Moon sighting has always been a controversial issue.CAIRO — Though the majority of Muslims worldwide were united in observing the first day of Ramadan on September 1, they are set to be widely divided on its end and the start of `Eid Al-Fitr.
Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa'ad, have confirmed Sunday, September 28, as the last day of Ramadan based on the sighting of the Shawwal moon.
In a special radio and television broadcast in Sokoto, the sultan declared Monday the first day of `Eid Al-Fitr, one of the two main religious festivals in Islam.
When Is Your `Eid?Muslims in south Nigeria, however, are still fasting Ramadan and would celebrate `Eid on Tuesday or Wednesday.Nigeria's federal government had earlier declared Monday and Tuesday as public holidays to mark this year's `Eid Al-Fitr.
The holy fasting month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, began in most countries on Monday, September 1.
The beginning of the Shawwal constitutes the start of `Eid Al-Fitr.
Libya, which began Ramadan on August 31, announced that Tuesday, September 30, will be the first day of `Eid.
Turkey, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia, Slovenia, Romania and Serbia, which all started Ramadan on September 1, will celebrate `Eid Tuesday based on astronomical calculations.
"There is coordination between the Euro-Asian Muslim Committee which groups Balkan countries and is headed by Turkish Fatwa House to determine religious holidays," said Naeem Trafana, the head of the Islamic Sheikhdom in Kosovo.
"We confirm Monday as the end of Ramadan and Tuesday as the first day of `Eid Al-Fitr."
Different Calculations
But `Eid Al-Fitr will fall on a different day according to other astronomical calculations.
"The Fiqh Council of North America and the European Council for Fatwa and Research have announced that September 30th is the 30th day of Ramadan and `Eid Al-Fitr 1429 will be on October 1st," FCNA said on its website.
The two scholarly bodies have based their announcement on astronomical calculations.
"The Fiqh Council of North America and the European Council for Fatwa and Research, after careful examination of the Shari'i sources and opinions of classical and modern scholars have concluded that it is permissible according to Shari`ah to use scientific calculations for determining the Islamic lunar months."
The Islamic Crescents Observation Project has confirmed Wednesday as the start of Shawwal and `Eid based on astronomical calculations.
The Islamic Center of Canberra announced on its website that Australian Muslims will celebrate `Eid on Wednesday.
Sighting
Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, will sight the moon of Shawwal on Monday.
This means `Eid Al-Fitr will fall on either Tuesday or Wednesday.
Also sighting the new moon Monday will be Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria, Mauritania, Djibouti, Somalia, Eritrea, Kenya and South Africa.
The Asian countries of Jordan, Syria, Afghanistan, Malaysia and the Philippines will also monitor the birth of the new moon Monday.
Similarly, Iraqi and Lebanese Sunnis will sight the new moon on Monday.
Countries such as Morocco, Iran, Oman, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and
India will sight the moon Tuesday.
Shiites in Lebanon and Iraq will also sight the Shawwal moon Tuesday.
For those sighting the new moon on Tuesday, `Eid Al-Fitr will fall on either Wednesday or Thursday.
Moon sighting has always been a controversial issue among Muslim countries, and even scholars seem at odds over the issue.
One group says that Muslims everywhere should abide by the lunar calendar of Saudi Arabia.
A second, however, believes that the authority in charge of ascertaining the sighting of the moon in a given country (such as Egypt's Dar al-Iftaa [House of Fatwa]) announces the sighting of the new moon, then Muslims in the country should all abide by this.
islamonline.com
http://samotalis.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment