Imam’s Shurah Council of New England
United Ramadan Effort
September 30, 2005
Imams of greater Boston and New England have formed a moon sighting council in an effort to insure that the Muslim Community in New England will be able to enjoy the blessings of Ramadan this year, and for every period of worship that we as a community must look for the sighting of the Hilal ( The Crescent Moon).
We have decided not to accept the sighting of a single country or person due to the conflicting and sometimes dubious reports that we have had to deal with in past years.
We will accept reports of sightings from a majority of selected Muslim countries that either claim to have seen or not seen the Crescent. This will enable us to be better prepared by hours to declare the commencement of Ramadan, the Hajj season or to be secure as regards each of our months throughout the year.
We will not be bound by scientific calculations but will consider scientific information as regards the possibility of a claim that the crescent has been sighted.
We are also planning to establish a local moon sighting committee in an effort to sight the moon in our own region (New England). At present we are unprepared and will rely on the method of Accepting a qualified report from another region of the world.
Your cooperation as a community is essential to our collective success.
Imams who have accepted this method are listed below:
* Imam Abdur Rasaq Hashi, Masjid Taqwa, Boston Ma.
* Imam Hafiz Masood, Islamic Center of N.E. Sharon Ma
* Imam Hamid Mahmood, Islamic Society of Greater Worcester
* Imam Hafiz Abdul Hannan, Lowell Ma.
* Imam Taalib Mahdee, Masjid Al Quran, Boston Ma.
* Sheikh Abdel Rahman Mohamed, Allston Brighton Islamic Center, Boston Ma.
* Imam Abdul Hamid Bourote, Allston Brighton Islamic Center, Boston Ma.
* Imam Abdullah Faaruuq, Masjidu li Hamdillah, Boston Ma.
* Imam Basyouny Nehala, Islamic Society of Boston, Cambridge Ma.
* Imam Talal Eid, Islamic Institute of Boston, Quincy Ma.
* Imam Wissam Springfield Ma.
* Imam Salih, Revere Ma.
* Imam Abdul Hamid, Providence R.I.
For information on the beginning of Ramadan and Eid this year visit
www.MosquepraiseAllah.com or www.Lookera.com
Contact your local Masjid for Prayer schedule
You can also call Mosque for the Praising of Allah on 617-442-2805
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HISTORY
NEW ENGLAND IMAMS COUNCIL
POLICY DECISION ON MOON-SIGHTING
Sha’aban 25, 1426 / September 28, 2005.
Dear Muslim brothers and sisters in New England {Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont},
We all recognize “moon-sighting” as an issue that has created a great deal confusion, disagreement and, sometimes, dispute and frustration within our communities. Regardless of what have been the causes for this situation to have existed a genuine and reliable solution is needed.
By “genuine and reliable solution” we mean a solution that is:
a- Religiously valid; the principles of Islamic Jurisprudence are duly taken into account while adopting it,
b- Consistent; you apply it for all twelve months of the year; follow it every year; you do not keep ‘switching’ from one way to the other,
c- Harmonious; it will bring uniformity among the centers of the region, involve the largest part of our amazingly diverse community; and thus ensures unity of Muslims the this area, and
d- Official; it comes from a qualified religious authority or body in this case; for the issue is purely religious and has nothing to do with politics.
A council of Imams is the answer to these kinds of concerns whether it is moon-sighting or any other religious issue. It is very important, therefore, that all the Muslims stand together behind their leadership and show their solidarity, especially at this point of time when they are faced by an unprecedented need to observe unity and collaboration.
Here is the statement of Imams Council regarding their moon policy:
Mainly, we find two conventions in the Islamic jurisprudence on the crescent issue, of which we may adopt either, provided we are consistent: ikhtilaful-matali’e (regional moon-sighting) and ittehadul-matali’e (global moon-sighting).
What we mean by “region” under the concept of ikhtilaful-matali’e, however, is not North America’! North America could be numerous ‘regions’ instead, in case we really mean to follow this ikhtilaful-matali’e. A “region” according to this fiqhi convention is not a “continent”. Neither is it a political entity (Medina was under Damascus caliphate according to the hadith the people of ikhtilaful-matali’e refer to). The position that the traditionally known method of ‘ikhtilaful-matali’e’ is sufficient as a moon-sighting for the whole North American continent is incorrect. It becomes even more difficult when they try to derive the essentiality of ‘one local sighting for all of North America when we consider the hadith of Kuraib (Muslim: 1819) according to which Abdullah Bin Abbas, while living in Medina, had disregarded the sighting of Damascus! The distance of Medina from Damascus, as we know, is short in comparison to the distance between Boston and Arizona! How can it be one ‘moon locality’ according to Hadith of Ibn Abbas!? If we have to go with ikhtilaful-matali’e, then Nevada should be as irrelevant, for us living in Boston, as Makkah. And if we go with ittehadul-matali’e, then Makkah is as relevant as Nevada.
As a matter of fact, no one here ever follows ikhtilaful-matali’e (regional moon) in its real technical sense. Ikhtilaful-matali’e in its true sense would only apply on a smaller locality like Massachusetts or, at the most, New England.
Our only other option is: ittehadul-matali’e (global moon-sighting). We do not find, however, any basis for a ‘continental moon-sighting’ as such in the texts of our Fiqh.
Based on the facts that: (a) there is no system of regional moon-sighting within our locality (New England) already in place, (b) it will take long time to put such a system if we decide to to follow this fiqhi option, and (c) we are allowed to adopt the other fiqhi convention i.e. ikhtilaful-matali’e (global sighting), which is actually the ‘madhab of jamhur’ (majority opinion among the Muslim jurists) and which has more reasons to be followed in our age of communication than ever before, we the Imams Council of New England decide to adopt the fiqhi opinion of ittehadul-matali’e i.e. looking for reliable moon reports from all around the world.
To apply this opinion, however, we will follow certain method and criteria:
Because of the absence of a central authority or even collaboration among Muslim countries throughout the world, it is not easy to check the moon-sighting claims done by different Muslim countries as regards their reliability and transparency. There are concerns at large about religious affairs being influenced by ‘politics’. Moreover, some countries fail to acknowledge established scientific information, undisputable astronomical facts. All this makes it difficult to accept a moon report coming from a single country. We would, instead, look for some supporting evidences such as a reasonable part of the Muslim Ummah or a considerable number of Muslim communities all over the world endorsing, accepting, sharing or supporting such a report. Having done that, the Imams Council will announce whether or not it will accept a moon sighting report for our local.
It is therefore announced that all the Muslims in this area, more particularly those who are affiliated to the mosques undersigned, shall only follow this policy decision of Imams’ Council. The ‘Date Determining Committee’ of Imams council shall be meeting on the 29th evening of every lunar month to review the moon-sighting reports and look into the supporting evidences, and then issue its statement about moon. Council’s decision about a new moon shall be available through its own website and through the centers affiliated to the council before the taraweeh prayers time.
May Allah bless us with guidance and unity.
1- Imam Abdullah Faaruuq, Masjidu li Hamdillah Boston MA.
Ameer, Imams Council
2- Talib Mahdi, Masjid Al Quran Boston Ma
3- Sh. Basyoni, Nehala Islamic Society of Boston.
4- Hafiz Masood, ICNE, Sharon.
5- Wisam A. Baki, Springfield Ma. mosque
6- Abdul Hannan, Lowell Ma.
7- Muhammad Wadeed, Rhode Island
8- Hamid Mahmood, Worcester Islamic Center
9-. Saifullah, Springfield Ma.
10- Imam Imran Muhammad of Burlington
11- Imam Abdul Hameed, Rhode Island
12- Imam Abdur Rasaq, Hashi, Masjid Taqwa, Boston Ma.
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