Start of Ramadhan 1434: Press Release

Start of Ramadhan 1434: Press Release

Introduction:

This is a synopsis of the findings of Moonsighting (UK), ICOP & ICOP-UK on the start of Ramadhan deliberately edited and simplified for common Muslims to understand and use to protect their acts of worship during the Holy Month of Ramadhan. Before proceeding further, we would like to inform the readers that ICOP is an International body comprising of over 400 members from all over the Muslim world including Saudi Arabia who research issues relating to moon sighting and make deliberate attempts to sight and coordinate naked eye sighting of the moon every month and not just the Holy month of Ramadhan and Dhul-Hijjah. You must understand and internalise this important distinction since it isn’t possible to attempt to coordinate naked eye sighting of Ramadhan moon without attempts to sight and coordinate sighting for every Islamic month.

1 Europe/UK: Free email, mobile alerts by Islamic Crescent Observation for the UK every month

2 Europe/UK:  Wifaqul-Ulamah (UK) Body of Scholars coordinating and informing people about moon sighting

3 USA: Hilal Sighting Committee of America

3 South Africa: Moon sighting is announced via various means including Shaykh Ebrahim Bham (Twitter), Channel Islam International etc

4 Pakistan: Announced on local media and emails are sent out by a Yahoo group managed by Shaykh (Mufti) Sultan Alam (HA) who is the Head of Department of Astronomy Jamiatur Rasheed (Karachi, Pakistan)

5 India: Announced on local media and collected and reported on our site

All of the sources above report on naked eye moon sighting for every Islamic month, they neither look at a calendar hanging on their wall (for months other then Ramadhan) nor spring into a frenzy of activity 1 day before Ramadhan and start discussing moon sighting. Many of the Scholars, brothers and sisters involved have over a decade of involvement in monthly moon sighting.

Full investigative report from Moonsighting (UK) about Ramadhan 1434 in 3 languages:

Years of experience and coordination has enabled thorough and impartial investigation into moon sighting for Ramadhan (1434) and presentation in 3 most commonly understood languages for Muslims, see below.

1 Ramadhan (1434) Moon sighting report (English) view inline

2 Ramadhan (1434) Moon sighting report (Arabic) view inline

3 Ramadhan (1434) Moon sighting report (Urdu) view inline

Full article here

UK has the only group of Deobandees in the world who cry Salafi/Salafi every 10 minutes, then turn around and follow Saudi Arabia and still claim to make Taqleed of Hanafi Madhab.

Comedy in motion!

Deobandees of India/Pakistan/Bangladesh/South Africa/USA/Canada in fact all over the world (apart from UK) have never received this guidance of following Saudi moon sighting

Deobandi Brother from India read the article and then asked, "Why do Deobandees in Britain follow Saudi Arabia"?

No idea was my reply.

Someone said, "I am Ba'y to Hazrat (Shaykh) ABC and I have confidence in my Shaykh and he follows Saudi Arabia so I also follow him"

I replied, "Masha'Allah please request duas from Hazrat (Shaykh) ABC for me and ask as to how come he doesn't follow his Shaykh (in India) who doesn't follow Saudia? "

You say that you follow your Shaykh because you trust him so what about between your Shaykh and his Shaykh? If the issue of moon sighting is a Tassawuff matter that one has to follow their Shaykh then your Shaykh has clearly moved away from this position.

No answer!

There are no disagreements amongst the Deobandees anywhere (in the world) and no position of following Saudia except British Deobandees (rumblings in Canada from certain Deobandees to move away from a united 30+ year stance even they are not wild enough to start fasting on Tuesday)

W-Salam,

There is no (Deobandi or Non-Deobandi) Fatwa of anyone of Authority of any Madhab on Planet Earth who now disagrees with Fajar being 18 degrees. This covers:

1. Hanafees
2. Shaf'aes
3. Malikees
4. Hanbalees
5. Salafees
6. Ahl-e-Hadeeth

British Deobandees = I follow my local Masjid, Brother!

Shaykh (Maulana) Ashraf Ali Thanwi (RA) [1863-1943] on PrayerTimes in London:

In the scans (pages 237, 238 & 239) view inline Shaykh (RA)  in the last book of his life Bawadirun-Nawadir published roughly 2 weeks before his passing away confirms the facts in the question with his response as follows:

1. Adoption of 18 degrees for Fajar & Esha
2. From 22nd of May to 21st of July is perpetual twilight:
   1. The Ulamah who claim that Esha is not Fardh during this time are upon error

The language is too complex and technical for a quick translation so may be some other time (for a full translation).

Correct, majority of Deobandees Mosques in UK follow Saudi Arabia...you can say almost all of them