Ramadan: Moon Sighting and Muslim's Unity

[Eskimo]

Peace.

Whenever it is Ramadan, people will start differing over the issue of moon sighting asn if it were appearing for the first time in the whole year.

If the moon is 'sighted' and an announcement was made it is for 'azumin radio' or 'azumin sarki'. Two days after some people will still be having their lunch! 'azumin... ko na waye shi kuma?...'

Is it a curse that we cannot start fasting on the same day and stop on the same day again...even if not globally?

Something must have informed that. Ignorance on the part of 'yan azumin...I dont know the name...' and mistrust.

How'z the thing like? ;D

[al_hamza]

yeah,
you know this thing has pinched me for a long time, i have even heard of people that dont fast well into the tenth day cos they havent seen the moon for themselves,
agreed in the olden days, commuinications would make it impossible to allow nations to judge the right time of ramadhan,
amma, yanzu.... da muke da settalite da me da me, why this confusion,
i am presently in a place where ramadhan comes during the winter, after about 5pm heavy fog sets in, but they still look out for the moon,
why cant they settle with Saudi!
but anyways, since i live here so i have to abide by the rules, and if i make a mistake, the people that declare the moon's sighting would be responsible on the day of Al-kiyamah.

[Eskimo]

Here is apiece of Information on moon sighting written by

Engr A. A. Aziz

presented by Dr A. Tilde

It is scientific and as such I am sure it will raised an uproar..

But all the same I feel it is a duty to present it here for more public consumption.

Enjoy reading it

Esky

[Eskimo]

Dr Tilde:

I am postponing an article on the tenure of General Babangida in which I will appeal to him to simply return to God and seek His repentance. Maradona himself is no longer a name to reckon with in football. One of the best signs of an intelligent person is his ability to realize that everybody has his time. Ba ka zamaninka kana ka yi na wani. Allah Dai adda dukkan Zamani. So when yours is over, simply leave the scene, return to God and repent. Babangida is lucky to have enough time for repentance and I do not think he should waste it by attempting to coat a charcoal with white gloss. May God bless him and us too with the humility of repentance! Amen.

In place of that article, I would like to discuss something more important: Crescent sighting. We shall return to politics later. Ramadan is fast approaching. And as the author of ?Ishriniyah said, ?You indulge in the world and the intelligent does not indulge. You are deceived by its (outward) peace, while it internally is a war. Leave it and go eastward, the west is not stable for you. In Yethrib is a light of Prohethood that does not wane. The eye and the heart are partners in it.?


The controversy
In his last four years before his death, my late father (may God have mercy on his gentle soul) has broken ranks with the Muslim mainstream whenever it came to sighting the Ramadan and Shawwal crescents. Quite O.K., he used to start fasting on the same day with the rest of us, but he will, in addition, fast on the day Nigerians observe their Eid el-Fitr. Though we did not follow him, his ?rebellion? was not new to the family. Earlier, one of my elder brothers who witnessed a ?419? case of new Moon sighting in Kaduna in 1980 has since been a skeptic. He has for long been with the elders.

Home aside. In the wider society also, we have witnessed the ?rebellion of itinerant scholars (commonly called Kala kato) and their sedentary (and less volatile) counterparts. And in another village just 6 kilometers away from us here, many people have been observing a Ramadan calendar that has for long been two or three days later than ours. As a child, I used to wonder what nuts went into their heads.

In the past all these could be disregarded as coming from a negligible minority in the society. However, recently the divergence of opinion in the Ummah regarding Ramadan and the two Eids has reached a level of serious concern to even the majority. During the last Eid el-Adha, there was a division even among the Emirs. Generally, few people obeyed the Sultan.

The controversy over Moon sighting is global. It has been heightened by developments in communication that made it possible for millions of people to share information instantly. But fortunately, at the global level, science is coming to our aid, if we are ready to use our intellect as commanded by the Quran. Many scholars are now meeting annually to find a way of harmonizing the Islamic calendar, especially on Ramadan, in line with scientific calculations and observations. The difference between them and our scholars is simply that while we still hold on to age long books of ancient writers on astronomy and dating, they were able, by God?s guidance, to keep pace with new developments in the area field. Many of us still believe that the Earth is still flat and static; the sun moves from east to west; etc.

The difficulty with Nigeria is that it has all along observed a different calendar with the rest of the world. Are Nigerians living on a different planet? Some would like us to believe so. But we disagree. The Earth is one. The Sun is one. The Moon too is one. The movement of the Sun and the Moon are predetermined and fixed. But many of our assumptions in Nigeria are simply misconceptions. We just cannot be on one side, and the world on the other; or assume a position that diametrically contradicts what science has established as a stark reality.

Take for example the main reason why my late father decamped from the mainstream on this issue. We once had an argument with him over the issue of seeing the Moon in the East in the morning and sighting a crescent in the west later in the same day. He strongly contended that it is impossible. He insisted that according to classical commentaries of the Quran, the Moon is supposed to ?hide? for a day or two, depending on whether its cycle is 29 or 30 days; or something like that, if I can recall. Today, from the literature I am presenting below, science is on his side.

There are many other misconceptions about the new Moon in Nigeria. The matter has caught the attention of Jama?atu Nasril Islam. Months ago, the organization has commissioned Islamic scholars to investigate the matter and come out with the best way to reconcile the stands of Nigerians on it. However, the Ramadan is fast approaching and I have not heard anything about it from them. Shiru ka ke ji, wai ruwa ya ci makadi.

I sincerely feel that it is a responsibility on people like me, who have the privilege of a page in a newspaper, to print here for public consumption what I have learnt in the past two years on the subject. I do not mind the controversy that will ensue. Nigerians like controversy, especially on matters of religion. But like any other new information, I predict that people will be skeptical at the beginning, many will even be furious about its release to the public. However, history has shown that they will eventually yield to what is certain and factual. They will one day defend it, tooth and nail.

I therefore have the pleasure to reprint for the guidance and delight of my readers a presentation made by my esteemed teacher, Engr. A. A. Aziz, at the 3rd Annual Ramadan Symposium of the Abuja Center for Arabic Studies, which was held in 1999 and titled Scientific Developments in Moon Sighting. The presentation will take two weeks to reproduce here. Forgive me for deleting the diagrams. Readers who wish to have its complete copy of the slides (with diagrams) can contact his Esteem for further clarification on 09-5237719. Only in his absence, his student, in the person of my humble self, will attempt to put you through because as the Arabs say, ?In Medina no other person gives a fatwa, when Malik is around.?

[Eskimo]

Engr Aziz:

Introduction
When it comes to sighting the new crescent Moon, Muslims in Nigeria are principally divided into two groups. The first group would always claim to have sighted the crescent on the day of conjunction (i.e. the phase during Moon?s orbit, when the Moon, Earth and the Sun lie exactly at the same line, with the Moon in the Middle). The second group would claim that the Moon was seen at east that morning and therefore could not have been sighted on the same day at west in the evening.

As a result of this, we always commence fasting of the month of Ramadan and celebrate Eid on two different days in the same town. The questions are: Are there any relationships between crescent sighting at the west in the evenings and Moon sighting at east in the morning hours of the same day? Are we living in an area with peculiar geographic conditions that allow us to be among the earliest observers of the crescent in the world? Does Moon sighting have relationship with eclipses? This presentation will seek to answer these questions through the development of modern scientific criteria for sighting the new crescent Moon in the light of the Shariah. May Allah Guide us. Let us see what Allah (SWT) says about the subject.

Surah al-Rahman 55, Ayah 5: ?The Sun and Moon follow courses exactly computed.? Surah Yunus 10, Ayah 5: It is He who made the Sun a radiance the Moon a light and determined its stations that you might know the number of years and reckoning of time.? Surah al-Baqarah 2, Ayah 189: ?They ask you about the crescent moons, say: They are signs to mark fixed periods of time for the people and for pilgrimage.?

These Ayaat are telling us that the Moon and the Sun follow the decree of Allah (SWT) and must be used for reckoning of months and calendar. Fortunately we now have Muslim astronomers who can predict, for many years in advance when and where the new crescent Moon will first appear.

Topics of Discussion: Basic facts about the Moon; Science of crescent visibility; methods of sighting the crescent; misconceptions on Moon sighting; actual Saudi Dating System; Expectations for this Ramadan; what next; and conclusion.

The Moon: The Moon is our companion in space, and stays together with us as we travel round the Sun. it is much nearer than any other natural body in the sky, which is why it appears brilliant. This bleak, airless sphere is about 3,476 kilometers in diameter, and revolves around Earth at an average distance of some 384,400 kilometers, completing one revolution in about 27 days. The lunar orbit is an ellipse, not a true circle; so the distance of the Moon from the Earth changes.

Since the Moon rotates on its axis in the same time it takes to revolve around the Earth, the lunar hemisphere visible to us remains about the same.

The light of the Moon: Sunlight falls on the Moon as it does on Earth. What we call moonlight is simply sunlight which the Moon is reflecting toward Earth. Except during lunar eclipses, a full half of the Moon is always lighted by the Sun. but we see this full half only when the Earth is between the Sun and Moon ? the phase called full Moon. When the Moon is not in line with Earth and Sun, we see only part of the lighted half.

The lunar phases: The familiar lunar phases occur because the Moon does not always turn its daylight side toward the Earth. When it is almost between the Earth and the Sun, the Moon is new and its dark side (the side that is not receiving light) is turned toward the Earth. It cannot then be seen unless the alignment is perfect enough to produce a solar eclipse. It progressively becomes half (first quarter), then full, then half once more (last quarter). Between half and full phases the Moon is ?gibbous?.

The Moon takes 27.3 days to move round the barycenter ? the center of gravity of the Earth-Moon system, which lies within the Earth?s globe. However, the Earth is moving round the Sun. The lunation, or interval between successive new moons, is therefore 29.5 days (29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.8 seconds), not 27.3.

Lunar Eclipse: An eclipse of the Moon occurs when the Moon passes into the cone of shadows cast by the Earth. If the Moon partially enters the cone there is a partial eclipse; if it wholly enters the cone the eclipse is total. Eclipses do not happen at every full Moon because the lunar orbit is appreciably inclined.

Solar eclipse: Eclipses of the Sun occur when the Earth, Moon and Sun are aligned. A total eclipse is seen at places along a narrow band, the path of totality. Over a wide area outside this band, a partial eclipse is seen. Unfortunately solar eclipses do not occur every month because the Moon?s orbit is inclined to that of the Earth and, at most new Moons, the Moon passes either ?above? or ?below? the Sun in the sky, thereby avoiding eclipse.

Crescent Moon: Just after new Moon, a thin bright crescent is seen. The rest of the disk is faintly lighted. This faint light called the ?old Moon in the new Moon?s arms? is light reflected from Earth to the Moon?s dark side, and is known as earthshine.

The Moon rises about 50 minutes later each night on the average, but the actual time from month to month varies considerably. For some evenings around full Moon near the autumnal equinox (about September 23) moonrise will be only about 20 minutes later each night, because the angle between ecliptic and horizon is then near the minimum. Thus we have moonlight in early evening longer than usual. This phase is called Harvest Moon. The next full phase after Harvest Moon is known as Hunter?s Moon.

The lunar pathway stays near the ecliptic or path of the Sun. However, while the Sun rides high in the summer and low in winter, the Moon rides low in summer and high in winter. At the full phase, the lunar disk may take odd shapes as it rises or sets, particularly when seen through a dense or smoky atmosphere. Sometimes reflection makes it look oval.



Science and Crescent Visibility: The Moon orbits Earth once every 29.53 days (average synodic month). Because of this revolution, phases of the Moon change as the Moon?s position change relative to the Earth and the Sun. So, during the Moon?s orbit, if the Moon, Earth and the Sun lie exactly at the same line and the Moon is the middle, the Sun will illuminate half of the Moon that faces it, and the other half which faces us, will be dark because it does not reflect rays of the Sun.

At this point, the Moon is called Wane or New Moon (Astronomical New Moon not CRESCENT). After that, the Moon continues orbiting the Earth and begins to reflect a small amount of Sun?s rays and now we see the Moon as a very small waxing crescent. Afterwards, it becomes first quarter, full Moon, last quarter, waning crescent and then wane again.

Moons age is measured from the moment of the wane (New Moon). We often say this Full Moon is 14 days old, which means that the number of days since the wane is 14. And we say this crescent is about 2-3 days old.

But, did any one ask himself what is the minimum age of crescent that we can see? Generally, it is not likely to see a crescent that is less than 17 hours, i.e. if we want to observe the thin waxing crescent to determine the beginning of an Islamic month, the Moon should be in the wane phase (New Moon) 17 hours ago or more. But why?!

The wane Moon (New Moon) is located exactly at the Sun?s direction, so the Sun?s glare will prevent us from seeing it, in addition, the percentage of the reflected rays out of the wane Moon (New Moon) is nearly equal to zero, and this percentage increases as the Moon?s age increases. Thus, GENERALLY, human eye can?t detect any reflected rays from the Moon if the Moon?s age is less than 17 hours.

[Eskimo]

Dr Tide:

No, Engr. Aziz! Nigerians that have eyes that are more powerful than the giant telescopes of NASA do not need to wait for 17 hrs, kai not even for an hour, to claim sighting their ?CRESCENT.? Last year, their ?CRESCENT? was older than the Astronomical New Moon! Incredible. Funny enough, yearly they make such a mistake and yearly we believe them. They were mistaking an old Moon that was yet to go into ?hiding? for a crescent.

[Eskimo]

Engr Aziz:

Locating the waxing crescent
The new waxing crescent is located near the Sun, so we shall wait until Sunset, because it is obviously not possible to observe the thin waxing crescent before Sunset.  In addition, we must wait a reasonable time until the twilight decreases, i.e. until we can differentiate between Moon's light and twilight glare, a 10-minute period could be enough sometimes to detect the thin waxing crescent.

As mentioned above, the wane Moon (New Moon) is located exactly near the Sun. If we assume that the Moon will set when it is wane (New Moon), generally it will set along with the Sun, but we are looking for a new crescent, which means that it is still near the Sun. So, we must look at the west, a little bit over the Sunset point.

The Moon, like the Sun, rises from the East and sets after about 12 hours at the west (with exceptions at high-latitude areas), and since the waxing crescent lies near the Sun, it will set after the Sunset, and in its best cases, the new waxing crescent sets about one hour after the Sun.


Factors determining crescent visibility
Other factors responsible for crescent visibility are: 1) the angular distance between the centers of Sun and Moon 2) The crescent's altitude 3) The Moon's staying (the interval between the Sunset and the Moon 4) The azimuth difference between the Sun and the Moon.

Meaning of astronomical calculations of the crescent

Most people think that the astronomical calculations mean absolute determination of crescent visibility, but this is not true, the astronomical calculations include the following:

1. The time of the wane Moon (New Moon) must be determined, and this time is accurately calculated. For sure there is no chance for any error.

2. Some of the above factors are determined. Such as the Moon's altitude, the angular distance between the centers of the Sun and the Moon at the Sunset, Sunset time and the Moon set time, Moon's staying period, ...etc.

3. The results of the above calculations must be compared with crescent visibility conditions in the previous years, and with the accurate practical and international observations.

Note: It is absolutely impossible to see the thin waxing crescent after sunset if the Moon didn't reach the Wane phase (New Moon) yet. How can we see the new crescent if it is not wane yet? " Who claims that he viewed the thin waxing crescent before the New Moon instant, is like the one who claims that he saw the Sun before dawn, or he saw the baby before delivery", ancients said.


Guidelines
To locate the thin waxing crescent, we have to start looking for it after a while of the sunset at the West, a little bit above the point at which the Sun sets, in its best cases, crescent sets about one hour after Sunset.

The following are the guidelines to prepare individuals for crescent moon sighting:

1. On an evening previous to the Moon Sighting evening, it is advisable to FIND A PLACE WITH A CLEAR WESTERN HORIZON (i.e without any buildings or trees obstructing the place where the sun sets, on the western horizon).

2. It should be noted that the actual PLACE OF THE SETTING OF THE SUN varies with the seasons. In the northern hemisphere, the sun sets to the north of west during the summer with the extreme north setting on the summer solstice (June 22). The sun sets due west on the autumnal equinox (Sept 22). The sun again sets due west on the spring equinox (March 21).

3. Observe and note down the approximate angle of inclination of the PATH OF THE SUN while it is setting. This inclination of the path of the setting sun from the vertical is nearly equal to the latitude of observing location.

4. In order to obtain an idea as to approximately where to look, the following information on LUNAL ORBIT is useful:

.              The PATH OF THE CRESCENT MOON while it is setting will be nearly parallel to the path of the setting Sun. The path of the Moon will be CLOSE to the path of setting Sun, being at a maximum of about 5 degrees (usually it is less than the +/-5 deg) ?above? or ?below? the path of the sun, when it is observed from the surface of the earth.

The CRESCENT MOON will also be TRAILING the SUN by about 5 to 20 degrees, for a particular observing point. The earliest sightings in the world would have the moon trailing the sun by the least angle. The Trailing angle of the Moon from the Sun can be estimated from the Orbital details and the location of the observer.

The DURATION OF THE FIRST SIGHTING of very young moons may begin as early as 10 minutes after the sun has set (to allow the twilight to reduce in spectral intensity) with the first sightings being usually before 20 minutes after sunset and the sighting could continue for about 40 to 90 or more minutes after sunset. The sighting would finally be ?fading? when the crescent is a few degrees above the horizon.


Criteria for crescent visibility
1. Moon?s age is equal to, or more than, 17 hours.

2. The angular distance between the Sun's center and the Moon's center at Sunset is equal to, or more than, 7 degrees.

3. The Moon's altitude at Sunset is equal to, or more than, 4 degrees.

4 .The interval between Sunset and Moon set is equal to, or more than, 12 minutes.

If the crescent satisfies these conditions, it is expected to be seen from a highly elevated and clear area. Knowing that an excess of one of these factors may compensate for the lack of another, for instance, if the angular distance between the Moon and the Sun is 10 degrees and the Moon's altitude is just two degrees, then the big angular distance may compensate for the small value of the Moon's altitude.

Methods of starting Islamic months in different countries
There is no unique method adopted by all the Islamic countries to start the Islamic months. There are many methods spread all over the Islamic World, some of them are:

1. If the Wane Phase (New Moon) occurs before midnight, then the next day is the first day of the Islamic Month. This method is adopted in astronomical books and magazines and some Islamic countries.

2. .If the Wane Phase (New Moon) occurs before Sunset, then the next day is the first day of the month. Since the Islamic day starts at Sunset not at midnight.

3. Some countries adopt specific criteria, such as the Moon's age, altitude, the interval between Sunset and Moonset, etc., and if the Moon fulfills these criteria at Sunset, then the following day is the first day of the Islamic Month.

4. Some countries adopt the actual sighting of the crescent with the assistance of astronomical calculations. This is the most reliable and accepted method among people and scientists, as well as among most of scientists of Islamic Shari'a nowadays. Adoption of this method follows Prophet Mohammad?s (Pbuh) order to us not to start the month except when we view the crescent, thus it must be seen, and we use astronomical calculations in order to know where and when to observe, as well as the probability of observing the crescent, since sometimes it would be useless to observe the crescent if the calculations show that there is no crescent after Sunset!

5. Other countries adopt several different ways, some of them make the month 29 and 30 days alternately, others make Ramadan either 29 or 30 days always, and finally some countries don't adopt any specific


Main factors for crescent visibility
Most people associate visibility with the age of the moon. Age of the moon is simply the time lapsed since new moon. It can give a rough approximation for visibility. The visibility depends upon the angular separation of the moon from the sun seen from the earth. As the time passes from the instant of new moon, the angular separation between the sun and the moon increases. This angular separation reflects sun's light to earth.

The earth revolves around the sun in an elliptical orbit, with the sun off-center, and the moon revolves around the earth in a similar way. When the new moon occurs, the sun, moon, and earth come in line as shown, and no light of the sun falling on the moon can come to the earth, so it is a dark or invisible moon.

About 18-24 hours after the new moon, the moon moves away from the line of earth and sun, to its new location as shown by the location of the crescent moon. Now the sun and moon have separated from the same line. The angle subtended by sun, earth, and moon is the ?angular separation?. This angular separation causes the crescent to form.

Until this angle becomes 7 degrees, no light of sun reflected by the moon can come to the earth, because of the mountains on the surface of the moon that block the sunlight. This angle must be about 10-12 degrees from the sun's light to reflect from the moon making a thin crescent that can be sighted.

Sometimes this crescent is very thin and very low on the horizon, so it cannot be seen as it disappears in the glare of the sun, and therefore is not visible, even though it may remain above horizon for 20-30 minutes after sunset.

Another important factor is the moon's altitude above horizon. If the crescent thickness is sufficient, but it is not above horizon, then it cannot be seen. This happens in the month of September and October in northern hemisphere, when the moon is in the southern hemisphere, therefore, it cannot be seen from northern hemisphere. If the moon is above the horizon but close to it within the glare of the sun, then it may not be visible. The moon within the altitude of 10 degrees at sunset is usually not visible.

Muslim astronomers in this age of technology are now in a position to calculate the dates for possible/impossible moon sighting. So the validity of sighting claims can be easily verified for authentic moon sighting. To start an Islamic month correctly, we must examine sighting claims in light of knowledge that Allah (swt) has given us. Let us pray to Allah (swt) to open our hearts and minds to understand these facts about moon sighting.

[Eskimo]

Engr Aziz:

Misconceptions about moon sighting
Common misconceptions about moon sighting are: 1) 29th day moon is always thin and 30th day moon is thick. 2) 29th day moon sets in a short time while 30th day moon remains longer on the horizon. 3 If the moon is thick and remains on the horizon a long time, it must be the 2nd day moon. 4) On New-moon day the dark side of the moon faces earth. 5) Three consecutive months of 30 days are not possible.  6) Full moon occurs on the 14th night.

It is very possible that the 30th day moon of one month is about the same thickness as 29th day moon of another month. The moon revolves around the earth in an elliptical orbit, therefore, sometimes it is closer to the earth and sometimes it is farther from the earth.

The moon above the horizon an hour before setting travels down to horizon line along a path whose inclination depends upon the latitude of the observer. A vertically downward path would be an Equator, and a 45 degrees slope at 45 degree latitude. The moon that is 10 degrees above horizon at Equator, would set quicker than a moon that is 10 degrees above horizon at a latitude of 45 degrees. Therefore, it is not correct to say that the 30th day moon remains longer on the horizon. Some months it may be, but not always.

This is very common argument that we hear repeatedly, but has no truth in it. If on the 29th day, the moon at sunset is 18 hours old and is higher above the glare of the sun, it may be visible on that day and will appear to be very thin. However, if the 18 hours old moon on the 29th day is very low on the horizon, it would not be visible on that day, then on the 30th day it would be 42 hours old and quite thick, and remains above the horizon a long time, but it was not visible the day before.

By this sentence, people think that the far side of the moon is dark side of the moon, and that dark side faces us at New-moon day. That is not the case. The same side of the moon always faces the earth, sometimes illuminated, and sometimes dark. The moon takes 27 days, 7 hours and 43 minutes to spin, or rotate, once on its axis. It takes the same amount of time to orbit the earth. The combination of the two motions keeps the same side of the moon facing the earth. To us on earth, the moon is fully illuminated at full moon, completely dark at new moon, and partially lit in between.

This is wrong too. Full moon is the instant of time when the moon crosses an imaginary line passing through the centers of the sun and earth. This could happen at any moment of day or night. Therefore, it is very possible that in one month the moon is full at 7:00 a.m. This moon would be 99% lit on the night before and becomes full in the morning, but decreases to 99% lit-up on the following night. Such a moon would appear as a full moon to an observer on both nights. These two nights could be 13th and 14th, or 14th and 15th depending upon the location on earth and the time of new moon birth.

What do we need to do?

We need to 1) develop a compendium for every town through collaboration of Ulema and astronomers. 2) Use newspapers to publish moon information. 3) Own our radio stations, TV stations and newspapers. 4) Utilize/optimize the use of Information Technology through Networking, Intranet and Internet. 5) Pray to Allah to guide us and give us courage to change our attitudes toward acquiring knowledge as our first commandment is Read, i.e. seek knowledge.


Conclusion
In conclusion, I will now attempt to answer those questions posed at the beginning of the presentation:

Yes, the morning hour moon seen in the east is decreasing moon that is 27th or 28th of the month that began with the actual moon sighting, not by conjunction date. Then the moon vanishes for about 24-30 hours and appears as a new crescent moon on western horizon in the evening of 29th or 30th.
No, there is nothing exceptional about our area to allow us consistently be the earliest observers of the crescent in the world.
Yes, solar eclipse occurs at the instant of astronomical new moons.
Finally, concerning the first group that always sights the moon on the day of conjunction. It is impossible! Nobody could see the moon on the day of conjunction. However, I am not saying that somebody is lying. The second group that claims ?the moon was seen at east in the morning and therefore could not have been sighted on the same day at west in the evening as a new crescent? is correct. Yes, the statement they make is correct. THE END.

[Eskimo]

According to the information on hilal_sighting.com
The Hilal (new moon) Ramadan for this year will appear by on 12.50 pm on Saturday hence it is not possible for its sighting on that very day.

However since the day will be the 29th of Shaaban, the next day Sunday will be 30th.

So on Monday whether the moon is sighted or not, it will be the 1st of Ramadan.

Na dem sabi oh.

[Waziri]

Eskimo,

Nice effort you've made. I was with Dr. Aliyu Tilde a week before his publication of the above essay, by engineer Aziz, that was some time in 2000, If I can still remember, I encouraged Dr. Tilde towards the publication, and when our people did not heed, I encouraged him to publish another one of his, titled "Before We Revolt" which I believe you have seen.

You see, this one is not an issue of law and social justice where extra carefulness is much desired because when such methods like that of DNA got into the hands of cruel government it will surely be used as an object of coarsion.
The fact that results can be generated independantly in laboratories makes it a simple way to be used as an object of blackmail and terror. As such I concluded, after some five years of research and consultations with the specialists in the field that it should not be used, that justice is a product of man's conscience not science. I would rather have someone to swear than to just conclude only on those material evidences against his/her words. Any humanbeing you asked to swear hundred times(like that in a case of Qasamah) for another person to be killed will surely think twice. this even if the 'humanbeing' is not a muslim. The swearing works on the spirit while the science works only on the flesh as such a is a better and surest way of attaining justice___ that is from the conscience.

But on these aspects regarding moon sighting. I see no reason why we should not use lenses to get a more accurate perpective of the new born moon. This argument can be supported from various angles of reason twined with religion.