moon sighting

[e1_tea]

assalaamu aleikom,

I read from the 'ramadan knights' notes, the difference between one country to another for starting the fasting can be up to two or three days (i could not recall the exact page at this moment). A colleague of mine said that, as the moon rotates the earth in one day, the difference cannot be more than one day only. Could you give more explanation on this?

jazakallah..

[Aslam AbuIsmaeel]

Wa alaikumusalaaam

Note first that the astronomical birth of the moon is one thing where as the sighting of the crescent on earth is another thing which follows the astronomically defined birth by some hours or more than a day.

Your colleague had mentioned to you that it should be on two different days maximum (next day).

The sighting of the visible crescent of the new moon from earth can be on three different days on earth as was the case this month beginning of Ramadan.  

You can find this by studying the maps that I presented on power points in the Ramadan Knights Fiqh Course in Melbourne. Those maps were taken from the website, www.moonsighting.com which is a well known website in these matters.  Also you can verify that with other sources from Muslims and non-Muslims too and from a matter of fact. 

Example of this month
Those maps show that the moon this month was to be seen clearly on the night of 31st August, i.e. the night before 1st september in South America.  Then on the night leading to 2nd September in Australia, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, US etc.  As for Scandinavia and Russia and northern parts of UK or lot of it, the crescent of the new moon could not be sighted until the night leading to 3rd September.

That is three days to sight the crescent from Earth for this month of Ramadan.

That is why scholars from the earliest times said that when sighting the moon, you go by the sighting of areas which share the same moon-rise.  This is one of the two main opinions in this matter, and from my memory this is a saying of Imam Shafiee among others. 

As for this much, you can study the maps and refer to others as something that is a matter of fact.

As for the astronomical explanations, I'd refer you to the above mentioned website itself where they can give you detailed explanations of these matters.  Or ask others who devote their time to the astronomical aspect of these.  From what I understand though, briefly, the reason for this being on three seperate days and not just two seperate days (one day and the next day) is due to the tilt in the axis of rotation of the earth.  You can see therefore the countries that see the moon this month first are the ones in South America, then the central parts of Planet Earth and finally the norther parts - due to the tilt it seems. However you should check for the explanation of why with astronomical experts and not me.  As for it occuring on three seperate days, that much is well established from the practise and from the maps, as I wrote above and you can check those references to discuss with them further about the astronomical aspects.

Wassalamualaikum

[Aslam AbuIsmaeel]

Assalamu alaikum

I'd like to add to the previous post, the following message to some brothers in our Muslim community.

An important Point about Global sighting or Regional sighting
Sometimes we find brothers, out of good intentions of uniting the Ummah on one day, go so far as to deny any valid basis for doing regional moon sighting and say, 'it is clear from the hadith, you see the moon you fast', so you see the moon in one area on earth so you fast the whole earth on that sighting. 

These brothers do not even give much basis to the other opinon held by scholars from the first century of Islam to this day.  The matter is not so simple and clear and straightforward.  I'd like to point out to these brohters, that Imam Malik rahimahullah said, "No person is ready to give fatwa until he can see for each verse of the Quran more than one possibilities (with respect to fiqh matters)."  Reported by Ibn Abdul Bar in Jami Bayan Ilm (from my memory).  I note often that this patriotism for the Global sighting is not from scholars but rather from those with some knowledge - incomplete kowledge of fiqh.  As for scholars, they at least have respect for both opinions and see grounds for them, given that they've been held by the greatest scholars of the Ummah over the fourteen centuries.

I'd like to point out to these brothers who patriotically promote the Global sighting as the only way to go, that although we'd like to do eid on one day, it seems that Allah decreed the moon in such a way that we are united with Muslims in our own city and our own region. 

As for same on the whole earth, that is not practical. 

Otherwise, going by global sighting of the moon, the people in scandinavia and Russia and north of Britain would have fasted on monday 1st september this Ramadan and praying taraweeh on 31st august when the moon of Shaban may well be above their heads.  They may celebrate the eid according to global sighting at the end of the month and preparting for the eid the night before it - not fasting - whereas the moon of Ramadan is still clearly above their heads!  Not fasting while the Ramadan moon is clearly there??? 

The least I expect from the Global sighting upholders is to consider this and give the other scholarly opinion its credit i.e. the regional sighting, even if they do not agree with it.

Having said that, I also request brothers who are proponents of the regional sighting view but go extreme in pushing it as the only opinion, to also give respect to the Global sighting opinion.

Both opinions have basis in Ijtihad, although I understand that regional sighting is the stronger opinion due to the reality and practicality of different crescent sighting days on earth, due to understanding of the same hadith keeping this fact in mind, due to support for this view from Sahabah such as Ibn Abbas which was it seemed followed then by people of Medina and not stopped neither by Muawiyah the Amirul Mumineen nor Sahabah (although some may have disagreed).
 
Wassalamualaikum

[e1_tea]

jazakallaahu khair...