Attached Calendar for the Month of Safar 1433

There was no reported sighting of the Hilal from anywhere in the Country due to heavy clouds on Sunday evening. However we have received news of actual sighting (Muhaqaq Ru’ayat e Basri) from the Ministry of Awqaf in Morocco. We therefore had 29 days of Muharram and the first day of Safar in the United Kingdom will be on Monday 26th December 2011 Insha Allah.

Saudi Arabia also had 29 days of Muharram after the Date alteration and will commence the Month of Safar from Monday 26th December based on the pre calculated Umm ul Qura Calendar as there is no official announcement based on sighting so far.

After originally announcing the beginning of Muharram according to the Umm ul Qura calendar (as we had rightly written in our Muharram Calendar),  the Saudi Supreme Court changed their decision for the beginning of Muharram after 8 days. We congratulate the concerned scholars in Saudi Arabia who put pressure on the Saudi Hilal authorities, and made them change Aashoora to the correct date. The question that remains unanswered is what about those UK Muslim groups who claim that the Moon was sighted in Saudi Arabia on Friday 25th November 2011, and the initial month had started according to Ru’yah. The Saudi authorities through all the press releases have clearly announced on that the weather was cloudy and No moon was sighted on Friday......

Note that the Muharram 1433 announcement by the Saudi authorities was an exceptional case, as they do not normally make any Hilal sighting decisions other than in the 3 months of Ibadah (Ramadan, Shawwal and Dhul Hijjah).

Alhamdulillah the Wifaq ul Ulama have since its setting up have always declared the beginning of the month based on ‘actual naked eye sightings’. All TWELVE months are declared in this way which is 100% according to our Holy Shariah. No calculations or Hisab are followed. All this rhetoric and accusations by some UK hilal committees about a ‘Jewish, Christian or Hindu’ calendar being followed by  groups that do not follow them or Saudi Arabia need to take a very close look at their  Hilal decisions at the beginning of Muharram and at the beginning of just about every month that is not deemed as "a month of Ibaadah". We consider all twelve months are months of Ibadah, e.g. the Sunnah of Ayam-e-Bidh (white-fast), on 13th, 14th and 15th of every lunar month [Thirimidhi, Abu Dawud, An-Nasai].

The month of Muharram 1433H was originally commenced with such a calendar, and the Umm ul Qura calendar adopted by Saudi Arabia for whatever reasons is 100% based on calculation. (After the birth of the new moon or conjunction, if the moon set  is after sunset in Makkah the new month will be declared irrespective of whether moon is visible or not, or observed or not.)

It seems quite strange and absurd that these very groups that are following the Umm ul Qura calendar which is based oncalculations similar to the ‘Jewish, Christian or Hindu’ calendar,  want to level this accusation at those groups who are 100% Shariah compliant. We feel that It is now the time and opportunity that common sense prevailed,  and all Hilal committees should come together on the drawing table and come to an agreed united formula for deciding upon the Hilal which is 100% Shariah compliant.

We pray that Allah Almighty gives all the Muslims a true understanding of each and every aspect of our great Deen of Islam