GLOBAL MOON SIGHTING

Ramadan 17th Nov 2001 & Eid 17th Dec 2001 (1422)

(American continent is EXCEPTION - see below)

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(IMAGES GENERATED BY MOONCALC 5.2 BY DR MONZUR AHMED)

As can be clearly established by the above computer generated image, sighting of the moon is literally impossible on the 15th November (the dark grey parbolic spearhead is the sighting approaching the American continent where the sighting will be most prominent the following day - 16th November (some will repeat that century old phrase "this moon is too big to be new moon". Of course the damn thing is so big; it was just missed from sighting 24 hours earlier when it was too minute. People do not realise that once missed it would be another 24 hours before the next evening comes around as the new moon can only be sighted within a limited time at sunset for the first couple of days - by which, it is almost 'too big'. However, it is pretty conclusive that the global sighting will take place on the 16th world-wide -see computer graphics below.

The birth of the moon (conjunction) for the Islamic month of Ramadan (H1422) will take place on the 15th of November 2001 at 06:41 and 07 seconds am GMT. This would make the age of the moon at sunset time at Mecca about 8 hours - barring a miracle, this is a highly unlikely age for the moon to be sighted. Even the American continent with the best chance (moon age at their sunset would be around 16 hours) is highly unlikely to sight the moon. If they can not, rest of the world can not - it is simple as that. Since the sighting of the moon is at the time of the sunset, it always move from East to West. This means that when moon is sighted at any given point on earth, it will be or should be sighted at any given point west of its original point of sighting.

Now, we know that the current Saudi formula is 'sunset before moonset at Mecca' and, unless this changes over the next few months, Ramadan in Saudi Arabia is set to be started, (a day too early as usual), on the 16th November. But if we make Hadith and Science basis of our criteria than the true date for 1st of Ramadan world wide is 17th of November.

Eid-ul-Fitr

Similarly, for Eid-ul-Fitr, birth of the Shawwal moon is precisely at 20:48 and 37 seconds GMT on December 14th 2001. This means that a sighting is possible on the following day on 15th December but only in the USA - making their Eid-ul-Fitr 16th December. Rest of the World including almost the entire Islamic world will only be able to sight the moon on the 16th of December 2001 making 17th of December, the true day of Eid-ul-Fitr. But of course, the usual confusion will rein as Eid-ul-Fitr will be declared to be held on the 16th in Saudi Arabia without any chance of a moon sighting in the country on the previous evening 15th November. In this particular situation they would have completed their 30 days anyway - BUT that would be so because they would have started the month wrongly a day too early.

For a comprehensive explanation of some of the related issues, please refer to "My researched analysis" on this site. Also refer to other items and links on my ISLAMIC PAGE.

Comments and feed back: mabaig@aol.com

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