Announcement from Wifaq Ulama Regarding Eid ul Fitr 1432/2011:

“We feel that now is the time for the Ulama to put past differences behind them and come back on the negotiating table to negotiate a formula or a criterion which is Shariah compliant/free of any doubt and unites all, irrespective of which school of thought they belong to.”

We are receiving a lot of enquiries as regards to the rumours going round about Eid Ul Fitr 1432 AH/2011.

We see it as irresponsible to entertain any rumour, hence the silence. But what we will say is that we had already announced on the 24th of August, SIX days before Eid ul Fitr that Saudi Arabia has already fixed Eid ul Fitr for the 30th of August 2011. See article: http://www.wifaqululama.co.uk/home/181-eid-ul-fitr-declared-on-tuesday-30th-of-august-in-saudi-arabia.html

The basis of that claim was the Ramadhan timetable distributed in Makkah Al Mukarramah which had only TWENTY NINE DAYS and a note at the bottom clearly saying that Eid ul Fitr is on Tuesday the 30th of August 2011.

To make such a claim was not easy, but our experience of the past 6-7 years of Saudi announcements made it very apparent to us that whatever was written in the timetable below WAS indeed factual and true.

On Monday the 29th of August there was no possibility of sighting anywhere in the world except South Africa with an optical aid and South America. Many countries like Morocco, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh were still on their 28th fast.

No country to the East of UK has claimed sighting except THREE people in Saudi Arabia, and that TEN MINUTES BEFORE SUNSET. It should surprise a lot of people that out of BILLIONS of Muslims residing in countries to the East of UK only Three people sighted the moon! And that, before sunset!

We wonder why people even went out to sight the moon on the 29th of Ramadhan BEFORE sunset. That is a question in itself. The effort should be made AFTER sunset.

We also wonder why the NINE official moonsighting committees with all the modern equipment and telescopes failed to locate the Hilal and three people managed to sight the Twelve hour moon with their Naked eyes.

We also wonder why the whole of the Muslim nation living to the East failed to sight the moon whilst three (according to the information received) regular claimants of the past years saw it. ARE WE ALL BLIND?

WE notice that many other countries declared Eid ul Fitr on Tuesday, but they clearly and truthfully announced that they were following Hisab or calculations. E.g. Malaysia, ISNA

Now some people say that majority of the countries celebrated Eid ul Fitr on Tuesday, but what they fail to understand is that those that did either followed calculation/Hisab or blind followed Saudi Arabia. See below:

•    Afghanistan (Follow Saudi)
•    Austria (Follow Saudi)
•    Canada (Muslim Council of Montreal, based on Chile sighting)
•    Chile (Local sighting)
•    China (Local sighting that we believe erroneous)
•    Denmark (Follow Saudi)
•    France (Official Announcement)
•    Jordan (Follow Saudi)
•    Kazakhstan (Follow Saudi)
•    Kuwait (Follow Saudi)
•    Kyrgyzstan (Follow Saudi)
•    Lebanon (Follow Saudi)
•    Libya (Calculations)
•    Luxembourg (Follow Saudi)
•    Malaysia (Calculations)
•    Netherlands (Follow Saudi)
•    Palestine (Follow Saudi)
•    Philippines (Follow Saudi)
•    Qatar (Follow Saudi)
•    Saudi Arabia (sighting – Official Announcement)
•    Sudan (Follow Saudi)
•    Sweden (Follow Saudi)
•    Syria (Follow Saudi)
•    UAE (Follow Saudi)
•    Tadjikistan (Follow Saudi)
•    Taiwan (Follow Saudi)
•    Turkey (Follow Saudi)
•    Turkmenistan (Follow Saudi)
•    USA (Calculations) [FCNA, ISNA]
•    Uzbekistan (Follow Saudi)
Information taken from moonsighting.com

Those countries to the East of UK and Morocco that have strict sighting policy, meaning that  throughout the TWELVE months they will only announce the month after the moon has been sighted by the NAKED EYE, all celebrated Eid ul Fitr on Wednesday the 31st of August 2011. And we are aware of thousands of people who have sighted the Hilal on the 30th of August in those countries.

This in itself is an indication to any intelligent person as to when was the correct day of Eid ul Fitr.

Let us remind the people of UK and those others that follow Saudi Arabia, blindly; for the people that live in Saudi Arabia or those that are visiting there for whatever purpose they WILL follow the decision of the Qadhi/judge there. They do not have a choice to even question that decision. It would not affect the correctness of their fasts, Eid and Hajj in Saudi. The burden/sin/divine liability of using the wrong tools to arrive at such judgements and rulings is upon the judges and those in authority.

As for us, the people living here in the UK, and other countries that do not fall under the Saudi court jurisdiction, it is NOT necessary upon them to follow the Saudi Supreme Court judgement.

And when we know that there is a definite doubt in the judgement, as on this occasion of Eid ul Fitr:

1)   Only THREE out of BILLIONS of Muslims have claimed a sighting,

2)   Ten minutes before sunset (according to various media reports).

3)   The fact that those countries where months are declared only after sighting, Hilal was not seen on Monday but TUESDAY.

4)   Astronomers were unanimous that sighting was impossible on that day, even Saudi Astronomers were of that view; see website: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article494126.ece

5)   The timetable distributed by the Saudi Authorities through shopping outlets etc clearly showed the month of Ramadhan fixed at Twenty Nine days.

6)   The four methods (mentioned below) stipulated by the Holy Shariah as regards to the sighting of the crescent have not been acted upon by neither the Hizb ul Ulama or Jamiat ul Ulama (CMC)

We should have acted upon the Hadith “Leave that which is doubtful for that which has no doubt” and adopted caution. We should have fasted on the 30th of August and celebrated Eid on the Wednesday the 31st of August 2011.

Now let’s go to the FOUR principles: Our Holy Shariah stipulates that the sighting of the crescent in another community or country will be accepted only if the information is passed on in one of the following FOUR methods:

i.       Shahadat ‘alar Ru’yah (شهادة على الرؤية) – two males, or one male and two females bear testimony that they have sighted the moon in their community or country, using the words أشهد, or the equivalent in their local language.

ii.      Shahadat ‘alas Shahadat– two sane, mature Muslims bear witness that two sane, mature Muslims bore witness in front of them that they have sighted the crescent.

iii.     Shahadat ‘alal Qaza– two sane, mature Muslims from another community or country bear witness that an official declaration was made by the muqtada that the crescent has been sighted.

iv.      Tawatur wa Istifadhah– many people from another community or country inform that the crescent has been sighted in their community or country; and the muqtada of the community or country are convinced that the crescent has been sighted in that community or country based on tawatur and istifadhah

If the information of the sighting of the crescent is not passed on in one of the four methods, the sighting claim will not be regarded as valid. Mere knowledge of the crescent declaration in another community or country through Newspapers, websites or official pre-printed calendars will not suffice to determine the starting or ending of the month.

Now if Hizb Ul Ulama are claiming that their announcement of the month of Shawwal is correct can they provide the masses with the evidence/documentation required by our Holy Shariah as mentioned above to end and commence a month. As all Hizb ul Ulama are doing until now to try to prove that they were correct are copying and pasting articles from Newspapers and websites. Let’s have the documentation demanded by our Holy Shariah.

We feel now it is time for the Ulama to put the past difference behind them and come back on the negotiating table and negotiate a formula or a criterion which is Shariah Compliant/Free of any doubt/unite all, irrespective of which school of thought they belong to.

It is now time to put personal ego’s and past difference on one side and take a positive step for the sake of our children and generations to come to end this confusion and mayhem on occasions of Ramadhan and Eidain. With this in mind we call upon all responsible parties, whoever they are to come and achieve this goal that seems so difficult, but in reality is so easy.

Organisations, Senior Ulama, Trustees and committees of Masajid are hereby humbly requested by the Wifaq ul Ulama to participate and lobby the Hilal bodies in UK to come on the negotiating table and settle this issue once and for all.

May Allah give us towfeeq of amal