MOON SIGHTING
In the Name of Allah, the Most
Beneficent, the Most Merciful
The
Prophet
(God
bless him and give him peace)
ordered the Muslims:
“Fast
according to the sighting of the new moon and break the
fast according to its sighting. And if it is
hidden from them (due to cloudiness etc.) complete
the number (of the month) as 30 days.”
(Bukhari
1909 and Muslim 1081.)
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Further,
the Prophet
(God bless
him and give him peace) ordered the Muslims that:
“Do
not fast until you see the new moon
or you complete
the number of
(30) days in Shaban and
do not break your fast until you see the new moon or
you complete the number of (30) days in Ramadan.”
(Bukhari
1080) |
The
Islamic calendar is based on lunar months, which begin when the
thin Crescent Moon is actually sighted by unaided naked
eyes in the western sky, immediately after sunset,
usually after 15 hours of its birth.
The duration of these months alternate between 29 and 30
days. Since 12 lunar months are, on average, 11 days
shorter than the Gregorian year, the Islamic year shifts
earlier in each civil year by the same amount.
The 12 months of
the Islamic calendar are:
Muharram, Safar, Rabi ul-Awwal,Rabi us-Sani,
Jamadi ul-Awwal, Jamadi
us-Sani, Rajab, Sha'ban,
Ramadan, Shawwal, Zul-Qa’dah, Zul-Hijjah. |
The dates begin at sunset on the previous evening and
end at sunset. These dates may or may not correspond to the
evenings on which the Crescent Moon is first visible, and
it is the actual visibility of the Crescent Moon that
determines when the next lunar month begins.
Hence
it is necessary for us to make an effort to sight the New Moon
for determining the first date of every next lunar month.
This effort will be rewarded by God.
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Live Updates
of Moonsighting Reports on the 29th of Lunar Month
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