18 Ramadhaan 1432 – 18 August 2011
IT IS HARAAM TO END RAMADHAAN ON THE BASIS OF THE PRONOUNCEMENTS OF SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi Arabia has abandoned the Shariah’s method of beginning and ending the Islamic months. It no longer goes by the physical sighting (ROOYAH) of the moon. It has forged its own calendar and decides Ramadhaan, Eid and the Islamic months in accordance therewith, not according to the command of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).
TODAY IS THE 18TH RAMADHAAN. BUT SAUDI ARABIA HAS ALREADY DECIDED THAT EID WILL BE ON TUESDAY 30TH AUGUST.
The following facts are truly disturbing:
• Ramadhaan time-tables which are distributed in Makkah Mukarramah and Madinah Munawwara this year records Ramadhaan with 29 days.
• In previous years, the cleaners at Musjidun Nabawi in Madinah, before Maghrib informed those who were in I’tikaaf that they had to ‘pack up’ and leave because it was already decided that ‘tomorrow’ would be Eid.
The following is an article written by Mufti Muhammad Yusuf Danka, Imaam of Croydon Musjid, England:
EID IN RAMADHAAN?
The Saudi government has created a calendar (Umm ul Qura) for establishing the start of every new Islamic month, be it Ramadhan, Hajj or Eid. The basis of this calendar is upon the ‘birth of the new moon’ and not viewing the crescent moon with the naked eye (Ruyat Hilal) as is required by the Shariah and Sunnah. Due to this, the Saudi announcement for the new Islamic month occurs 1 day before the actual sighting of the new crescent moon. This has been witnessed for many years now.
This year (2011), the Umm ul Qura calendar has been published and they have already written that Monday, 29th August 2011 will be the last fast of Ramadhan. Tuesday, 30th August 2011 will be Eid ul Fitr. Even if there is no sighting of the moon according to the requirements of Shariah (Ruyat Hilal) in the Entire World.
Many masajids in the UK will this fact and follow the Saudi announcement on the ‘birth of the new moon’.
They will perform Eid in Ramadhan and jeopardise a fast of Ramadhan due to blindly following the Saudi announcement.
Sayidina Abu Hurairah (ra) relates: The Prophet (saw) stated: ‘The person who leaves a fast of Ramadhan without a valid Shariah excuse (being ill or on a journey), if he was to fast for his entire life, he cannot fulfil the loss of that single day of Ramadhan he missed.’ (Jami Tirmidhi/ Masnad Ahmad/ Sahih Bukhari)
The fast of Ramadhan is considered so great in Islam that if a person purposefully breaks a fast, he has to perform 60 fasts continuously as a retribution for this act. There is no other act of worship in which the retribution is so severe. For example, if one Salah is made Kadha, only that single Salah is to be performed.
We should be mindful of our Hereafter, of standing before Allah and answering for our actions, of the loss in reward and Mercy that we are gathering by following Saudi Arabias announcements blindly. Of course we should be concerned about uniting the Ummah, but it should be for the Quran and Sunnah and not be for political gains. This is a matter of worship and safeguarding a basic and fundamental principle of Islam.
May Allah (swt) grant us the ability to unite upon the Truth and the straight path and keep us firm on it, Ameen!
‘Birth of the moon’ is not the principle of the Shariah for the determination of the beginning and ending of the Islamic months. The Waajib principle is actual physical sighting. Those who follow the pronouncements of Saudi Arabia will be indulging in the heinous major sin of abstaining from a Fardh Saum (Fast) of Ramadhaan, and of observing ‘Eid’ in Ramadhaan. Organizations which act in accordance with Saudi pronouncements should be rejected. For the sake of some fictitious ‘unity’, the Law of Allah Ta’ala is being rejected.