Science and Observation in Determining the First Day of an Islamic Month

Eng. Muhammad Shawkat Odeh Vice President of the Crescents, Calendars, and Mawaqeet Committee Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences

Sunday, 14 November 2004 CE falls upon the First of the days of the month Shawwâl of this year, because the geocentric conjunction of the month Shawwâl 1425 AH will happen on Friday, 12 November at 2:27 pm UT. On that day, sighting of the crescent is impossible from all states of the Islamic world, as moonset [occurs] before sunset. On Saturday, 13 November a sighting of the crescent by means of a telescope can be expected in south-eastern Asia, most of the Gulf states, the countries of al-Shâm, northern Africa, southern Europe, and northern North-America, whereas a sighting of the crescent by naked eyes can be expected in southern [parts of the] Arabian Peninsula, in central and southern [parts of the] African continent, in central and southern [parts of] North-America, and in the South-American continent.
Concerning the moon’s situation at sunset on Saturday in some Arabian and Islamic cities: In the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, the topocentric conjunction (new moon) will happen on Friday evening at 11:17 pm local time, on Saturday the sun will set at 6:58 pm and the moon at 7:40 pm, i.e. the moon will be present in the sky for a period of 42 minutes after sunset; moon age at the moment of sunset will be 19 hours and 41 minutes. Hence, the possibility for a sighting of the crescent by naked eyes in the city Kuala Lumpur on Saturday will be difficult. In the city Makka al-Mukarrama, the topocentric conjunction (new moon) will happen on Friday evening at 6:52 pm local time, on Saturday the sun will set at 5:42 pm and the moon at 6:23 pm, i.e. the moon will stay for a period of 41 minutes after sunset; its age at the moment of sunset will be 22 hours and 50 minutes. Hence, the possibility for a sighting of the crescent by naked eyes in the city Makka al-Mukarrama on Saturday will be difficult. Concerning the city `Ammân, the topocentric conjunction (new moon) will happen on Friday evening at 5:40 pm local time, on Saturday the sun will set at 4:43 pm and the moon at 5:17 pm, this means the moon will be present for a period of 34 minutes after sunset; its age at the moment of sunset will be 23 hours and 3 minutes. Hence, there is only the possibility for a sighting of the crescent with the help of a telescope in the city `Ammân on Saturday. In the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, the topocentric conjunction (new moon) will happen on Friday evening at 3:08 pm local time, on Saturday the sun will set at 6:27 pm and the moon at 7:19 pm, i.e. the moon will stay for a period of 52 minutes after sunset; its age at the moment of sunset will be 27 hours and 19 minutes. Hence, a sighting of the crescent by naked eyes in the city Nouakchott on Saturday will be easily possible.

Herewith, the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences calls upon the population to search for the crescent of the month Shawwâl on Saturday, and to report their results to the Union, because since five years the Union publishes every month the observation results of the crescent, and this is done on the Internet at the address http://www.jas.org.jo/icop.html.

We ask the responsible persons in the Islamic states not to call upon the population to search for the crescent on Friday, because the moon on this day sets before the sun in all Islamic states. So what would be the reason for calling upon the population to search for something that is not there? The day on which the crescent should be searched for is Saturday, because on this day the possibility for sighting the crescent varies from a sighting only by means of a telescope to a difficult or easy sighting by naked eyes, in [one or] the other regions.

It is worthwhile to mention the consistency of the observation results of the crescent of the month Ramadân with the previous astronomical calculations, as the astronomical calculations indicated in advance that a sighting of the crescent on Thursday, 14 October would be impossible. In fact, all crescent observers in the Islamic states agreed on the impossibility of a sighting of the crescent on Thursday. Among them were expert astronomers who undertook a search for the crescent of the month Ramadân on Thursday from top of Jabal Shams in the Sultanate of `Oman, whose height is 3000 m asl. They employed three telescopes to search for the crescent, and the crescent was not seen, as could already be expected. Moreover, expert astronomers undertook a search for the crescent from the highest peak of Jabal al-Sharât in Jordan, whose height is 1700 m. They employed two computerized telescopes, and sighting of the crescent was impossible for them. Also moon observers from all over Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran, `Iraq, Sa`udi[-Arabia], Kuwayt, Algeria, South Africa, Nigeria and Greece were not capable of sighting the crescent on Thursday, 14 October, as the astronomical calculations had already indicated in advance. Congratulations to the Islamic states, which began their fasting on Saturday based upon a sighting of the crescent, as Brunei, India, Pakistan, Iran, `Oman, South Africa, and a number of other Islamic states. It is possible to take a look upon the detailed observation results of the crescent of the month Ramadân on the site of the Islamic Crescents' Observation Project at the address http://www.jas.org.jo/icop.html.

Translation: Ahmad Kaufmann - Germany

Kindly click here to read the original AUASS statement.