوَ ابْنُ ثَلَاثٍ وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْقَوْمِ: هُوَ ابْنُ لَيْلَتَيْنِ. فَقَالَ: أَيُّ لَيْلَةٍ رَأَيْتُمُوهُ؟ قُلْنَا: لَيْلَةَ كَذَا وَكَذَا. فَقَالَ: إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَدَّهُ لِلرُّؤْيَةِ فَهُوَ لِلَيْلَةِ رَأَيْتُمُوهُ وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ عَنْهُ. قَالَ: أَهَلَلْنَا رَمَضَانَ وَنَحْنُ بِذَاتِ عِرْقٍ فَأَرْسَلْنَا رَجُلًا إِلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ يَسْأَلُهُ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «إِن الله تَعَالَى قد أَمَدَّهُ لِرُؤْيَتِهِ فَإِنْ أُغْمِيَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَأَكْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ» . رَوَاهُ مُسلم
حديث صَحِيح :
Reference : Mishkat al-Masabih
Method according to ISNA and Fiqh council of North America
If moon is born before 12noon GMT it will be visible from USA & tomorrow is Ramadan/Eid/1st day of next lunar months
If moon is born after 12pm GMT the day after tomorrow is Ramadan/Eid
Since 2006, we followed this method in Solihull it’s perfect and amazingly the new crescent was ALWAYS seen even in Middle East and it was visible easily in USA.
In SIEA survey 5 years ago 76.2% of SIEA contacts& Solihull Muslims voted to follow this method.
Shawwal crescent will be born 4:12am GMT إن شاء الله on 20/4/2023
Best regards
Dr. Issam Ghannam
Chairman
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According to Holy Quran and Hadith Sahih
Shawwal moon birth seen in Australia Eclipse this morning at 4:12 GMT on 20/4/2021
https://apple.news/ADs8vTvkTSvi8pK2zGU0vog
And was seen by millions
Calculation is always right
Crescent sightseeing is only allowed if you are illiterate according to Hadith
Narrated Ibn `Umar:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “We are an illiterate nation; we neither write, nor know accounts. The month is like this and this, i.e. sometimes of 29 days and sometimes of thirty days.”
حَدَّثَنَا آدَمُ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا الأَسْوَدُ بْنُ قَيْسٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ ابْنَ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ قَالَ “ إِنَّا أُمَّةٌ أُمِّيَّةٌ، لاَ نَكْتُبُ وَلاَ نَحْسُبُ الشَّهْرُ هَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا ”. يَعْنِي مَرَّةً تِسْعَةً وَعِشْرِينَ، وَمَرَّةً ثَلاَثِينَ.
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 1913
But once educated you know both the Sun & moon movements follow precisely calculated formula
Allah SW said:
الرحمن – الآية 5
الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍ
( 1 ) The Most Merciful
( 2 ) Taught the Qur’an,
( 3 ) Created man,
( 4 ) [And] taught him eloquence.
( 5 ) The sun and the moon [move] by precise calculation,
( 6 ) And the stars and trees prostrate.
Origin is calculating moon’s movements
If you are lacking astronomical knowledge use moonsighting