WASHINGTON: As the supreme court in Saudi Arabia meets today to sight moon for Eid al Fitr 2013 or month of Shawwal, Muslims in United States are likely to have Eid on the same day with the kingdom.
Muslims across the globe celebrate the biggest Islamic event of the year after a 30 days spiritual training during which they avoid eating and drinking from dawn to sunset in Ramadan.
As a recent post on UK-based Pakistan largest bilingual news website The News Tribe’s states, “Celebrations go on for three days in the Muslim Community as they get together in community halls and Islamic centres with families to joy Eid blessings.”
As the Ramadan reaches its last days, they look upon official bodies in leading Muslim countries espcially Saudi to sight moon for Eid al Fitr.
This year Muslims in United States, Canada and South America are likely to celebrate the Eid days with Saudi Arabia.
Fiqh Council of North America has already issued an edict based on scientific calculations that moon will be sighted in California through telescope. In Chile, the moon for Shawwal will easily sighted through naked eyes, the council further said.
We are re-posting the council’s release for in depth assessment on the issue.
There is a possibility that the moon of Shawwal may not be sighted in the East on Wednesday, August 7, 2013 and subsequently many Muslim countries may announce Eid al-Fitr on Friday, August 9th. For instance on Wednesday, August 7, sunset at Makkah is 6:56 p.m. and moonset is at 7:07 p.m. The moon will stay in the Makkan horizon just for 11 minutes after the sunset. This may not be sufficient enough of a time period for the moon to be seen. The FCNA has already announced that Eid al-Fitr will be on Thursday, August 8, 2013. Following are the reasons for such a decision:
1: The Astronomical New Moon is on August 6, 2013 (Tuesday) at 21:51 Universal Time. The moon will be almost 29 hours of age by the time it is in the Los Angeles, California horizon. It will stay in the horizon about 17 minutes after the sunset.
2: The FCNA takes scientifically guaranteed astronomical calculations as the valid method of lunar month’s affirmation. The calculations ascertain that the new moon of 29 hours old will be in Southern California horizon on August 7, 2013, therefore we accept that certain knowledge as a Sharai’ reason to declare that Thursday, August 8, 2013 will be the first day of Shawwal.
3: Additionally the new moon will be sight-able by a telescope in California. That possibility of telescopic sighting in California strengthens FCNA’s position. Many Muslim jurists accept telescopic sighting as a genuine Sharai’ sighting.
4: The moon should easily be sighted in Chile, South America by a naked eye. Chile is on the US ET time zone and shares the night with us. The definite news of naked eye sighting should arrive to the US by 10:00 pm EDT, long before the sunset in California. That naked eye sighting report will additionally substantiate the FCNA’s position as we share the night with Chile.
5: The California’s telescopic and Chile’s naked eye sighting will also fulfill the global sighting criterion which is the original juristic criteria for affirmation of lunar months. All four Imams have agreed that moon sighting anywhere in the globe is sufficient of a Sharai’ reason to declare the new Islamic month. That criteria will be fulfilled on Wednesday, August 7 as the new moon will be sight-able by telescope in California and by naked eye in Chile.
6: Many established Sharai’ standards of the new month’s declaration are being fulfilled on Wednesday, August 7, 2013. Therefore, as announced earlier, Eid al-Fitr will be on Thursday, August 8, 2013.
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