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Inaccurate Decision of ISNA’s Fiqh Council Creates
Controversy
Start fasting when you see the moon and end fasting when
you see the moon. If you cannot see the moon because of
clouds complete 30 days.
This Hadeeth has been
transmitted in Sahih Bukhari. Moreover, it has been the
criterion employed by the Hilal Committee of Greater
Chicago since its establishment 35 years ago. According
to the principle enunciated above, the sighting of the
moon anywhere in North America marks the beginning of
the lunar month.
In the past, ISNA’s
Fiqh Council has repeatedly changed their criteria. This
year, they have decided to alter their standards yet
again. According to the new standards, if the moon is
born before noon Greenwich Time, ISNA will declare the
next day to be the beginning of Ramadan; the same will
apply to Eid-ul-Fitr. Based on this, they have decided
that September 23, 2006 will be the start of Ramadan.
On the 30th
of August, the Hilal Committee of Greater Chicago, which
comprises of learned scholars and jurists of Islam, held
a meeting in this regard and concluded that the ISNA
Fiqh Council’s decision was incorrect. In the past, the
scholars of Fiqh have differed on whether the beginning
of the month should start with the actual sighting of
the moon or whether it should be based on mathematical
calculations.
In all the Islamic
libraries of the world, one will find only a handful of
scholars in favor of using mathematical calculations to
decide the beginning of the Islamic month. Over the last
1400 years of Islamic history, not a single instance
exists wherein mathematical calculation (as opposed to
the actual sighting of the moon) was used to determine
the beginning of the Islamic month.
The Fiqh Council’s
proposal to use the calculation method has been
justified on the grounds of convenience. Yet earlier
generations of Muslims have never considered convenience
as sufficient justification for abandoning the Shari’ah,
especially with regards to a matter as weighty as the
month of Ramadan. Neither the contemporary American
Muslim, nor any previous Muslims, have had any valid
excuse for departing from the Shari’ah.
With this in mind,
the Hilal Committee of Greater Chicago declines to
accept the decision made by ISNA Fiqh Council and
appeals to all Muslims to do likewise, as their decision
is clearly in conflict and violation of the Shari'ah,.
Fasting (Sawm) is the fourth pillar of Islam, as per the
tradition laid down by our beloved Prophet Muhammad (S),
and thus under the guidance of the Shari’ah, American
Muslims should begin and end their worship during
Ramadan by sighting the moon. Such is the best way of
ensuring that such worship is accepted by Allah.
The dates of Ramadan
and Eid must be determined on the basis of conventional
moon sighting principles. It is this method which the
Hilal Committee of Chicago has held fast to in the past
and intends to continue to abide by in the future.
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