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In 1976, MSA
Religious Affairs Committee reaffirmed that for the USA and
Canada:
a)
Islamic dates will be fixed by a “sighted moon within the
USA”; and
b) For
the sake of unity, a visual naked-eye sighting anywhere in 48
contiguous states will suffice to
declare Ramadan and Eidain dates for the whole of the USA and
Canada.
The Committee
extended the local visibility to areas where a crescent moon
could not be seen the same evening. This extension of visibility
horizon to cover all of North America was in clear violation of
the required local visual sighting as was originally understood
from the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the consistent practice of the
Ummah. However, the new rule became the norm in the name of
“Muslim Unity.”
From 1978, the
Islamic calendar discussions revolved around the “earliest lunar
visibility” (Abdali: al-Ittihad (1979) v.16: 1+2) vis-à-vis the
authenticity of Saudi announced Islamic dates because the
crescent moon could not be seen 8-11 hours later in North
America on the dates Saudis announced its sighting there.
In 1979, following
Kahf (al-Ittihad (1980): v. 17: 2) the Fiqh Council (earlier MSA
Religious Affairs Committee) changed its “Sighted within the
USA” criterion to the “News from any Muslim country”
(essentially from Saudi Arabia). Since then, ISNA has
relentlessly imposed Saudi dates in North America.
The Fiqh Council
persisted in denying that Saudi witnesses could be mistaken, if
they claimed a sighting before the conjunction, or Saudis count
of 30 days was a tactical manipulation to start the month a day
early. It is a well-established fact that a crescent moon is
always visible on the 30th evening west of Saudi
Arabia (within the lunar visibility parabola) 8-11 hours later.
ISNA also blindly accepted Saudi-fixed Hajj dates when Dhul
Hijja moon was not seen in North America or anywhere in the
world.
ISNA attempted to
silence its critics (Chicago: 1982) by insisting that it went by
Ittihaad al-Mataali (global horizon) whereas others followed
Ikhtilaaf al-Mataali (local) Fiqhi position, despite clear
assertions that the whole world was a unified Matla, and most of
the world would observe a Hilal within 24 hours.
The bickering
continued for another five years. The next attempt to sort out
the Islamic dates issue (IIIT, Herndon VA: 1987) convinced ISNA
that the Saudis did not commence the Islamic month by the
“Sighted” moon. The Council reluctantly agreed to switch back to
its “visible within 48 contiguous US states” rule for Ramadan
and Eid al-Fitr. However, it insisted on keeping Eid al-Adha in
North America on the “Day after Arafah” in Makka. In practice
the Council always found some way to follow Saudi dates by
spurious sighting claims here in North America.
In 2001, the Fiqh
Council issued a lengthy statement admitting that there is no
basis in Shariah for Eid al-Adha on the day after Saudi-fixed
Hajj date (which is 7th or 8th of Dhul
Hijja by the actual sighting in Makka). But a year later, the
Council reverted back to its groundless position. |
Moon
Sighting
