Q: assalam alaikum after the mosque committee decision on moon sighting i went throu the nasa sapace station moon data ,U.S. Nava Observatory Astronomical Applications Department. and salt lake city weather updates all of them had moon sighted on 19 july moon set at 9 pm and its visibility was 6 percent on the basis of this info unlike the commitee has just announced ,do u not think that commitee s decision in unjust with the knowledge already provided by these govt departments ? (email to site)
Answer (by Br Yasir Butt)
Walaikumsalam,
I see and feel your frustration yet realize your sincerity. However, consider the following:
According to the USNO (US Naval Observatory) and I quote Paragraph 1, sentence 6 and 7
” The record for an early sighting of a lunar crescent, with a telescope, is 12.1 hours after New Moon; for naked-eye sightings, the record is 15.5 hours from New Moon. These are exceptional observations and crescent sightings this early in the lunar month should not be expected as the norm.”
So, with the above cited how a person in their right mind would believe that the crescent was sighted when the new moon was born around 9-10 am MST in USA? You plug the numbers its non reliable statement that someone has seen it. (None are implying that you are not in your right mind, it is a mere rhetorical question for greater reflection upon this matter)
1-Fasting is an obligation (Fard Ayn) on able and adult Muslims (Male female) and it is tied to a specific time period determined by the advent of a new crescent moon in the sky as it is on the 9th lunar month that we fast. The criteria in the Quran for fasting is chp 2:185 is “Whosoever amongst you witnesses the month….”
In the above verse we learn that had it been (that witnessing a month) allocated as a sole responsibility for an astronomer well versed in the sciences, it would have created an elite class of people who would than dictate to the rest of the ordinary folks that Ramadhan is today or tomorrow. Hence the quran advocated guidance where a person like me and you with there Ipad’s and a farmer in a remote village (without communication) can equally start an act of worship without depending on an elite class of scientists!!!! and see the crescent on their own and be able to worship Allah on their own merit without dependency on a elite class of clergy.
Just like Allah allowed the use of water for wudu even though in developed countries we can further cleanse ourselves with more potent cleansers (like germ-x or hand sanitizers etc.) than water, why are we than just limited to water with wudu today, because it is an act of worship?
So a farmer in a remote village in a third world country and the mega millionaire in America are placed on equal footing, get it?
So we should stop practicing intellectual demagogy and let people be.
2-The decision was not made on whim. The reason it was made was that the crescent was not present to be sighted on the merits of the scientific data that was furnished and you have sited. Here are some websites that will provide further information.
http://www.wifaqululama.co.uk/
http://www.hilalcommittee.com/
http://www.crescentwatch.org/
You can join the above websites for monthly sightings with twitter, SMS, RSS…..
Good luck and thanks for your inquiry