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| Moon sighting has always been a controversial issue
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CAIRO, October 6 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) -
The Muslims’ holy fasting month of Ramadan will start in Egypt, Saudi
Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, according to astrological calculations, on
Friday, October 15.
A source with Egypt’s National Research Institute of
Astronomy & Geophysics (NRIAG) told IslamOnline.net on Wednesday,
October 6, that calculations indicate the sighting of the new moon would
not be possible in most Arab and Muslim countries before sunset on
Thursday, October 14.
This, he added, means that Thursday would be the last
day of Sha`ban and that Friday would mark the beginning of the
dawn-to-dusk fasting month.
In Saudi Arabia , a study by Sheikh Abdullah Bin Soliman
Al-Manei, a member of the kingdom’s Ulema authority, also concluded
that Ramadan would fall on Friday.
It calculated that the new moon would be born at 5:49
a.m. on Thursday, making Friday the first day of the holy fasting month.
Meanwhile, the Qatari Al-Watan newspaper quoted
astronomer Khaled Abdullah Turki as saying the new crescent would be
born at 5:48 a.m. Thursday Doha local time.
Despite expected difficulties, the sighting of the new
moon would be possible and the first day of Ramadan would fall Friday,
he added.
In fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member Kuwait,
astronomer Saleh Mohammad El-Egeri was also on board.
He said astrological calculations indicate that the new
crescent would be born at 5:48 a.m. Thursday.
Egyptian Mufti Ali Gomaa had recently announced that
there would likely be no contradiction between astrological calculations
and the eye-sighting of the new moon.
The prominent scholar called on Arab and Muslim
countries to unite the beginning of the lunar months and abide by the
relevant resolution of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).
Moon sighting has always been a controversial issue
among Muslim countries, and even scholars seem at odds over the issue.
While one group of scholars sees that Muslims in other
regions and countries are to follow this sighting as long as these
countries share one part of the night, another states that Muslims
everywhere should abide by the lunar calendar of Saudi Arabia.
A third, however, disputes both views, arguing that
Islam is against division and disunity, since Muslims, for instance, are
not allowed to hold two congregational prayers in one mosque at the same
time.
This group believes that the authority in charge of
ascertaining the sighting of the moon in a given country (such as
Egypt's Dar al-Iftaa [House of Fatwa]) announces the sighting of the new
moon, then Muslims in the country should all abide by this.
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