Mosque for the Praising of Allah

Introduction: Please find below Fatwa on Hilal Sighting from the Muslim World League in Saudia Arabia. We at the Islamic Council of New England, Imams Shura Council (website) with the best of intention will make effort to comply with the Quran and Sunnah (as well as relying on Fatwa and Scholars from around the world to increase our understanding on the matters in hand).

This Fatwa document is available in Arabic and english and you can download it by clicking here.

Below is the English text of the Fatwa.

Fatwa Muslim World League 1981 Hilal Sighting Locality

Muslim World League – The 4th Meeting of the Council
From 7th of Rabi Al-Thani-l?”1 of Rabi Al-Thani 1401 Hijri
11th of Feb-21st of Feb 1981

All Praise be to Allah alone, and peace and salutations be on the one whom after
there is no Nabi (Prophet), there after (Amma Baa’d):
The Islamic Jurisprudence Council has studied the issue of Difference in Horizons
(local sighting) and establishing sighting criteria on it. The Council concluded Islam
is basically an easy and accommodating religion; this is what individuals with sound
nature, appropriate intellect follow since it yields benefits. In the matter of Moon
sighting Islam established its visual sighting over calculation as proven by the clear
evidences from the Shariah. Also, it adopted differences in horizons (local sighting)
since it is easier for the ordinary Muslims to follow, although that is the implication
upon detailed examination of the proofs. As for the promoters of unification of the
beginning of the fasting month and its end is concerned they are in opposition of what
is established by Shariah and sound intellect.

As far as the opposition to Shariah, the Scholars of hadith have narrated the hadith of
Kuraib which is
(Book 006, Number 2391added by translator)
Kuraib reported that Umm Fadl, daughter ofHarith, sent him (Fadl, L e. her son)
to Mu’awiya in Syria. I (Fadl) arrived in Syria, and did the needful for her. It was
there in Syria that the month of Ramadan commenced. I saw the new moon (of
Ramadan) on Friday. I then came back to Medina at the end of the month.
Abdullah b. ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) asked me (about the new moon of
Ramadan) and said: When did you see it? I said.: We saw it on the night of Friday.
He said: (Did) you see it yourself? -I said: Yes, and the people also saw it and they
observed fast and Mu’awiya also observed fast, whereupon he said: But we saw it
on Saturday night. So we would continue to observe fast till we complete thirty
(lasts) or we see it (the new moon ofShawwal). I said: Is the sightidg of the moon
by Mu’awiya not valid for you? He said: No; this is how the Messenger of Allah
(may peace be upon him) has commanded us.
Imam Nawawi Classified this hadith in his commentary on Sahih Muslim under the
heading “chapter for every country there is its own sighting, if the moon is sighted in
a country that sighting is not acceptable for far away countries” and none of the
authors of the six books of hadith who narrated the same hadith deviated from this
methodology in their classification for this hadith like Tirmidhi, Abu Daud and Al-
Nasa’i.

And Islam established the moon sighting by vision over all other means, because of
what was narrated by Ibn Omar in his hadith in Bukhari and Muslim.
(Book 006, Number 2363 added by the translator)

Ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with both of them) reported Allah ’s Messenger (may
peace be upon him) as saying in connection with Ramadan: Do not fast till you see
the new moon, and do not breakfast till you see it; but if the weather is cloudy
estimate about it.

This hadith established the reason for the obligation as sighting, so it (the Moon) may
be sighted in Makkah and Madina while it may not be sighted in any other country,
the time in other countries may be day instead of night, so how then we obligate the
other people with Fasting or Iftaar? All the scholars from all Madhahib have
concluded that “the difference of horizons (local Sighting)” is the answer, near a great
majority of them, so much so that Ibn Abd Al-Bar (great Maliki Jurist) narrated an
Ijmaa (Judicial Consensus) that moon sighting between far places like Khurasaan
(Asia now) and Andalus (Spain now) is not considered and every country has its own
specific sighting. A majority of the Books of Most Schools of Jurists (madhahib) are
full of opinions in favor of “the difference of Horizons” because of the vast evidence
in shariah in that regard, if one were to look at the books of Fiqh they will conclude
the same and they will heal any contempt for this issue in their hearts.

Common sense dictates, local moon sighting is something that the scholars do not
differ on, because it is obvious, and hence the intellect concludes the same. This is
the same for the Common Sense and the Shariah’s convergence on the times of prayer
as well. So if one was to be an observer of the Natural order and reality of the
differences in times he will conclude the same.

Hence the Council concludes in light of the above:

1-There is no need to peruse unification of Moon sighting and Festivals in the Islamic
world. Because this pursuit will not guarantee the ummah’s unification as the
promoters of unification of Moon sighting and Festivals imagine.

2- That the matter of moon sighting be left to the Muslim countries and their Judicial
and Juristic Councils, because that has priority as well as will yield the most benefit.

3-The only guarantee which will benefit the Muslims in unifying the ummah in its
matters and issues is that they agree to abide by the Quran and Sunnah in all of their
matters.

And Allah only guarantees success. And Peace and Salutations be on our Nabi and
his Family and his companions.

Signatures of the Scholars on this Fatwa are:

Shiekh Abd al Aziz bin Abdallah bin Baaz
Abo Bakr Mahmood Jumee
Shiekh Saleh Al Othaymeen
Sheikh Mustafa Ahmad Zarqa
Abu Al Hassan Al Nadawi
Sheikh Mohammed Salih Adood
Abdallah Ali Al Harkaan
Abdallah bin Mohammed al Homaid
Mohammed Mahmood Al-Sawwaf
Mohammed bin Abdallah al Subayil
Mabrook al Awadi
Mohammed al Shdhali Nefier
Hassanian Mohammed Makhloof
Dr.Mohammed Rashidi
Mahmmod Shhet Khattab
Mabrook al Awadi
Mohammed Rashid Qabbani

In the Name of Allah , the Gracious, the Merciful.

Islamic Council of New England, Imams Shura Council

Hilaal Conference Press Release – August 2009

“Calculations are a deviation from the Sunnah and must be rejected” Imam Nawawi

ICNE Hilaal Conference Press Release Click here to download

You can also see read the Fatwa from Muslim World League 1981 Hilal Sighting Locality (Saudi Arabia) – click here to read

Assalamu Alaykum,

My beloved respected Brothers and Sisters in Islam: I pray that you as individuals and as communities are doing well, and that Allah is pleased with us and is forgiving of our short comings.

I am writing on behalf of more than two dozen Imams and leaders in the Greater Boston area and New England Muslim community with whom I’ve had consultations regarding the assumption that astronomical calculations is an accepted means for determining our lunar months. Although we agreed that calculations are an excellent scientific tool; it cannot be used to replace the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah   of sighting the crescent moon. Therefore we rejected by an overwhelming majority this new innovation. Here is a summary of the evidences to prove that position.

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