Dhul Hijja Report

8/8/2019 Dhul Hijja Report

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Email: [email protected]: http://crescentwatch-australia.alghazzali.org

All written correspondence to:P.O.Box 7014

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INTRODUCTION

Te determination o the 1st Dhul Hijja is crucial or the Australian Muslim

community (and or the Muslims around the world, who will ascertain suchdetermination based on their regional conditions), and Australian National

Crescent Sighting Coordination Centre (ANCSCC) has worked tirelessly in getting

the most up-to-date and accurate inormation to all Muslims in Australia. Tis Post-

Notifcation Report regarding the status o the crescent or the month o Dhul Hijja

is to provide detailed inormation to the Australian Muslim community in order to

keep them ully inormed, so that they themselves can make inormed decisions as to

when to celebrate ‘Eid in accordance with the rules under Shari’ah.

Tis Report is divided into three parts- Part A is to provide an explanation why

7th November (and not 6th November) was the correct date to sight the crescent or

Dhul Hijja; Part B provides an explanation why 8th November is the 1st day o Dhul

Hijja (and thus ‘Eid ul-Adha to be on 17th November). Part C provides an explanationabout the claims made by Saudi Arabia and why it cannot be accepted. Tis Report

will not provide detailed explanation o the Fiqh and Science o Crescent Sighting-

please, contact ANCSCC to arrange a training workshop or detailed study o crescent

sighting.

From the outset, ANCSCC rejects the suggestion that it is trying to divide

the Muslim Australian community or is merely highlighting the errors o other

organisations. ANCSCC categorically states that its objective or interest is not who is

in error, but what the error or problem really is, and is committed to assist in rectiying

them so that the entire Muslim Australian community can benet rom such eorts,

and in act unite on the correctness o actions approved by the Shari’ah by respecting

valid opinions and leaving that which is actually incorrect.

PART A

CORRECT DAY TO OBSERVE CRESCENT FOR DHUL HIJJA

Te correct date to have sight the crescent was 7th November, and not 6thNovember. Tose who have declared the 1st o Dhul Hijja is on 7th (rather than

8th), have incorrectly relied on Saudi Arabia or this course o action. Saudi Arabia

asked its citizens to observe the crescent on 6th, and then claimed to have sighted

the crescent whereby it claimed that 7th November equated to 1st o Dhul Hijja. As

such it will be important to assess the lunar reality on the 6th based on the local time

o Saudi Arabia (keeping in mind that it is incorrect to ollow Saudi Arabia anyway,

and discussion about that is contained in Part C o this Report).

Te most important reality o the moon in Makkah on 6th November at the

time o sighting was its relative altitude rom the sun at sunset. Te altitude o themoon was almost the same as the sun, i.e., in order to make a claim to have sighted

the crescent, one would have had to look straight into the bright glare o the sun’s

disc. It is impossible to view the moon in such a location, let alone the extremely

bright glare damaging one’s eyes even i one tried.

In addition to this physical impossibility, 6th November could not have been

29th Dhul Q’ada, but only 28th. Going back one additional month to Shawwal , the

FIGURE 1 – LUNAR FACTS: 6TH NOVEMBER

MAKKAH, SAUDI ARABIA



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29th was 8th October, but no crescent was sighted in Saudi Arabia although attempted

by numerous people. Tereore Shawwal should have ended as a 30-day month or

Saudi Arabia (as it did in Australia), but they did not do so and simply applied its pre-

calculated civil “Umm al-Qurra” calendar to claim a 29-day month. Tis orced SaudiArabia to treat 6th November as 29th o Dhul Q’ada, when in reality it was supposed to

have been 7th November as per its own record based on crescent sighting.

Not a single place on earth was able to sight the crescent on the 6th, except the one

claim in Saudi Arabia which was accepted by its ocials. It is important to note that

approximately 200 individuals associated with crescent sighting rom dierent parts

o the world are also in Saudi Arabia or the upcoming Pilgrimage, who unanimously

reported not a single sighting rom various parts o Saudi Arabia.

In summary, attempting to sight the crescent in Saudi Arabia on 6th November

was not only incorrect, but it was physically impossible by all counts to have sighted

the crescent on the 6th.

PART B

1ST DAY OF DHUL HIJJA

Afer establishing why 6th November was not the correct day or sighting the

crescent in Saudi Arabia (or Australia), this section will outline the results obtained

regarding the correct sighting o the crescent on 7th November, thus establishing 8th

November as the 1st day o Dhul Hijja. Whilst it is not correct to ollow Saudi Arabia

in the rst place (and discussion about that is in Part C o this Report), it will again be

important to assess the real acts about the lunar cycle there, given the decisions made

in Australia was based on the claims made by Saudi Arabia.

It suces to mention that those rom various parts o the world who did go to

observe the crescent on the 6th and saw nothing, also went out to observe on the

7th and conrmed multiple sightings o the crescent. As such, by virtue o positive

and reliable sighting in Saudi Arabia itsel on the 7th, the 1st day o Dhul Hijja really

commences on 8th November.

But how can we provide irreutable proo that Saudi claim or the 1st o Dhul

Hijja t obe on 7th is baseless? Te proo, ofen, is on what the lunar cycle does in

the next month- in this case, Muharram. Here are the acts or the coming month o

Muharram based on Makkan local time.

- Saudi claim o 1st Dhul Hijja: 7th November

- Tereore 29th Dhul Hijja: 5th December

Based on these undisputed data or Saudi Arabia as it stands, here are the lunar

data or 5th December- the date that Saudi Arabia claims to be 29th o the lunar month

o Dhul Hijja and the date it would have to observe or the crescent or the coming

month o Muharram:

FIGURE 2 – 5TH DECEMBER LUNAR DATA:

MAKKAH, SAUDI ARABIA



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In addition to the acts about Saudi Arabia, ANCSCC also rejects the claims o

some organisations in Australia that they based their decision to make 7th November

to be the 1st day o Dhull Hijja on calculation. Firstly, pre-determined calculation

oers no certainty and is counter to the requirements o Shari’ah, and should not be

the basis o any such decision; it is very disappointing that entities would take such

an erroneous step. Secondly, and as importantly, there is not a SINGLE data based

on calculation that suggests that the crescent could have been sighted, whether in

Australia or Saudi Arabia; in act all such calculated data conrm the opposite, i.e.,

that it cannot be sighted.

In summary and simply stated, 5th December cannot be 29th o Dhul Hijja,

which in turn means 7th November cannot be 1st o Dhul Hijja! o suggest that 5th

December can be 29th is preposterous, and is the same as saying any date (e.g., 4th,

10th or 1st December....) can arbitrarily be chosen to coincide with whichever datean authority wants. Tis is unacceptable and expressly prohibited under Shari’ah,

and cannot be supported.

PART C

FOLLOWING SAUDI ARABIA IS INCORRECT

Tere is no doubt, based on scientic acts or on Shari’ah, that the correct date

or sighting the crescent or the month o Dhul Hijja, was 7th November, 2010.

Further, the correct date or starting the month o Dhul Hijja was on 8th November,

and thereore the date or ‘Eid ul-Adha is on 17th November. Tat is beyond doubt.

Te issue o some entities ollowing Saudi Arabia at all costs, needs explanation.

From the outset, the explanation below is a summary, and we urge all

communities around Australia to contact ANCSCC to acilitate its seminars and

workshops or their communities in order to learn in detail all aspects o crescent

sighting, including why ollowing Saudi Arabia is incorrect. ANCSCC management

also sincerely apologises or highlighting these signicantly problematic realities

regarding ollowing Saudi Arabia, and much o this inormation is well known by

astronomical experts and Scholars.

We do note that some organisations implied in their decision to start Dhul Hijja

on 7th November that they were not ollowing Saudi Arabia but simply calculation.

Tree important points need to be made regarding this:

i) As explained earlier, there is not a single calculated data that suggests

that the crescent could have been sighted on 6th November; in act, only the

opposite is true- that it cannot be sighted. Further, the entire world could not

sight it on the 6th November anyway;

ii) Te position o many such entities in previous years has clearly been to

ollow Saudi Arabia. Further, i the decision was not based on Saudi Arabia, it

is highly questionable to be making an announcement regarding ‘Eid ul-Adha

immediately afer the claimed sighting in Saudi Arabia, when such a decision

could easily have been made public well in advance by virtue o the act that it

is based on a pre-determined calculation. Such prevarication is not helpul to

anyone in the Australian Muslim community;

iii) It is unacceptable that an entity will advice its community regarding the

commencement o some months on the basis o actual sighting and others on

the claimed basis o calculations.

Following Saudi Arabia in establishing the lunar months or any month is

undoubtedly incorrect (Saudi Scholars themselves attest to this), and is merely a

cultural practice ensuing rom Arab comunities settled in various parts o the world

and which has no Fiqhi or scientic basis. ANCSCC urges the reader to attend its

seminars and workshops to understand in detail why it is incorrect. In context to

Dhul Hijja specically, the ollowing reasons, stated as summary points, ought to

suce as to why the assumption that ollowing Saudi Arabia due to the Pilgrims issimply incorrect:

i) Lunar behaviour over Saudi Arabia and surrounding regions behaves

completely dierently to all other parts o the world, such that the presence o

the crescent – the obligatory cause – dier each month and can be rst sighted

at dierent points on earth and not over Saudi Arabia. In other words, in one

month the rst visibility o the crescent could be over the region o Saudi



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Arabia, and another month over South America, and yet another month over

Australia. Further, the crescent can be (and historically has been many times)

sighted one ull day ahead o Saudi Arabia, which will obligate that particular

region to commence Dhul Hijja beore Saudi Arabia. Following Saudi Arabia

has no basis in Shari’ah at all, and to enorced this upon the Muslim community

without any basis o act is nothing less than an innovation. Simply based on this

act, the evidences provided below is secondary although highly signicant;

ii) Unortunately Saudi Arabia is highly unreliable or the ullment o the

testimony o a positive sighting, and has actual errors o such claims higher than

any other region in the world. Te ollowing chart will assist in understanding

the gravity o the problem, which assesses all sighting claims made by Saudi

Arabia rom 1961 – 2004 [source: Islamic Crescent O bservations Project- Presentation

on Al-Jazeera V & Imam Afroz Ali- Online seminar on SeekersGuidance Online Academy. Also refer to additional Research Paper- Zaki al-Mostafa, “Lunar Calendars: Te

New Saudi Arabian Criterion”(Astronomy & Geophysics Research Institute, Riyadh, Saudi

Arabia, 2005)]

Te graph identies the ollowing:

a) Only 13% o the overall claims made by Saudi Arabia to have sighted the

crescent were when the crescent was actually present in its horizon;

b) 23% o the overall claims made by Saudi Arabia to have sighted the crescent

were when the crescent was possible to have been sighted;

c) But a signicant 64% o the claims made by Saudi Arabia to have sighted

the crescent were when the crescent was actually known NO to even have

existed in its horizon.

A urther evidence o highly unreliable claims made by Saudi Arabia is the

ollowing screen capture o its ocial website (source: Saudi Press Agency) or the

maintenance o dates, and in particular Dhul Hijja.

Te two images (Fig. 4 and 5) highlight the chain o events o what occurred

during Dhul Hijja 1428AH (2007CE), and in particular how the Saudi Agency

altered the lunar date afer the act and unbeknown to Pilgrims or the global

Muslim community. Te two images highlight the ollowing:

a) Figure 4 shows the date that was announced on Friday 28th December to

equate to 19th Dhul Hijja, and in line with the Hajj dates just a ew days prior

(note that Hajj had by now nished);

b) Figure 5 shows that Gregorian calendar was rightully progressed the

ollowing day to Saturday 29th December. However, the Hijri calendar was

quietly edited and it remained 19th Dhul Hijja; a complete adjustment o one

day which ultimately matched what communities ollowing crescent sightingmethods already had as part o their records or the month o Dhul Hijja! Tis

is not a small issue, but highly critical and questionable.

ANCSCC repeats its stance that its objective is not identiy people or entities

behind problems regarding the maintenance o the Islamic lunar calendar, but

the problem itsel. ANCSCC urges all individuals to deal with these kinds o

acts with sincere concern rather than anger and blame. Te problem exists;

FIGURE 3: SAUDI ARABIA 1961 - 2004



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FIGURE 4

Te ocial date stated is:

Friday 19th Dhul Hijja,1428AH, parallel with 28thDecember, 2007CE

Source: http://www.spa.gov.sa/details.php?id=512856



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Te ocial date stated is:

Saturday 19th Dhul Hijja,1428AH, parallel with 29thDecember, 2007CE

Source: http://www.spa.gov.sa/details.php?id=513097

FIGURE 5



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Te reality outlined above will inorm even a casual observer that in act there

is neither synchronicity nor ollowing the pilgrims, and that some parts o the world

are well ahead o the pilgrims whilst others are well behind them in real time in an

extremely haphazard manner. Further, a casual observer will also be able to realise

that in reality some regions will be asting in real time on the 10th Dhul Hijja i

they ollowed Saudi Arabia, and some would be celebrating ‘Eid already whilst the

pilgrims are just starting to depart ‘Araah! Tis situation orced upon communities

is simply erroneous and unacceptable.

we have a collective responsibility to rectiy it, not entering into a blame game.

iii) A urther evidence that ollowing Makkah has no Shar’i basis is the act thatHajj was obligated in Islam in the 9th year afer Hijra, yet ‘Eid ul-Adha was a

Shar’i celebration already in the 2nd year afer Hijra. Te Prophet, upon whom

be peace and blessings o Allah, oered the sacrice every year o his entire ten

years in Madina. Tere was not a single attempt by the Prophet, upon whom be

peace and blessings o Allah, nor his Companions, may Allah be pleased with

them all, to synchronise or adjust the Madinan and Makkan lunar calendar.

In act there is reasonably strong evidence historically that the very year the

Prophet, upon whom be peace and blessings o Allah, completed his pilgrimage

that the dates o Madina and Makkah were dierent by at least a day.

iv) For more than 1000 years, Muslims all over the world had no ability to

synchronise their dates with Saudi Arabia or the pilgrims in Makkah. Tis act

conrms as a minimum that no such synchronicity is actually obligated under

Shari’ah. When understood with all other acts, it should be very clear that it is

not only not obligatory, it is incorrect to be doing so.

v) Te highest scholarly authorities o Saudi Arabia itsel have released legal

rulings that there is no basis under Shari’ah to ollow or synchronise dates with

Saudi Arabia (Reer to the Fatawa o the likes o al-Uthaimeen and ibn Baaz).

vi) An actual assessment o the real-time comparison with the time o Makkah

and what the pilgrims are doing, with the rest o the world is very telling, that

attempts around the world to synchronise with Makkah and the pilgrims is

simply theoretical and there is no reality attached to it. Te data o the acts are:

FIGURE 6 – ATTEMPTED GLOBAL SYNCHRONICITY

TO FOLLOW PILGRIMS: MAKKAH, SYDNEY, HAWAII



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CONCLUSION

Te establishment o the lunar months are specically related to matter

o Devotional Worship o Allah; they are not a supercial set o dates or justcelebration or conveniences, and as such, ANCSCC urges individuals to plead with

their community leaders making decisions to explain their processes and to adopt

actual systems o establishing lunar month which do not vary according to people’s

whims and choices but that which ull the requirements o Shari’ah.

Te inormation provided herein by ANCSCC is to provide the Australian

Muslim with all relevant data and acts, so that they can reach their own conclusion

which date ‘Eid ul-Adha shall all on. We urge you to make objective decisions and

assist others to understand all relevant acts, particularly your local organisations

acilitating prayers. We also ask you to contact us i you require urther inormation,

and to avoid unnecessary disputation, mocking o or blaming others, but to consult

and work together in a civil manner in order to bring about constructive changeswithin your communities. Te Board and State Coordinators o Australian National

Crescent Sighting Coordination Centre (ANCSCC) wishes you a joyous ‘Eid ul-Adha

and a positive year ahead, and may Allah accept your sincerity and good deeds.

Dhul Hijja Report

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