New Website! slmoon.lk

 

Crescent Visibility Data for 1446 AH (JUL-2024 to MAY-2025)

How to A Read crescent🌙 Visibility Map 🗺

Exhausting the Public by an Impossible Day of Sighting

Great suspicion is caused if the crescent is reported to have been sighted after those of reliable knowledge of religion and astronomy state that it cannot be seen, those engaged in this field are inevitably aware of this.
The levels (of visibility) are: total impossibility of visibility, remote possibility of visibility, close possibility of visibility, the possibility of seeing is more likely, and finally, possibility is evident and clear.
The ordinarily impossible might be rationally possible, but what we mean here by impossibility is that it is ordinarily and rationally impossible. When the visibility is ruled impossible, witness for it is not accepted. [1]

As mentioned above by the great scholar of the 14th century Taqi al-Din al-Subki “When the visibility is ruled impossible, witness for it is not accepted” based on this we are seeing it as part of our present-day moon-sighting criteria: 

“If reliable Muslim astronomers confirm that on a particular day sighting the first crescent is impossible, based on the observation of astronomy that day shall be accepted as a day the first crescent shall not be visible.” [2]  

Impossibility of the crescent visibility can be divided into two, total impossibility and not possible.

Total impossibility: this can occur under two instances on the 29th day of the lunar month: 

1. Conjunction occurs after sunset or with the sunset. 
2. Moonset before sunset.

The not possible visibility is when the crescent is below the Danjon limit. Danjon limit is the minimum angle between the Sun and the Moon from which the Moon can be seen shortly after the conjunction, this limit will vary from the observation methods and the instruments used. [3]

Even though these matters are explicit and well established, I wonder why the authorities cause confusion among the public requesting them to sight while knowing that the visibility of the crescent is impossible. It would be much clearer if they could inform the public in advance about completing the month with 30 days and announcing the commencement of the next month.

Example:

29th of Ramadān 1445 (09/APR/2024)

The crescent was sighted and the month of Shawwal commenced on 10/APR/2024, so the 29th of Shawwal 1445, falls on 08/MAY/2024,

 

which is an impossible day to sight the crescent. It should have been made known to the public that the month of Shawwal would be 30 days. And also, the commencing of Zul Qa'dha 1445, would be on 10/MAY/2024. Further, the next sighting for the month of Zul Hijjah 1445, would be on 07/JUN/2024.

This method preserves the actual sighting, while eliminating confusion.

And Allah knows best!
M. Irfan Razick

26/Apr/2024

Revised: 30/Apr/2024 with updated maps.

Click here to download this post as PDF

References:

1. Samira Daoud Al-Aani (2013), الأدلة في اثبات الاهلة – للإمام تقي الدين علي بن عبد الكافي السبكي [Evidence in proving the crescent moon - by Imam Taqi Al-Din Ali bin Abdul Kafi Al-Subki]
2. ACJU (2008): Five criteria on deciding the first crescent
3. Wenceslao Segura (2021), Danjon Limit: Schaefer’s Method

Completing an Islamic Month on the 28th Day

For the first time in my life, I have experienced the waxing crescent being sighted on the 28th day of the month, on the 28th Jumada al-Akhirah (Friday 12th, January 2024) for the month of Rajab. 

However, it was not only my colleagues and I who witnessed the crescent, there were other witnesses from various places in Sri Lanka, as Puttalam, Norochcholai, Negombo, and Colombo (where my colleagues and I were witnesses). The factor that caused the crescent of Rajab to be sighted on the 28th day of Jumada al-Akhirah was due to the previous four months having 30 days.

This made me recall the incident that happened on June 14, 2018, where the moon for Shawwal was sighted on the 28th of Ramadān; however, the administration rejected it, despite the witnesses being greater in number than in January 12, 2024. Even though the crescent visibility states that the crescent could be visible by naked eye in both the circumstances, I wonder why the authorities accepted one (2024) and rejected the other (2018).

Yet again, another incident comes to mind of 2012 and 2013. According to the visibility map, the crescent could not be observed by naked eye, and agreeing to the Hilal criteria #3, it cannot be accepted.

“If reliable Muslim astronomers confirm that on a particular day sighting the first crescent is impossible, based on the observation of astronomy that day shall be accepted as a day the first crescent shall not be visible.” (ACJU: Five Criteria on deciding the first crescent 2008)

But however, just as the previous incidents, the administration accepted the witness in 2012, and rejected it in 2013.

This arises a question on the accountability of the authority regarding this matter. Also, I fear that unclear decisions and verdicts may lead to great confusion in the future generations.

May Allah guide us all!

සඳ දෘශ්‍යතාවයේ නව නිර්ණායකයන්

සඳ දෘශ්‍යතාවයේ නව නිර්ණායකයන්

Click here to download

1444AH Annual Summary for Sri Lanka