DHUL-QA’AD 1431 AH: Duration: October-November 2010

F i r s t o f D H U L - Q A ’ A D 1 4 3 1 C o m m e n c e d o nt h e e v e n i n g o f F r i d a y 8 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 0

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Sunnah acts (Sunnah: the practice of Prophet Muhammad SAW, emulation of which attains great reward)1. To fast on the days of Yaum-e-Beadh these are the 13, 14 & 15 except during Ramadhan where fasting

is obligatory for the whole month

Haji Qamre Alam M: 07966348845 Mufti Mohammad Aslam O: 01709 563677 / M: 07866 654471Molvi Yakub Ahmed Miftahi M: 07866 464040DarulUloom Bury

O: 01706826106

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Computer software program thatdraws charts of crescent sightingprobabilities according to modern

astronomical theory (the founder of modernAstronomic is Nicholas Copernicus 1534).When these charts shows its impossible tosee the crescent at a given location, and ifany Muslim gives testimony (after recitingthe Kalima) of having sighted the crescent atthat location, can the sworn testimony ofcrescent sighting from this Muslim beaccepted?

They believe that ``If the chart shows it`simpossible to sight the crescent at thatlocation, they will decide any positivesighting testimony from that location to beunreliable. They regard such testimony tobe unreliable, and believe it to beslanderous, doubtful, and false. In otherwords (in my opinion) they believe thatpeople giving such false testimony aretelling lies.

Islamic Scholars including CMSC wouldregard these charts to be unreliable, insteadthey will accept the sworn sightingtestimony ;

This is the conclusion written by allJurists till today, and this is the decisiveverdict (mufta bihi). The cmsc has notinvented any new verdict on this subject:they simply follow what all Jurists havementioned till now, and encourage others todo the same that obserwatrial calculationand it`s ``sighting possibility criteria toconduct sharee moon sighting is unexceptable and na jaize in shariah .

Second point is that it is against theShariah rule to base decisions on theseprobability charts instead of sworntestimony. (3) Thirdly, basing decisions onthese charts will tread against the 'decisiveverdict' and that is not allowed: in fact it willbe the following of 'desires' and that isharaam (4) Fourthly, if present days' sworntestimonies of sightings are rejected on thebasis of these calculations and crescentsighting probability charts, would it notautomatically render all the decisions andverdicts (especially regarding moonsighting) of the time of Prophet SAW to bedoubtful? Its a matter of faith that the date ofthe Farewell Haj that was performed byCompanions Rd. with Prophet SAW isbeyond any doubt and suspicion: itsauthenticity is conclusive, and all thoseverdicts followed the revelations fromAllah.

Discussing the direction of Qibla, MuftiMuhammad Shafi Rh. said: Qibla directionsof the whole world is speculative, but that ofMasjide Nabwi is conclusive, and this is aunique feature of the this Mosque, for itsdirection was established by revelation toProphet s.a.w. Similarly, the authenticity ofthe day and date on which the Farewell Hajjtook place is also conclusive. Even then, themodern Astronomic calculations, softwareprograms, and sighting charts do not agreewith the date and day of the Farewell Hajj:the sighting probability charts indicates thatthe crescent sighting was not possible on theday that commenced the month of theFarewell Haj, and reports of sighting by amultitude of people also doesn't exist.

In order to protect the Deen of ProphetSAW, it is necessary to regard these sighting

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charts and Astronomic predictions to beunreliable (as Prophet SAW said) and topreserve a record of testimonies thatcontradict their calculated guesses. That'swhy whenever CMSC receives anyinformation of such sighting from anywherein the UK, its members contact those peoplewho claim to have sighted the Crescent,especially when the sighting is against theAstronomic predictions. Full details arerecorded and preserved. That's whyMoulana Miftahi has collected all suchtestimonies on his book.

Those with insight in to Fiqh has neverignored these testimonies, let alonemocking them. The graet Jurist HadhratMufti Rashid Ahmed Ludhianwi r.discussed these testimonies with MoulanaAbdul Rashid Rabbani Sahib. Hadhrat evenasked if there are any sighting reports beforethe predicted conjunction (birth ofcrescent). When said 'yes', Hadhrat did notignore or reject the reply.

The reference to Hadhrat Moulana InaamulHasan ra. For Astronomic SightingProbability is simply a lie. The letter that hasbeen used to connect Hadhratji with thissubject has not been authenticated to befrom him.

The Fatawa about Astronomic SightingProbability issued from Masjide Mukarramsigned by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmanisahab is not unconditional: the condition is'in the absence of multitude of peoplesighting the crescent'.

In that case the verdict will be given uponactual sighting by many people. And so theAstronomic Probability is not a conditionupon which authenticity is based: real basisfor verdict is presence or absence ofmultitude of people. Yet those who believe

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(Mufti) Muhammad Ebrahim, Madni Masjid, Bradford (The Committee Member of CMSC)

in astronomic probabilities make it to be thesole basis (without any condition) forauthenticity verdicts. So this Ftawa of Muftisahab is of no benefit to them (even in theabsence ofAstronomic probability).

a)We humbly request those people whoregard Astronomic charts to be their basis,that even if they don't regard the sightingclaims to be authentic, they should at leastremember that these charts are not absoluteconclusive: they are at best speculative.Principles of calculations are conclusive,but their application is speculative.

b)Another point to remember is that allbelievers of astronomic charts will derivethem results from software programs orfrom information by an expert in the field:sighting will be judged either by charts orinformation from an expert. Both are purelyspeculative, and not conclusive. Is anyone ofthem capable of extracting these results byhimself? The reply is in negative. So insteadof being forceful in any one direction, weneed to maintain a balanced approach.

c)It should also be remembered that inequatorial countries, new moon at the startof the month is seen after Sunset. Thiscontinues for many days. This is notnecessarily so in western countries. And asmentioned in tafseer by Mufti Mahmudsahab, in western countries many timecrescent appears even before Sunset. That iswhy many people in Batley saw the crescentwell before Sunset on Thursday 11thAugust(2ND Ramzan1431) soon after Asr salaat!!!(can see full article in our websitewww.hizbululama.org.uk)

Mufti) Muhammad Ebrahim, MadniMasjid, Bradford.

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(NB; TheFull article can be read at our

website ;www.hizbululama.org.uk

Computer software programs that draws colourful

Charts of crescent sighting probabilities according to

Astronomical theory!!!