New Moon Sighting – A word by Wissam Charafeddine, Chairman of IRSHAD

4 Comments on “New Moon Sighting – A word by Wissam Charafeddine, Chairman of IRSHAD”

1. 
   wcharaf Says:
   September 10, 2010 at 11:28 am

   قد يسأل البعض عن الحديث “صوموا لرؤيته و أفطروا لرؤيته” و إليكم الجواب:ـ

   إن رؤية الهلال، كما هو منطوق الحديث الشريف “صوموا لرؤيته و أفطروا لرؤيته” إنما هو عمل توصلي و ليس عمل تعبدي، أي إنه عمل يعمل للتوصل إلى غاية لا لأكثر، كما أن الرسول ركب …الناقة ليصل إلى مكة لأداء الحج، فهذا عمل توصلي و ليس تعبدي، فإذا وجد المسلم آلة أخرى تساعده للوصول إلى مكة بدلاً عن الجمل، فيستبدل طريقة الرسول بالطريقة الحديثة، لأنه ليس المقصود من طريقة الرسول إلا التوصل إلى مكة،

   فإذا وجدنا طريقة أسهل و افضل لمعرفة دخول الشهر القمري، فليس هناك حاجة لاستخدام طرق أخرى، و إن استخدمها الرسول و الأئمة يوم ذاك،

   و الحديث إنما يشكل جواب لحالة السؤال حينها، حيث كانت الناس تفتقد للدقة في معرفة الوقت لانعدام الوسائل و الحداثة العلمية، و الآية الكريمة واضحة:
   “فمن شهد منكم الشهر فليصمه”ـ و شهد هنا أي حضر،

   Reply

2. 
   Ahmad El-kaafarani Says:
   September 12, 2010 at 4:21 am

   Dear Mr. Speaker
   I couldn’t agree with you more, what you have described and attested is what seems (a tend) that the islamic world is shifting to such practice. It will be a new era for the islamic world as a whole to start practicing the new methodology for moon sighting but nonetheless, it will take time to get over the inherited primary methodology of “moon sighting with eyes”. Further more, and in reference to your comment, I would like to add and re-etirate to all readers that the new moon is a pure astronomical cycle that has nothing to do with wether human beings saw, see, or sould see one and/or every aspect of its cycle. It is totally irrespective of any measure taken to determine wether it is a new moon or not; As all know, at certain times in a year, the moon shall go through 12 new moon Godly predetermined cycles, even if the whole world is sleeping, the moon will still go through the path that Allah All-Knowing has preplanned for it and He is the best of planners. So it is simply like the day and the night, we know exacltly when the sun rises and therefore morning prayer becomes -Kadaa’- and similarily when the sun sets, the zohr/asr prayer become -kadaa’-, and not to mention the methodology all our islamic scholars -Maraje’- use to determine the middle of the night where they use a simple mathmatical formula to determine the time between the sunset and the sunrise and divide it by two. Also determining Mekka’s direction, nowadays, no body objects the use of compass -bousalah- to determine the exact direction of the kiblah. And many more old/primitive methods have been replaced with new modern methods and that were accepted and practiced by all. Finally, I would like to quote some holy verses from our holy kor’an in the same regards:
   ُهوَالَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاء وَالْقَمَرَ نُوراً وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُواْ عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ مَا خَلَقَ اللّهُ ذَلِكَ إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ يُفَصِّلُ الآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُون
   َ***It is He who made the sun to be a shining glory, and the moon to be a light (of beauty), and measured out stages for it; that ye might know the number of years and the count (of time). Nowise did God create this but in truth and righteousness. (Thus) doth He explain His Signs in detail, for those who understand.

   ***والشَّمْسُ تَجْرِي لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَّهَا ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ
   ***وَالْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَاهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّى عَادَ كَالْعُرْجُونِ الْقَدِيمِ
   *** لَا الشَّمْسُ يَنبَغِي لَهَا أَن تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ وَلَا اللَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ

   ***And the sun runs its course for a period determined for it, that is the decree of (Him), The Exalted in Might, The All-Knowing *** and the Moon, we have measured for it mansions (to traverse) till it returns like the old (and withered) lower part of a date-stalk *** It is not permitted to the sun to catch up the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day, each (just) swims along (its own) orbit (according to law)***

   Dear readers, there no doubts that a wise person would not accept the above holy verses are not only purely scientific bearing inside absolute precisions of modern sicence which tells us excatly the phases the moon goes through on its own orbit, but also Allah All-Mighty has expleciltly asked us to use its scientific facts embeded therein, (لِتَعْلَمُواْ عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ) “AFALA YATADABBAROUN”
   May peace of Allah be with you all and may God rewards you all

   Reply

3. 
   Ahmad El-kaafarani Says:
   September 12, 2010 at 7:00 am

   (Sorry for repeating my comment, there were few typos that needed to be corrected)
   Dear Mr. Speaker
   I couldn’t agree with you more, what you have described and attested is what seems (a tend) that the Islamic world is shifting to such practice. It will be a new era for the Islamic world as a whole to start practicing the new methodology for moon sighting but nonetheless, it will take time to get over the inherited primary methodology of “moon sighting with eyes”. Furthermore, and in reference to your comment, I would like to add and re-iterate to all readers that the new moon is a pure astronomical cycle that has nothing to do with whether human beings saw, see, or should see one and/or every aspect of its cycle. It is totally irrespective of any measure taken to determine whether it is a new moon or not; As all know, at certain times in a year, the moon shall go through 12 new moon Godly predetermined cycles, even if the whole world is sleeping, the moon will still go through the path that Allah All-Knowing has preplanned for it and He is the best of planners. So it is simply like the day and the night, we know exactly when the sun rises and therefore morning prayer becomes -Kadaa’- and similarly when the sun sets, the zohr/asr prayer become -kadaa’-, and not to mention the methodology all our Islamic scholars -Maraje’- use to determine the middle of the night where they use a simple mathematical formula to determine the time between the sunset and the sunrise and divide it by two. Also determining Mekka’s direction, nowadays, no body objects the use of compass -bousalah- to determine the exact direction of the kiblah. And many more old/primitive methods have been replaced with new modern methods and that were accepted and practiced by all. Finally, I would like to quote some holy verses from our holy kor’an in the same regards:
   ُهوَالَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاء وَالْقَمَرَ نُوراً وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُواْ عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ مَا خَلَقَ اللّهُ ذَلِكَ إِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ يُفَصِّلُ الآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُون
   َ***It is He who made the sun to be a shining glory, and the moon to be a light (of beauty), and measured out stages for it; that ye might know the number of years and the count (of time). Nowise did God create this but in truth and righteousness. (Thus) doth He explain His Signs in detail, for those who understand.
   ***والشَّمْسُ تَجْرِي لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَّهَا ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ
   ***وَالْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَاهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّى عَادَ كَالْعُرْجُونِ الْقَدِيمِ
   *** لَا الشَّمْسُ يَنبَغِي لَهَا أَن تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ وَلَا اللَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ
   ***And the sun runs its course for a period determined for it, that is the decree of (Him), The Exalted in Might, The All-Knowing *** and the Moon, we have measured for it mansions (to traverse) till it returns like the old (and withered) lower part of a date-stalk *** It is not permitted to the sun to catch up the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day, each (just) swims along (its own) orbit (according to law)***
   Dear readers, there no doubts that a wise person would not accept the above holy verses are not only purely scientific bearing inside absolute precisions of modern science which tells us exactly the phases the moon goes through on its own orbit, but also Allah All-Mighty has explicitly asked us to use its scientific facts embedded therein, (لِتَعْلَمُواْ عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ) “AFALA YATADABBAROUN”
   May peace of Allah be with you all and may God rewards you all

   Reply

4. 
   wissam Says:
   September 12, 2010 at 11:32 pm

   Thank you Brother Ahmad for your eloquent and elaborate follow up.

   now let’s spread this message and initiate a new age of moon sighting.

   Reply