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Tue 2 Ramadan 1445AH 12-3-2024AD at 9:41 am #91212
All Praise be to Allah.
The need to bring out the understanding of what it takes to determine the beginning and end of Ramadan is of great concern.
Firstly: the correct opinion which must be acted upon is that indicated by the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Fast when you see it [the new moon] and stop fasting when you see it, and if it is cloudy then complete the month with thirty days.” That is the basis for determining the beginning and end of Ramadaan by the actual sighting of the new moon. The Islamic sharee’ah with which Allaah sent our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is universal and everlasting, until the Day of Resurrection. (It is valid for every time and place, whether worldly sciences are advanced or otherwise, whether there are telescopes etc. or not, whether there are any people in the population who are able to do astronomical calculations or not. Sighting the moon is something that people of all places and times can do, unlike calculations which may or may not be within the reach of the people, and telescopes which may or may not be available)
Secondly: Allaah knew what progress would be made in astronomy and other sciences, but despite that He still said (interpretation of the meaning): “… So whoever among you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadaan), he must observe sawm (fast) that month…” [al-Baqarah 2:185] and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Fast when you see it [the new moon] and stop fasting when you see it…” So the beginning and ending of Ramadaan are connected to the actual sighting of the moon, and not to the calculations of astronomers, even though Allaah knew that the astronomers would develop their science to the point where they would be able to calculate the positions of the stars and heavenly bodies. Muslims are obliged to follow what Allaah has prescribed for them through His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), basing the beginning and end of the fast on the sighting of the moon. This is like the consensus of the scholars, whoever differs with this and relies on calculations is shaadhdh (“odd”) and his opinion cannot be relied on. And Allaah knows best.
Source: Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 10/106
• Astronomical Calculations And Fixing The Beginning And End of the Month, New Addition to Islamic Practices (Bid’a)
Astronomical calculations do not count . The basic principle with regard to sighting is that it should be done with the naked eye, but if the crescent moon is sighted with modern equipment , then this sighting may be acted upon.
• Telescopic Viewing of The New Crescent, Acceptable Practice
It is permissible to use telescopes etc. to sight the moon, but it is not permissible to rely on astronomical data to confirm the beginning or end of the blessed month of Ramadan, because Allah has not prescribed that for us in His Book or in the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). What He has prescribed for us is to confirm the beginning and end of Ramadan by sighting the new moon of Ramadan to start fasting, and the new moon of Shawwaal to end the fast and gather to offer the Eid prayers. Allah has made the new moons to mark fixed periods of time for mankind and for the Hajj, so it is not permissible for Muslims to use any other method to determine the times for acts of worship such as fasting, celebrating Eid, performing Hajj, fasting for two months as expiation (kafaarah) for killing someone by mistake or divorcing one’s wife by zihaar, and so on. Allah says (interpretation of the meanings):
“… So whoever among you sights (the crescent on the first night of) the month (of Ramadan), he must observe sawm (fast) that month…” [al-Baqarah 2:185]
“They ask you (O Muhammad) about the new moons. Say: these are signs to mark fixed periods of time for mankind and for the pilgrimage…” [al-Baqarah 2:189]
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Fast when you see it [the new moon] and stop fasting when you see it, and if it is cloudy then complete the month with thirty days.” On this basis, the one who does not see the new moon from the time it rises on a clear or cloudy night must complete the month (of Sha’baan) with thirty days.
(Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 10/100). This is the case if the sighting of the new moon is not confirmed in another country; if the moon is sighted according to the guidelines of Sharee’ah, then fasting is obligatory, according to the majority of scholars.
And Allah knows best.
Source: Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
SKY & TELESCOPE
The Essential Guide to AstronomyAstronomy Questions & Answers
COULD THE LUNAR CRESCENT BE SEEN IN A TELESCOPE AT NEW MOON?
BY: ROGER W. SINNOTT JULY 24, 2006The Doubtful Day, The New Moon Phase: No Waxing and No Waning, No Crescent
New : We cannot see the Moon when it is a new moon . 🌒 Waxing Crescent : In the Northern Hemisphere, we see the waxing crescent phase as a thin crescent of light on the right. 🌓 First Quarter: We see the first quarter phase as a half moon. 🌔 Waxing Gibbous: The waxing gibbous phase is between a half moon and full moon.
Is the Moon’s orbit inclined sufficiently that, when it misses the Sun by the greatest amount north (or south), the lunar crescent could be seen in a telescope at new Moon?
Probably not. The inclination of the Moon’s orbit to the ecliptic varies from 5.0° to 5.3°. French astronomer André Danjon (1890–1967) showed that no crescent is visible when the Moon–Sun separation is less than a specific angle — the Danjon limit — believed to be near 7°.
But you’ve put your finger on a key factor in seeing the crescent as soon as possible after new Moon . Another requirement is for the Moon to be near perigee (closest to Earth), when it will make the quickest possible getaway from the Sun’s vicinity. The current record holder is Mohsen Mirsaeed, who used giant binoculars to spot the lunar crescent only 11 hours 40 minutes past new Moon on September 7, 2002, from a mountainous location in Iran (S&T: February 2004, page 105). The Moon’s ecliptic latitude (geocentric) was then +4.9°, and it came to perigee 12 hours later.
— Roger W. Sinnott
The New Moon is Without The Shape of The Visible Moon (Crescent)
At New Moon the percent illuminated is 0; at First and Last Quarters it is 50%; and at Full Moon it is 100%. During the crescent phases the percent illuminated is between 0 and 50% and during gibbous phases it is between 50% and 100%.
Explicit Reiteration
Even though the normal eye calculations and sighting of the new crescent is fundamental, the fact that the telescope is used to form magnified images of distant objects does not make it a completely new addition to religious practices (Bid’a), since the eye is still used in doing so.
Other devices used in sighting the the new crescent are binoculars and Charge -Coupled Device (CCD) Imaging.
When the sky is clear and the atmospheric condition is clear, the crescent should be seen by the naked eye, by binocular, or by CCD Imaging. Otherwise, the following day should be the beginning or end of the lunar month.
When the sky is not clear and the atmospheric condition is not clear, and the crescent is not seen by the naked eye, by binocular, or by CCD Imaging, the following day should be the beginning or end of the lunar month.
Therefore, needless to say, because the moon is the one and only earth’s natural satellite that can be seen from different places at different times, when the sky and the atmospheric condition are clear in most places and yet the crescent cannot be sighted by the telescope, by binocular, and by CCD Imaging, the tendency to resort to preconceived sighting of the new crescent with the naked eye cannot be ruled out, as far as sectarian inclinations of justifying fixing the beginning and end of Ramadan are concerned.
We seek refuge in Allah from being influenced by the evil promptings and suggestions of the devils.
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