NATIONAL Mnsighting Cnference May 5-6, 2007 San Jse, Califrnia A Summary f the Cnference Summarized by Hamd Aleem under the supervisin f Imam Tahir Anwar Edited by Ahsan Irfan 1
In the name f Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Prayers and blessings be upn the best f creatin, ur master Muhammad, and upn his family and cmpanins, and all wh fllw in their ftsteps. Intrductin On the 5 th and 6 th f May, 2007 the Bay Area in Nrthern Califrnia was hst t the First Natinal Mnsighting Cnference. The Cnference was rganized and spnsred by the Suth Bay Islamic Assciatin (SBIA) based in San Jse, Califrnia. The purpse f the cnference was t develp sund criteria t validate mnsighting reprts. Varius speakers frm acrss the natin were invited t present their ideas. This paper is an attempt t summarize the main ideas presented at the cnference and the reslutins that have been reached. It shuld be nted that the reprt is structured chrnlgically therefre any cntradictry remarks n behalf f the speakers are t be disregarded and the reslutin signed by the participants twards the end f the reprt is t be cnsidered the final cnclusin. Imam Tahir Anwar, the Imam and Religius Directr f SBIA, welcmed the panel f speakers t the cnference and urged the respected participants t reach a viable cnclusin by the end f the cnference. Fllwing the Imam's brief intrductry remarks, Shaykh Obedur-Rahman, the chairman f the Islamic Shari'ah Cuncil f Califrnia, welcmed the schlars that had gathered n this ccasin and thanked them. The Shaykh pinted ut that the issue f mnsighting has divided the Umma and it is extremely imprtant fr the Islamic schlars t find a slutin t this issue as they have dne s in the past n ther issues. In his pinin, the underlying cause fr disunity in general and n this issue was due t the practice f leaving the Sunnah f the Prphet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upn him). Imam Zaid Shakir (left), Imam Tahir Anwar (center), and Dr. Salman Shaikh (right). The Shaykh went n t discuss the specifics f the methdlgy that his rganizatin has adpted fr the past 25 years n the issue f mnsighting. This includes basing their fundatin n the hadith f the Prphet (peace and blessings be upn him), establishing the existence f the hilal (crescent mn) n the hrizn, the acceptability f the shahadah (testimny) frm reliable Muslims if the matla' (hrizn) is clear and if cnditins permit valid mnsighting. He mentined that the cnsideratin f astrnmical data is part f their prcess. Similarly, advice f astrnmy experts, such as Dr. Omar Afzal, is als cnsidered. His assured everyne that cperatin frm his rganizatin was guaranteed as lng as the Shari'ah was given pririty. He felt it was a need f ur time t sit dwn t 2
cmmunicate with each ther and amicably reslve ur differences by discussing this issue in detail. Imam Tahir Anwar n behalf f the Suth Bay Islamic Assciatin went ver the bjectives f the cnference and the methd in which discussins were t take place. The fllwing schlars and astrnmy experts were present at the cnference representing their respective rganizatins: Imam Tahir Anwar, Suth Bay Islamic Assciatin and the Ulama Assciatin f Nrth America (UANA) (Califrnia) Imam Zaid Shakir, Zaytuna Institute (Califrnia) Shaykh Obedur Rahman, Islamic Shari'ah Cuncil f Califrnia (Califrnia) Shaykh Mufti Mumtazul Haq, Islamic Shari'ah Cuncil f Califrnia (Califrnia) Shaykh Mufti Mudassir Owais, Islamic Center f Fremnt (Califrnia) Dr. Khalid Siddiqui, Islamic Shari'a Cuncil f Califrnia (Califrnia) Shaykh Mufti Abdul Muqtadir, Bergen Cunty Eid Cmmittee (New Jersey) Shaykh Manzarul Islam, Islamic Center f High Pint (Nrth Carlina) Shaykh Dr. Ghulam Zarquani, Ryat-e-Hilal Cmmittee f Nrth America (Texas) Qaiser Imam, Hilal Cmmittee f Great Austin (Texas) Dr. Omar Afzal, Cmmittee fr Crescent Observatin Internatinal (New Yrk) Dr. Salman Shaikh, Hilal Sighting Cmmittee f Nrth America (New Jersey) Zaheer Uddin, Hilal Sighting Cmmittee f Nrth America (New Yrk) Other individuals frm varius Muslim cmmunities The fllwing distinguished schlars were invited but were unable t attend due t scheduling cnflicts r ther cmmitments. Shaykh Abdullah Saleem, Chicag Hilal Cmmittee and UANA (Illinis) Shaykh Mufti Abdurrahman Ibn Yusuf, UANA (Califrnia) Shaykh Mufti Nawalur Rahman, Shari ah Bard f America (Illinis) Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Zaytuna Institute (Califrnia) Astrnmical Data The first sessin included presentatins frm Dr. Omar Afzal and Dr. Salman Shaikh n the subject f astrnmical calculatins and the rle f these calculatins in mnsighting t determine the Islamic mnths. Dr. Omar Afzal initiated the discussin by differentiating between the Islamic day and the Islamic date. The fllwing is a summary f his talk: Dr. Omar Afzal began by distinguishing between the Islamic day and the Islamic date. The Islamic day starts at maghrib (sunset), while the Islamic date is determined by the sighting f the hilal (crescent mn). In his pinin, we as a cmmunity have been unable t define these tw cncepts prperly. On a related nte, he mentined that Islamic Sciety f Nrth America s (ISNA) decisin t rely slely n astrnmical calculatins was flawed, because, he said, it was based n the birth f the astrnmical new mn. Accrding t Dr. Omar Afzal, ISNA starts their mnth a day befre the actual date due t their adherence t the astrnmical new mn in calculatins. He als felt that anther 3
prblematic issue is that they fllw Saudi Arabia fr Eidul Adha rather than their wn calendar. He said that the main issue behind the cncept f lcal mnsighting is that f the reliability f the reprters that claim t have seen the new mn. The issue f reliability arises, fr the mst part, due t a lack f clear guidelines n what cnstitutes a valid mnsighting, especially fr the laypersns. Dr. Omar Afzal mentined that fr the past 29 years he has received many reprts frm individuals wh have claimed have seen the crescent mn at times when it was impssible t d s [accrding t astrnmical data]. In his advice t the 'Ulama (Islamic schlars), he said that even thugh they rely n the hadith fr the acceptance f shahadah (testimny), they still need t check simple facts abut any mnsighting reprts using astrnmical data in rder t validate them. He said that if we were t stick t "verifiable sighting", half f ur prblems tday wuld be slved and that if smene claimed t see the crescent mn in the zne f uncertainty, as calculated by scientists, then that is nt t be cnsidered a valid sighting and is in fact impssible. He went n t say that the lcal time is different in lcatins gegraphically near each ther due t the difference in mnset. In cnclusin, he emphasized that the 'Ulama need t further cnvince their cngregatin abut ISNA's incrrect methd. Dr. Salman Shaikh f the Hilal Sighting Cmmittee f Nrth America ffered his viewpint which is summarized belw: He said there is a lt t learn frm the mistakes made by Saudi authrities in their mnsighting prcedures. Furthermre, by educating urselves abut the flaws and the histry f the Saudi mnsighting prcess, he said, we have an pprtunity t fix the mnsighting issue in America. In determining the wujud (existence) f the hilal (crescent mn), the greatest factr is nt the difference between the sunset and mnset times nr is it the age f the mn, rather, the primary factr is the angle between the sun and mn, accrding t Dr. Salman Shaikh. He went n t say that if that angle is less than the Danjn limit (agreed by the astrnmers); the crescent mn Imam Tahir Anwar addressing the participants can nt be seen. Als, the astrnmical new mn is cmpletely dark and invisible and quite different frm the visible crescent hilal which typically ccurs ne r tw days later. The Qur an des nt talk abut this astrnmical new mn (Qamar Jadeed), and instead the Qur an refers t the thin visible crescent hilal with its characteristic crescent shape with tw pinted ends described in Surah Yaseen as Urjnil Qadeem ld (and withered) lwer part f a datestalk. Furthermre, he mentined that the cncept that the peple f the east will see the new mn befre the peple f the west is nt entirely crrect because the wrld is rund and therefre the new mn can be seen first by the peple f the west. Fr example, the new mn can be seen first in Califrnia and then in Saudi 4
Arabia the fllwing day, apprximately 45% f all ccasins. He mentined the underlying reasn we d nt see this is because f the frequent mistakes in the Saudi mnsighting prcess. Dr. Salman Shaikh said thse wh advcate Ittihad Al-Matale' (glbal mnsighting) in the west tend t accept nly the Saudi mnsighting annuncement and reject mnsighting annuncements frm any ther cuntry in the wrld therefre acting against the basic principle f glbal mnsighting. Fixing Saudi Arabia as the nly place f hilal sighting fr wrldwide decisins is neither Ikhtilaf Al-Matale, nr Ittihad Al-Matale and has n basis in Shari ah. Als this is prven wrng by the fact that n abut 45% f the ccasins, the peple f Califrnia can see the hilal befre it can be seen in Saudi Arabia. Furthermre, as far as the adherence t Ittihad Al-Matale' (glbal mnsighting) is cncerned, Dr. Shaikh des nt advcate it because he firmly believes, frm an astrnmical standpint, it is impssible t implement glbal mnsighting tday, since by the time Califrnia sights the hilal, it is already next day mrning in Japan which is t late t start fasting! Mrever, he feels that Ikhtilaf Al- Matale' (lcal mnsighting) is strngly supprted by astrnmy, since the hilal visibility curves divide the wrld int tw regins ne which culd sight the hilal n the particular night and the ther which cannt. On the issue f ISNA s decisin t adhere slely t astrnmical calculatins, Dr. Salman Shaikh mentined that calculating the psitin f the mn is easy but calculating the ru'yah (sighting f the crescent mn) is difficult and has abut a 25% Zne f Uncertainty. Thus in abut 25% f the ccasins, when the western part f ur matla (hrizn) lies in this Zne f Uncertainty, the calculatins can nt give a yes-n answer with certainty, and actual hilal sighting is the nly recurse. Further, the calculatins advcated by ISNA are nt even based n hilal visibility in Nrth America. Instead, ISNA s calculatins include even a remte pssibility f seeing a hilal with a telescpe in the Suthern Hemisphere at the Internatinal Dateline, which is 4 hurs west f Califrnia time and 7 hurs west f Eastern time, and are hence ften ne day ahead f reality. Discussing the issues faced by the grup which fllws lcal mnsighting, he said that peple wh g ut t sight the crescent mn shuld g in grups t check n each ther. Further, in case f clear weather, the schlars require a Jamme Ghafir r a large number f witnesses. Als, the renwned jurist, Mufti Taqi Usmani has mentined that in thse cases als, where astrnmical data has indicated the impssibility f hilal sighting, we need t insist n having a large number f witnesses, i.e. apply the hukm f clear weather in the astrnmical impssibility case as well (even when whether is nt clear). Fllwing the talk, a Q & A sessin tk place in which numerus schlars ffered differing viewpints althugh they als agreed t a few pints in line with the aims and bjectives f this particular gathering. The key pints were as fllws: The issue f shahadah (testimny) f mnsighting frm reliable Muslims is extremely imprtant due t which, the reliance n astrnmical data is cnsidered secndary in this regard. 5
The definitin f jumme' al-ghafir (large number f witnesses) is when a grup f peple (f any number f peple) cannt be cnsidered t be lying abut a sighting f the crescent mn. There is a need t learn frm previus mistakes rather than dwelling n past issues. We shuld lk frward s that we can pass a reslutin t wrk arund these issues. If the hilal cmmittee 'Ulama run int an issue where a small number f peple are giving testimny, they shuld evaluate these claims accrding t astrnmical data. It is nt t say the peple wh sighted the crescent mn are lying; rather they very well may have seen smething else since they are usually gd and pius peple. Astrnmers shuld nt make up their minds in advance abut the impssibility f the sighting; rather peple shuld be encuraged t sight the mn regardless f the astrnmical data available s that they are rewarded fr bserving this frm f ibadah. There is an agreement that the matla' (hrizn) fr cntiguus Nrth America (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) is ne, hence there is n use in challenging this psitin at present. Testimny is t be accepted frm Muslims regardless f their adherence t a certain schl f thught. Guidance n authenticating mnsighting reprts can pssibly be taken frm the science f authenticating hadith. Unity, Mnsighting Criteria Shaykh Mumtazul Haq and Zaheer Uddin spke abut the challenges facing the Muslim cmmunity in Nrth America in relatin t the issue f mnsighting. Shaykh Mumtazul Haq spke n the issue f unity and urged the audience t frmulate a unifying slutin. His talk is summarized belw. Shaykh Mumtazul Haq began his talk by mentining that while it is bvius that Islam encurages general unity, there are certain differences within Muslims which have been allwed. He said all types f unity is nt necessarily acceptable, in fact unity in every aspect is nt practical and bund nt t wrk. Fr example, the peple in the east cannt face the qibla directin that is used in the west. The fact f the matter is that unity is in diversity. He said we are diverse peple and that is an undeniable fact. Ikhtilaf Al-Matale' (lcal mnsighting) has becme a reality f tday, in fact it has becme such a reality that it is difficult t deny it all tgether, in his pinin. The Shaykh went n t say that Ikhtilaf Al-Matale' is based n the precept that a certain area is cnsidered t be lcal unless if an area is distant and is cnsidered far by the peple than that area is nt cnsidered lcal. The pint he mentined here was that Ikhtilaf Al-Matale' is nt very narrw in its definitin, fr e.g., San Francisc and San Jse are cnsidered the same lcality in relatin t their respective lunar calendars. Shaykh Mumtazul Haq mentined that difference f pinin is a mercy. He said the fur schls f Islamic jurisprudence d nt endanger Islamic unity, hence tw separate Eids in the wrld des nt have a negative effect n unity. Fr the past 1400 years, the Ummah has celebrated Eid n different days. He said Are we t say they were wrng? and als mentined that the issue f sighting the 6
mn was left t the peple f their wn area and that we need t keep in mind that it des nt disunite us if we fllw different schls f thughts. He stated that we certainly respect the gd wrk ISNA has dne in many areas ver the years but we cannt agree with their recent decisin n the mnsighting issue. Nt all Islamic rganizatins shuld becme a mufti accrding t him. The Shaykh pinted ut that this cnference tday is an excellent pprtunity t familiarize urselves with 'Ulama frm different schls f thughts and emphasized n develping a frmula t reslve this issue befre leaving this gathering (mnsighting cnference). Zaheer Uddin n behalf f the Hilal Sighting Cmmittee f Nrth America cntinued the discussin by analyzing the current situatin f the cmmunity in relatin t mnsighting and tuching upn the imprtant issue f the need fr develping criteria fr acceptable mnsighting reprts. His talk is summarized belw. The issue f mnsighting is ne f the biggest challenges facing the Muslim cmmunity in Nrth America tday in Zaheer Uddin s pinin. He said there are essentially three types f mnsightings currently being fllwed. 1) The first ne is glbal mnsighting, which is basically anther name fr "Saudi sighting" since thse wh fall in this categry d nt accept valid sightings frm any cuntry except Saudi Arabia. This is even thugh the Islamic schlars in Saudi Arabia strngly encurage Muslims in Nrth Dr. Omar Afzal (far left) speaks t the panel and the America t adhere t and fllw lcal participants as they clsely listen mnsighting. 2) The secnd practice is that which ISNA has recently aligned itself t, which is the rejectin f the need t sight the mn physically with eyes. 3) The third practice fr mnsighting in Nrth America is that f lcal mnsighting. Unfrtunately, he said the grups f peple wh advcate this psitin are disrganized due t lack f unity and cnsistency in their effrts. Amng the lcal mnsighters, a new trend has emerged, that f accepting testimny f unreliable mnsighting reprts. He said that we can tackle this issue by using astrnmical science, as he thugh that there was nthing wrng with using it. He mentined that this issue can be vercme by applying the injunctins f the Shari'ah fr all f the twelve Islamic mnths in the manner explained by Imam Subki and Mufti Taqi Usmani. Zaheer Uddin prceeded by discussing the dynamics f peple invlved. He said the Muslim cmmunity in Nrth America is extensive, including peple with all srts f expertise in the Islamic and secular sciences but unfrtunately the current level f disunity is nt helping us and ur cmmunity f yung adults is perhaps being negatively affected by this as well. Furthermre, he rightly felt a need t fllw the cnsensus f the fuqaha (Islamic jurists) unlike what ISNA has resrted t. T address this issue, the Hilal Sighting Cmmittee f Nrth America was frmed. He said at this pint, there are a 7
number f hilal watchers acrss the natin set up t prvide reprts frm the acrss the cuntry based n which the shura f the cmmittee makes a decisin. The shura f the Hilal Sighting Cmmittee cnsists f schlars representing a multitude f schls f thughts. Lastly, in this cnference, he emphasized n the need t adpt a reslutin t reslve this issue while giving due imprtance t astrnmical facts. Fllwing the talks n mnsighting criteria and the need fr unity, anther discussin tk place between the participants. The key pints frm the discussin are mentined belw. This effrt (referring t the mnsighting cnference) is the right way t achieve unity. We shuld crdinate mre f such discussins in the near future and cnduct seminars f this nature pssibly als in ther states. There is a need t braden urselves in understanding each ther especially within the varius 'Ulama. A high level f rganizatin is needed, especially in the western states (e.g., Califrnia), due t the fact the entire cuntry lks west while awaiting the final mnsighting decisin n the night f the 29th f the lunar mnth. A system r an umbrella rganizatin which takes int cnsideratin 'Ulama frm all places is a need f ur time. T help in this regard, a database f msques and rganizatins is needed. The new website hilalbase.cm is a step in this directin. The grup assembled tday is nt representative f all Natinal Organizatins but we shuld nt underestimate the significance f this bdy since there is a gd representatin f peple here wh als have far reaching cntacts. We shuld have a high level f standardizatin in ur prcedures. We shuld cnsider ging ver the existing criteria develped by the Hilal Sighting Cmmittee f Nrth America instead f "reinventing the wheel" by creating ne frm scratch. Required changes can be made t it as necessary. Cntact infrmatin f the respected 'Ulama and the astrnmy experts needs t be made readily available after the cnference t imprve the ability t netwrk within urselves. What is Ru'yah? The third sessin fcusing n the issue f ru yah was cnducted by Shaykh Manzarul Islam and Shaykh Dr. Ghulam Zarquani which mainly dealt with the need fr ru'yah and the physical sighting f the crescent mn. The talk by Shaykh Manzarul Islam is summarized belw. 8
He began by stating that it was a pleasure t see schlars frm different schls f thught cming tgether t discuss this imprtant issue. He said the basic issue at this pint is whether ru'yah means 'ilm (knwledge) f the crescent mn r des it require physical sighting f the crescent mn. In rder t begin fasting fr the mnth f Ramadan, Shaykh Manzarul Islam said there is a need t have knwledge f the ru'yah. Based n this knwledge and the actual sighting, the mnth f Ramadan begins. The emphasis n lking fr the crescent mn is very strng. It is evident that ru'yah des nt mean just having knwledge f it rather it means t physically sight the crescent mn. This meaning is established by the Qur'an and the Sunnah f the Prphet (peace and blessings be upn him). Frm a histrical perspective, n schlars have derived the meaning f 'ilm (knwledge) frm ru'yah rather they have always sighted the mn physically. The Shaykh went n t ask the questin Is ru'yah needed r nt? The usul (principles) explained by the fuqaha (jurists) are that if smething is used t determine a wajib (necessary) and fardh (bligatry) act it itself becmes wajib and accrding t ther schlars f Islamic law it Shaykh Mumtazul Haq (right) and Zaheer Uddin (left) answer questins psed by the participants becmes mustahabb (recmmended). He said even if we accept the findings f astrnmical science, it is still required t physically sight the crescent mn since accrding t Hanafi fiqh it is wajib t sight it physically. Accrding t the Shafi'i and Hanbali schls f law, it is mustahabb while accrding t the Maliki schl it is cnsidered wajib. He cncluded by mentining that 'Allamah Ibn Rushd mentins that there is 'ijma (cnsensus) f the Muslim schlars n sighting the crescent mn physically t determine the Islamic mnths. Fllwing Shaykh Manzarul Islam's brief talk, Shaykh Ghulam Zarquani carried the discussin frward by delivering a talk fcusing n the need fr ru'yah and it's meaning as derived frm the Hly Qur'an. The situatin currently by faced by Muslims in regards t mnsighting needs t be reslved accrding t the Shari'ah and nt by mlding the Shari'ah accrding t ur desires. He said there are several pints which are frequently used by thse wh advcate the use f a pre-determined lunar calendar cmpared t the Sunnah methd f ru'yah. He mentined that there are tw basic meanings f ru'yah derived frm the Qur'an, which are the ru'yah with eyes and the ru'yah with 'aql (intellect). It can be deduced frm the practice f the Prphet (peace and blessings be upn him) that the meaning f ru'yah as evident frm hadith is that f using the eyes, i.e. physically sighting the crescent mn. The Shaykh said Shaykh Ibn Baz has cncluded a research by saying that when the ru'yah means tw bjects, it means ru'yah with 'aql and when it means ne bject then it is ru'yah with the eyes and that it has t be kept in mind that Islam is nt against using astrnmical calculatins. He went n t say that the questin then arises, 9
if we can setup a calendar fr ur five daily prayers in advance then why shuld we nt be able t set ne up fr the lunar mnths? There are several answers t this questin prvided by the Islamic schlars accrding t Shaykh Zarquani. One f them is that even thugh we chart ut a calendar fr ur daily prayers but at the same time we have nt given up the basic methds required t determine the timings fr the daily prayers. He said in the case f daily prayers we can fllw bth ways althugh in the case f the crescent mn, we cannt have it bth ways. The Q & A sessin, which fllwed the talks, is summarized int the key pints (belw) which were made during the curse f the discussin. Cntrary t ISNA's claims, ru'yah is in fact cnsidered ibadah (wrship). The idea that ru'yah is nt ibadah was invented by Dr. Mustafa Zarqa and his researched heavily influenced ISNA's decisin. As far as the accessibility f mnsighting witnesses is cncerned then what ccurred in Califrnia last year will nt be repeated. Several assurances were prvided. Scientists and Astrnmers als have differences in pinin (similar t the schlars) n issues and this als needs t be taken int cnsideratin. There is abslutely n issue in using astrnmical data as an aid in determining the validity f mnsighting. The Reslutin The secnd day f the cnference tk place in Newark, Califrnia at Mehran Restaurant where in additin t the participants frm the previus day, Imam Zaid Shakir f the Zaytuna Institute jined the cnference and addressed the audience in a talk which is briefly summarized belw. After thanking the participants especially the distinguished schlars, Imam Zaid Shakir mentined that we all knw the mnsighting prblem is unique t Nrth America. He mentined that in ther cuntries arund the wrld this prblem is nt rampant because f established institutins like Darul 'Ulm Deband in India and Al-Azhar in Egypt. He said we there are Muslims frm all ver the wrld in this cuntry including schlars frm different parts f the wrld. He placed emphasis n schlars t respnsibly prvide guidance n this issue. Speaking n the histrical aspect f mnsighting, he said the practice f mnsighting is nthing new. The Jews stpped sighting the mn physically due t plitical reasns; the rman emperr at that time persecuted the Jews and hampered their cmmunicatin methds heavily. This led t their abandnment f physical sighting. Imam Zaid Shakir said the practice f ru'yah is ibadah. The questin f What d we d when there is a cntradictin between sighters? was the key issue t be reslved in the cnference accrding t Imam Zaid. He said reslving this issue invlves the authrity f rganizatins and individuals and that we d nt need t see this issue as ne f credibility rather we need t wrk n slving this prblem. He said that when we see this as an issue f credibility then emtins get invlved but when we see it as an effrt t slve a prblem fr Muslims then it makes it 10
easier fr us t slve the issue. The Imam mentined that this prblem is tearing ur cmmunities apart, which in turn gives mre credibility t the ther camp which prmtes sle reliance n their astrnmical calculatins t determine the lunar calendar. Furthermre, he urged the audience t cme t a unified psitin. He mentined again that it is certainly nt an issue f credibility, rather it's abut agreeing n criteria t slve a prblem in rder t serve the Muslims and smething f this nature is nt unprecedented. When the hadith were being gathered and when false hadith came abut, the 'Ulama agreed n the criteria fr the acceptance f hadith. In cnclusin he said it is imprtant fr us t set cnditins and if thse cnditins are met then we shuld accept the sighting and if thse cnditins are nt met then we shuld nt accept the sighting. On a final nte he mentined that if we are able t achieve this (i.e. reslving the issue at hand) than we have dne a great service t the Muslim cmmunity. Fllwing Imam Zaid's talk, he made a few prpsals in regards t the mnsighting criteria which are summarized belw. Frm left t right: Shaykh Abdul Muqtadir, Shaykh Mumtazul Haq, Shaykh Obedur Rahman, Imam Zaid Shakir, Hamd Aleem, Dr. Salman Shaikh, and Zaheer Uddin. If any sighting is incnsistent accrding t agreed upn astrnmical cnditins then that sighting shuld nt be accepted. Fr example, a sighting is reprted after mnset; in that case it shuld nt be accepted. If the sighting is against the wrld recrd then it shuld be nt be accepted. If the sighting is brder line and nt supprted by an verwhelming number f peple then it shuld nt be accepted althugh when there is a slight chance cmplimented by numerus peple in different lcatins then that is acceptable. After much discussin and debate, the participants reached an agreed-upn cnclusin due t the mercy f Allah Mst High, at the end f the cnference. The existing reslutin f the Hilal Cmmittee f Nrth America was read ut lud by Imam Tahir Anwar. A discussin fllwed and several amendments were made t it in light f the pinins f the schlars wh participated. The new reslutin was signed by the schlars, cmmunity members and scientists in attendance. It was a mment f jy and thankfulness fr the participants as it was a step frward in the right directin t reslve this imprtant issue facing ur cmmunities. 11
Reslutin n Hilal Sighting May 6, 2007 (Newark, Califrnia) Bismillaah Walhamdulillaah WasSalaatu WasSalaam Ala Rasulillaah We Muslims believe that ur success in this life and the hereafter is in fllwing the Qur an and the Sunnah f Prphet Muhammad (S). We believe we can achieve unity amng the Muslim cmmunity regarding the starting f all Islamic mnths, particularly Ramadan, Shawwal and the Dhul-Hijja by fllwing the Hilal sighting by naked-eye in cntiguus 48 states f USA and Canada We believe the Shahada r reprting f Hilal sighting has t meet the criteria f the Shari ah, i.e.: 1. The witness is a Muslim, sane, mature (at least reached the puberty age). 2. Knwn in his cmmunity t be sincere and truthful practicing Muslim 3. Accessible t Muslim Astrnmers f Hilal Sighting Cmmittee f NA fr verificatin f the testimny. 4. If the elngatin f the mn is less than 7 degree (Danjn limit), sighting claim is nt acceptable. 5. If the elngatin and altitude f the mn is between 7 and 10 degrees, we need apprximate 50 witnesses each frm 5 places (ttal apprximate 250). 6. If the elngatin f mn is between 10 and 12 degrees, altitude is less than 10 degrees, and mnset-sunset lag is > 35 minutes we need 10+ witnesses each frm 3+ places if cludy and Jamme Ghafeer if clear. 7. If the mn s elngatin > 12 degree, altitude is > 10 degrees, we need 1 witness fr Ramadan and 2 witnesses fr all ther mnths in case f cludy skies and Jamme Ghafeer fr clear skies. We the Imams and Muslim leadership present here trust and have cnfidence in the Hilal Sighting Cmmittee f Nrth America t perfrm the task f Hilal sighting in a timely and prfessinal manner. The Shura f the Hilal Sighting Cmmittee f Nrth America that is cnsisting f Ulema f different schls f thught and the technical experts must make the final decisin abut the starting f the Islamic mnth within 4 hurs after the sunset n the east cast (since we need t wait fr sunset n the West cast if the Hilal is nt sighted in the East and Midwest regin f the US). The Ulema invlved in this decisin making shuld themselves be regular in sighting the Hilal and prmting this Sunnah. The Muslim astrnmy experts (Dr. Omar Afzal, Dr. M.A.K. Ldhi and Zaheer Uddin, Br. Qaiser Imam, Dr. Salman Zafar Shaikh, Br. Yusuf Ismail) will cllect the data abut the Hilal sighting and will prvide t the Shura after scrutinizing it and advise the Ulema. The member Masajid and Islamic Centers shuld receive the decisin f Hilal Sighting Cmmittee f Nrth America every mnth via e-mail. Mrever, they r nn-member Masajid and Centers r any individual can benefit thrugh ur www.hilalsighting.rg website. The Hilal Sighting Cmmittee f Nrth America wuld cntinue t base its decisins regarding the cmmencement f all lunar Islamic mnths n the reliable actual sighting f the Hilal with the naked eye anywhere in cntiguus USA (48 states) and Canada. The Hilal Sighting Cmmittee f Nrth America wuld use fr reference the astrnmical data t assist in making its decisins. 12
May Allah accept these effrts fr His Deen and keep us united n right path. Aameen. Ref. Mufti Taqi Usmani paper... Signatries Imam Tahir Anwar Imam Zaid Shakir Shaykh Obed Ur Rahman Shaykh Mufti Mumtazul Haq Shaykh Mufti Muddassir Owais Shaykh Mufti Abdul Muqtadir Shaykh Dr. Ghulam Zarquani Shaykh Manzarul Islam Dr. Salman Zafar Sheikh Dr. Omar Afzal Zaheer Uddin 13
May Allah accept ur effrts and grant us guidance and success. Amin. 14