The session has started. You can join us with questions.
Name
mahmoud
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Profession
Question
Dr. Siddiqi, how are you doing? Nice to meet you online regarding this important topic. As a former president of the ISNA, can you give us a brief summary of the reasons and goals that were behind the ISNA taking this initiative for having a special moon sighting rather than following the declaration of Makkah or Arab countries?
Answer
As-Salamu`laykum wa rahmatullah.
Thank you for your question. I am doing well, alhamdulillah.
In every country where Muslims live there are some committees or authorities that determine the beginning of Ramadan and the two `Eids. In Muslim countries the Ministry of Religious Affairs or the Higher Judiciary Council makes this decision. In some countries the Mufti makes the decision. In North America about thirty years ago ISNA (at that time it was known as MSA) established a Religious Affairs Committee that takes the witness reports about moon sighting and then makes sure that these reports do not contradict the established astronomical information. After consulting with the scholars and the representatives of major Muslim organization in North America we made the decision.
We take benefit of information coming from any country, but our decision is basically based on moon sighting in this area and the astronomical information.
Name
M
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Profession
Question
If I get news about the moon sighting in the States but I am in Canada, can I go with that? Thanks.
Answer
If the decision is made by the Shura Council of North America, then you can follow it wherever you might be in the whole of North America. We consider the whole of contiguous North America as one Matla' (new moon) for the purpose of our religious days.
Name
Habeeb
- Brunei
Profession
Engineer
Question
Can we deposit our annual Zakath in a bank account to collect reasanable amount for atleast five years and distibute to needy person to operate a bussiness?
Answer
Editor:
Sorry brother, this session is strictly dedicated to moon sighting. You can post your question to Ask the Scholar page.
Name
refik
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Profession
Question
I totally agree with the ISNA that we should unify the people in North America under one banner but when it comes to moon sighting I am really confused because of many things. We live here in North America as a minority and we do not have those great organization to unify us as should be. I know that the ISNA is doing a good job, but still lots of people do not believe that ISNA should take the lead in unifying Muslims. Also, when it comes to the new moon on hajj, the situation is even harder. If the main reason behind sighting the moon in North America is the unity of Muslim, how it is there at the time of Hajj when we are all supposed to follow Makkah and there is no difference in that. So, how can the hujjaj do the Eid and millions of Muslims are following and we still go with the opinion of different moon sighting? Where is this unity we are trying to achieve?
Answer
As-Salamu`laykum wa rahmatullah.
The unity of the Ummah lies in following the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Unity does not mean that we all must pray at the same time or fast at the same time. We are living in a big wide world. There are time zones, date lines and astronomical issues of sighting the crescent etc. The Muslim Ummah has been doing Ramadan and the two Eid thought last fourteen hundred years in different places according to their own sighting.
Now we have better technology and we can communicate faster. We should take benefit of these means, but within the framework of the principles of Shari'ah.
ISNA does not claim to be the leader of all Muslims in America. We are a major organization. When it comes to the issue of determining Ramadan and the two `Eids dates, we always work with other major national organizations. We have a conference call and make our decision together.
There are four major organizations that work together at this time on this issue: ISNA, ICNA, MAS of Imam W.D. Muhammad and the community of Imam Jamil al-Amin. We hope others will also join us and we shall have a more unified decision. Whatever decision we make we should make it together. Whether we have our `Eid and Ramadan with the people of Makkah or not, we should certainly have it together here in US and Canada. This is our primary duty until we find means of uniting the whole Muslim world.
Name
khalid
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Profession
Question
I live in Calgary, Canada and we are different from people in America in timing, so should we still follow the ISNA of go with the majority of Muslims in any of the Muslim country?
Answer
It is indeed better for us to be together here in North America. This is what Muslims in other countries do. Sometimes people of Egypt do not have Ramadan with the people of Saudi Arabia. Sometime you find that people of Emirates or Yemen differ. So not all people of Middle East have one unified day for their religious days. They also follow their own local sighting. There is nothing wrong if we do the same.
Name
mona
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Profession
Question
If I don’t follow the ISNA, which country should we follow? Today Libya is fasting, while Egypt, Kuwait, and others are fasting tomorrow; Pakistan is even fasting Thursday. Which of them should we follow?
Answer
You are right, dear sister. At this time each country is making its own decision. I wish there was an international body that can make this decision for all people according to their time zones and sighting information. However, at this time the safe thing for us to unite ourselves and follow one decision that we make it here collectively. This is what ISNA does.
Name
shahina
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Profession
Question
Dr. Muzammil, I would like to seek your personal opinion on the differences among Muslims in North America following the moon sighting they like. Some people have started today, like Libya, some will start tomorrow and some people will follow Pakistan and fast on Thursday. What is your personal view as a scholar?
Answer
We should follow the moon sighting here in North America. We should take advantage of astronomical information to reject mistaken reports. We should be together and united here. This is according to the Shari'ah.The Shari'ah does not say that we should follow any particular country. It gives us the principles and we should stick to those principles.
Name
Imad
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Profession
Question
As-Salamu`laykum, I was just asking how was moon sighting done in the beginning of Islamic History. And how did it end up becoming the choice between following Makkah or Local Moon Sighting? Can you please elaborate? Jazaka Allahu Khairan.
Answer
Wa`alykum As-Salamu wa rahmatullah.
In the beginning every region looked for the moon in their own area. People had no way of knowing when the people of Makkah or Madinah saw the moon. Communication was not that easy. Sometime the people of Madinah would not know when the people of Makkah started their Ramadan.
Allah gave us a method that is good for all times and places. Now we have the means of communications and we should benefit from them, but the principle of moon sighting remains the same. Wherever it is decided, it should be based on sure sighting reports.
Name
hala
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Profession
Question
Does ISNA conduct the sighting of the new moon through astronomical methods or they do it naturally?
Answer
ISNA makes decision on the actual sighting of the moon, but it takes benefit from astronomical information. If someone says that he/she saw the moon, but astronomically it was not possible to see, then we reject that report. We publish our criteria and inform Muslims about the possibility of sighting or non-possibility on certain days and give them an approximate date. But we make final decision on the basis of actual sighting.
Actually I have to join now a conference call in a minute to discuss some report that we have received just now for our Ramadan this year.
Name
Editor
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Profession
Answer
Ramadan Mubarak. Dr. Siddiqi has just finished the conference call. On the basis of many sighting reports from Florida, Muslim organizations together made the decision that the first day of Ramadan is Wednesday November 6, 2002.
