In light of multiple reports of the sighting (ru'yah) of the crescent moon of Shawwal overseas and in N America, as well as the announcement to be released shortly from the New England Imams' Council, the Harvard and MIT Muslim communities recognize tonight/tomorrow as Shawwal 1, 1430 i.e. `Id al-Fitr (The Feast of the Fast-Breaking). Taqabbala llahu minna ajma`in. May Allah accept from all of us!
Suheil Laher and Taha Abdul-Basser
Muslim Chaplains at MIT & Muslim Chaplain @ Harvard (respectively)
Showing posts with label moonsighting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moonsighting. Show all posts
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam,
As-salamu `alaykum wa-rahmatu llah.
In sha'Allah, Wednesday night (tomorrow) is the first night of Ramadan 1428 and Thursday, Sept. 13 (the following day) is the first day of fasting. In anticipation of our making the most of the beautiful occasion, I wanted to share a bit of advice that I pray will be helpful to students, and other members of the Muslim community at Harvard, who will be on campus for Ramadan soon, if they are not here already. In sha'Allah, we will have an opportunity to discuss Ramadan-related matters on other occasions in the near future.
* As in years past, we are announcing the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan on the Harvard Islamic Society website and over the community announcement list (his-list). There is also a post on the blog of your favorite HIS Muslim Chaplain . Note that, as in years past, in ascertaining the beginning of Ramadan, we are relying on regional Muslim organizations in the Greater Boston Area. Al-hamdu li-llah, the Imams of the Islamic Council of New England agreed at its recent meeting to continue following the methodology for ascertaining the beginning of the month that the New England Imams established several years ago. The New England Imams rely on acceptable reports of the sighting of the crescent moon of Ramadan by Muslim religious authorities from multiple locales around the world.
* Start fasting with your community wherever you are. Avoid disputes. Do not to get caught up in the wrangling about establishing the beginning of the blessed month that sometimes afflicts members of our community a day or so before Ramadan, the month of patience, begins.
* Do fix your intention (niyya) to fast during the night before fasting during the day. If you have questions about this or any of the other technical aspects fasting ask an `alim (religious scholar). Asking is a form of worship in itself. As in years past, there will be a "Ramadan Workshop" on the basics of fasting this Sunday, Sept 16, 1-3pm with Shaykh Suheil Laher (MIT Muslim Chaplain and PhD Student, Arabic and
Islamic Studies, NELC, Harvard University), Shaykh Sami ul-Ihsan Khan (JD candidate, Harvard Law School) and myself. The location will be announced soon in sha'Allah. Watch the HIS Event Calendar at the website.
* As a rule, try to make the days and nights of Ramadan different from what they are for you outside of Ramadan. Hadith: "Let not your day of fasting be like your day when not fasting."
* Try to spend a lot of time around your brothers and sisters in Islam this month. Try not to break your fast alone. Make a special effort to pray in congregation.
* Ask Allah for forgiveness a lot during the beginning of the month. Try to think of the sins with which you entered Ramadan and seek forgiveness and repent from them.
* Read the Qur'an. Recite the Qur'an. Listen to it being recited. Turn an ayah (passage) or two over of the Qur'an in your mind for a couple of minutes.
* If you normally watch TV, listening music, watch movies on DVD or the Web, give it up for the month. Try replacing it with listening to the Qur'an, reading from the Qur'an or making remembrance of Allah.
* Give a lot of sadaqa (charity). Remember that sadaqa includes saying
subhana llah ("How Perfect is Allah!"), al-hamdu li-llah ("Praise be to
Allah") and allah akbar (Allah is Greater!); smiling at your brother or
sister and helping him or her carry his stuff.
* Do not burn out. Increase your devotions as the month goes on. The
Messenger said the most beloved of deeds to Allah are those that are
[done] consistently, even if they are small.
May Allah forgive all our sins; accept our fasting, bowing, prostration,
charity, supplications and other good deed; manumit us from the Hellfire
and admit the Paradise Gardens through the Rayyan Gate!
Your Brother and the Most Needy Slave of Allah
Taha bin Hasan Abdul-Basser
As-salamu `alaykum wa-rahmatu llah.
In sha'Allah, Wednesday night (tomorrow) is the first night of Ramadan 1428 and Thursday, Sept. 13 (the following day) is the first day of fasting. In anticipation of our making the most of the beautiful occasion, I wanted to share a bit of advice that I pray will be helpful to students, and other members of the Muslim community at Harvard, who will be on campus for Ramadan soon, if they are not here already. In sha'Allah, we will have an opportunity to discuss Ramadan-related matters on other occasions in the near future.
* As in years past, we are announcing the beginning of the blessed month of Ramadan on the Harvard Islamic Society website and over the community announcement list (his-list). There is also a post on the blog of your favorite HIS Muslim Chaplain . Note that, as in years past, in ascertaining the beginning of Ramadan, we are relying on regional Muslim organizations in the Greater Boston Area. Al-hamdu li-llah, the Imams of the Islamic Council of New England agreed at its recent meeting to continue following the methodology for ascertaining the beginning of the month that the New England Imams established several years ago. The New England Imams rely on acceptable reports of the sighting of the crescent moon of Ramadan by Muslim religious authorities from multiple locales around the world.
* Start fasting with your community wherever you are. Avoid disputes. Do not to get caught up in the wrangling about establishing the beginning of the blessed month that sometimes afflicts members of our community a day or so before Ramadan, the month of patience, begins.
* Do fix your intention (niyya) to fast during the night before fasting during the day. If you have questions about this or any of the other technical aspects fasting ask an `alim (religious scholar). Asking is a form of worship in itself. As in years past, there will be a "Ramadan Workshop" on the basics of fasting this Sunday, Sept 16, 1-3pm with Shaykh Suheil Laher (MIT Muslim Chaplain and PhD Student, Arabic and
Islamic Studies, NELC, Harvard University), Shaykh Sami ul-Ihsan Khan (JD candidate, Harvard Law School) and myself. The location will be announced soon in sha'Allah. Watch the HIS Event Calendar at the website.
* As a rule, try to make the days and nights of Ramadan different from what they are for you outside of Ramadan. Hadith: "Let not your day of fasting be like your day when not fasting."
* Try to spend a lot of time around your brothers and sisters in Islam this month. Try not to break your fast alone. Make a special effort to pray in congregation.
* Ask Allah for forgiveness a lot during the beginning of the month. Try to think of the sins with which you entered Ramadan and seek forgiveness and repent from them.
* Read the Qur'an. Recite the Qur'an. Listen to it being recited. Turn an ayah (passage) or two over of the Qur'an in your mind for a couple of minutes.
* If you normally watch TV, listening music, watch movies on DVD or the Web, give it up for the month. Try replacing it with listening to the Qur'an, reading from the Qur'an or making remembrance of Allah.
* Give a lot of sadaqa (charity). Remember that sadaqa includes saying
subhana llah ("How Perfect is Allah!"), al-hamdu li-llah ("Praise be to
Allah") and allah akbar (Allah is Greater!); smiling at your brother or
sister and helping him or her carry his stuff.
* Do not burn out. Increase your devotions as the month goes on. The
Messenger said the most beloved of deeds to Allah are those that are
[done] consistently, even if they are small.
May Allah forgive all our sins; accept our fasting, bowing, prostration,
charity, supplications and other good deed; manumit us from the Hellfire
and admit the Paradise Gardens through the Rayyan Gate!
Your Brother and the Most Needy Slave of Allah
Taha bin Hasan Abdul-Basser
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The Hilal Sight Committee of North America met recently and published a statement. Here is the text of the resolution agreed to at the end of the meeting:
Bismillaah Walhamdulillaah WasSalaatu WasSalaam Ala Rasulillaah
We Muslims believe that our success in this life and the hereafter is in following the Qur’an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (S).
We believe we can achieve unity among the Muslim community regarding the starting of all Islamic months, particularly Ramadan, Shawwal and the Dhul-Hijja by following the Hilal sighting by naked-eye in contiguous 48 states of USA and Canada
We believe the Shahada or reporting of Hilal sighting has to meet the criteria of the Shari’ah, i.e.:
1. The witness is a Muslim, sane, mature (at least reached the puberty age).
2. Known in his community to be sincere and truthful practicing Muslim
3. Accessible to Muslim Astronomers of Hilal Sighting Committee of NA for verification of the testimony.
4. If the elongation of the moon is less than 7 degree (Danjon limit), sighting claim is not acceptable.
5. If the elongation and altitude of the moon is between 7 and 10 degrees, we
need approximate 50 witnesses each from 5 places (total approximate
250).
6. If the elongation of moon is between 10 and 12 degrees, altitude is less
than 10 degrees, and moonset-sunset lag is > 35 minutes we need 10+
witnesses each from 3+ places if cloudy and Jamme Ghafeer if clear.
7. If the moon’s elongation > 12 degree, altitude is > 10 degrees, we need 1
witness for Ramadan and 2 witnesses for all other months in case of
cloudy skies and Jamme Ghafeer for clear skies.
We the Imams and Muslim leadership present here trust and have confidence in the Hilal Sighting Committee of North America to perform the task of Hilal
sighting in a timely and professional manner.
The Shura of the Hilal Sighting Committee of North America that is consisting of Ulema of different schools of thought and the technical experts must make the final decision about the starting of the Islamic month within 4 hours after the sunset on the east coast (since we need to wait for sunset on the West coast if the Hilal is not sighted in the East and Midwest region of the US). The Ulema involved in this decision making should themselves be regular in sighting the Hilal and promoting this Sunnah.
The Muslim astronomy experts (Dr. Omar Afzal, Dr. M.A.K. Lodhi and Zaheer Uddin, Br. Qaiser Imam, Dr. Salman Zafar Shaikh, Br. Yousuf Ismail) will collect the data about the Hilal sighting and will provide to the Shura after scrutinizing it and advise the Ulema.
The member Masajid and Islamic Centers should receive the decision of Hilal Sighting Committee of North America every month via e-mail. Moreover, they or non-member Masajid and Centers or any individual can benefit through our www.hilalsighting.org website.
The Hilal Sighting Committee of North America would continue to base its decisions regarding the commencement of all lunar Islamic months on the
reliable actual sighting of the Hilal with the naked eye anywhere in contiguous USA (48 states) and Canada.
The Hilal Sighting Committee of North America would use for reference the astronomical data to assist in making its decisions.
Resolution on Hilal Sighting
May 6, 2007 (Newark, California)
May 6, 2007 (Newark, California)
Bismillaah Walhamdulillaah WasSalaatu WasSalaam Ala Rasulillaah
We Muslims believe that our success in this life and the hereafter is in following the Qur’an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (S).
We believe we can achieve unity among the Muslim community regarding the starting of all Islamic months, particularly Ramadan, Shawwal and the Dhul-Hijja by following the Hilal sighting by naked-eye in contiguous 48 states of USA and Canada
We believe the Shahada or reporting of Hilal sighting has to meet the criteria of the Shari’ah, i.e.:
1. The witness is a Muslim, sane, mature (at least reached the puberty age).
2. Known in his community to be sincere and truthful practicing Muslim
3. Accessible to Muslim Astronomers of Hilal Sighting Committee of NA for verification of the testimony.
4. If the elongation of the moon is less than 7 degree (Danjon limit), sighting claim is not acceptable.
5. If the elongation and altitude of the moon is between 7 and 10 degrees, we
need approximate 50 witnesses each from 5 places (total approximate
250).
6. If the elongation of moon is between 10 and 12 degrees, altitude is less
than 10 degrees, and moonset-sunset lag is > 35 minutes we need 10+
witnesses each from 3+ places if cloudy and Jamme Ghafeer if clear.
7. If the moon’s elongation > 12 degree, altitude is > 10 degrees, we need 1
witness for Ramadan and 2 witnesses for all other months in case of
cloudy skies and Jamme Ghafeer for clear skies.
We the Imams and Muslim leadership present here trust and have confidence in the Hilal Sighting Committee of North America to perform the task of Hilal
sighting in a timely and professional manner.
The Shura of the Hilal Sighting Committee of North America that is consisting of Ulema of different schools of thought and the technical experts must make the final decision about the starting of the Islamic month within 4 hours after the sunset on the east coast (since we need to wait for sunset on the West coast if the Hilal is not sighted in the East and Midwest region of the US). The Ulema involved in this decision making should themselves be regular in sighting the Hilal and promoting this Sunnah.
The Muslim astronomy experts (Dr. Omar Afzal, Dr. M.A.K. Lodhi and Zaheer Uddin, Br. Qaiser Imam, Dr. Salman Zafar Shaikh, Br. Yousuf Ismail) will collect the data about the Hilal sighting and will provide to the Shura after scrutinizing it and advise the Ulema.
The member Masajid and Islamic Centers should receive the decision of Hilal Sighting Committee of North America every month via e-mail. Moreover, they or non-member Masajid and Centers or any individual can benefit through our www.hilalsighting.org website.
The Hilal Sighting Committee of North America would continue to base its decisions regarding the commencement of all lunar Islamic months on the
reliable actual sighting of the Hilal with the naked eye anywhere in contiguous USA (48 states) and Canada.
The Hilal Sighting Committee of North America would use for reference the astronomical data to assist in making its decisions.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Local Imams' Council Agrees that Ramadan 1427 is Thirty Days
Bismillah al-hamdu li-llah wa-salatu wa-s-salamu `ala rasuli llah.
Al-salamu `alaykum.
The Massachusetts Imams Council meet today at 4pm and agreed that in the absence of reports of shari`a-acceptable sightings of the crescent moon of Shawwal anywhere on earth, tomorrow (Sunday October 22, 2006) will be the 30th of Ramadan (30 Ramadan 1427) and Id al-Fitr will be Monday (October 23, 2007 = 1 Shawwal 1427).
May Allah accept our fasting, prayer, sadaqat and other good deeds; have mercy on us; forgive us and magnify our reward.
Bismillah al-hamdu li-llah wa-salatu wa-s-salamu `ala rasuli llah.
Al-salamu `alaykum.
The Massachusetts Imams Council meet today at 4pm and agreed that in the absence of reports of shari`a-acceptable sightings of the crescent moon of Shawwal anywhere on earth, tomorrow (Sunday October 22, 2006) will be the 30th of Ramadan (30 Ramadan 1427) and Id al-Fitr will be Monday (October 23, 2007 = 1 Shawwal 1427).
May Allah accept our fasting, prayer, sadaqat and other good deeds; have mercy on us; forgive us and magnify our reward.
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