80%Mosques Follow ISNA Calendar to Celebrate Eid on Tuesday
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
San Francisco: Twelve years after the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) announced a 15-year Islamic calendar based on calculations, many Islamic Centers and mosques in America and Canada showed reluctance to adopt the ISNA calendar to celebrate Eid Al Fitr this year.
Research indicates that around 80 percent mosques followed the ISNA calendar and celebrated Eid al Fitr on Tuesday, June 4 while the rest, who follow the Moon Sighting Committee, celebrated Eid al Fitr on Wednesday, June 5.
The Fiqh Council of North America had announced that the first day of Eid Al Fitr will be on Tuesday, June 4. The Council said that the “Astronomical New Moon is on Monday, June 3, 2019 at 10:03 Universal Time. On that day, near Miami, Florida at sunset the elongation is 8 degrees and moon is 5 degrees above the sun. Therefore, the first day of Shawwal 1440 is Tuesday, June 4, 2019.”
Central Hilal Committee of North America: However, the Chicago-based Central Hilal Committee of North America announced Monday night that the crescent moon to commence the month of Shawwal 1440 AH was looked for after the sunset of Monday, June 3, 2019 and reports from all sub Committees of CHC, both local and regional, unanimously confirmed that the moon was not sighted.
“The Central Hilal Committee (CHC) has accepted these reports and has declared that the month of Ramadan 1440 AH will complete its 30 days, thus making Wednesday, June 5, 2019, Eid-ul-Fitr (1 Shawwal 1440 AH).”
The Central Hilal Sighting Committee was formed on June 27, 2009 at the National Hilal Sighting Conference in New York with 36 ulama attending from California, Chicago, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Texas and Virginia.
San Francisco Bay Area: In the San Francisco Bay Area, two Eids were celebrated. Major Eid congregations were held on Tuesday and Wednesday in Fremont, San Jose and Santa Clara. Two sessions of Eid prayers were held at the Islamic Society of East Bay mosque in Fremont. South Bay Islamic Center of San Jose held Eid prayer congregation on Wednesday. Islamic Center of Fremont held the Eid congregation at the Lake Elizabeth on Wednesday.
In Sacramento, major Eid al-Fitr congregations were held or arranged by the Downtown Sacramento Mosque, al-Salam Center Mosque and Masjid Noor on Tuesday. Thousands of people attended these congregations. It may be pointed out that the Downtown Sacramento Mosque, built in 1940s, is perhaps the first mosque built in the United States. Among the prominent leaders who visited this mosque at different periods of time were Liaquat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, and President General ZiaulHaq of Pakistan.
Woodland Islamic Center Mosque (near Sacramento) also celebrated Eid on Wednesday with a large congregation.
Mosques and Islamic Centers celebrating Eid al Fitr on Tuesday, June 4, included theIslamic Center of Washington DC; Islamic Center at New York University, Manhattan Mosque, Islamic Center of Long Island NY, Islamic Association of North Texas, Islamic Center of North East Florida, Islamic Center of South Florida, and Islamic Center of Orlando.
Tellingly, the Islamic Center at New York University arranged Eid prayers on Tuesday as well as on Wednesday. An announcement on ICNYU website said:
The Islamic Center at New York University will be hosting Eid services on Tuesday, June 4th and Wednesday, June 5th to mark the end of Ramadan inshallah.
On Tuesday, June 4th, following the opinion (calculations) of the Fiqh Council of North America, we will celebrate EidulFitr with two prayer services in Washington Square Park lead by ShaykhSuhaib Webb and Imam Khalid Latif and an outdoor community brunch at NYU Gould Plaza.
On Wednesday, June 5th, tentative to local moon sighting, we will celebrate EidulFitr in our facilities at 238 Thompson Street, NY 10012 with a prayer service lead by ShaykhFaiyaz Jaffer followed by a brunch.
Turkish American Community celebrates Eid Al Fitr on Tuesday: Turkish American Community celebrated Eid Al Fitr on Tuesday, June 4. The website of the Maryland-based Turkish American Community Center (TACC) carried an explanation why they were celebrating Eid on Tuesday. In this respect the TACC carried a statement from Dr. EkremKeles, President of the Higher Council of Religious Affairs.
Turkish American Community Center has 22 local chapters with affiliations across America and works in full coordination with the Religious Affairs of the Republic of Turkey (Diyanet).
Chicago Hilal (Moon Sighting) Committee: Chicago Hilal (Moon Sighting) Committee announced Monday night the Committee has concluded Tuesday June 4th will be the 30th of Ramadan since no credible reports were received throughout the US, Caribbean, and Chile.
Moon sighting updates on Chicago Hilal Committee said the reports coming in from Maryland and Miami were reviewed by the committee scholars and ultimately rejected after further investigation.
No reports from Los Angeles. Checking with our contacts in San Fransciso.
We have reached out to our contacts in the following locations where the sun has set – there are NO reports of the moon being sighted in any of these localities: Chile, Florida, Caribbean, New Jersey and Washington DC.
Houston-based Rooyat-e-Hilal Committee of North America (RHCNA) announced Monday that moon for the month of Shawwal 1440 Hijri had been sighted in Maryland and Shara’i Shahadat had been completed and June 4th was the 1st of Shawwal in the USA.
In a statement, RHCNA said it requests the Muslim Ummah to adhere to the prescribed method outlined in the Qur’an and Sunnah of following the ‘rooyat,’ verifiable sighting of the new crescent moon to begin and end the month, and if the moon is not sighted to ‘complete the thirty days’ (Bukhari). Contrary to the notion, a pre-calculated calendar is not a substitute for the way bestowed to us by the Beloved Rasoolullah (SallAllahualaihiwasallam). Ibadah, such as, Ramadan, Hajj, Eid, and others are based on the rooyat; it is for this reason that we must be especially vigilant to watch for the moon.
Hilal Committee of Metropolitan Toronto & Vicinity: In Canada also there were two Eids. The Mosques and Islamic Centers who follow the ISNA calendar celebrated Eid on Tuesday. However, Hilal Committee of Metropolitan Toronto & Vicinity announced late Monday night that the crescent Moon to commence the month of Shawwal 1440 AH was looked for on the eve of Monday 29th of Ramadan (June 03rd, 2019) and reports received from within the parameters confirmed that the moon had not been sighted.
Hilal Committee has accepted these reports and has declared that the month of Ramadan 1440 AH will complete 30 days. Therefore, the 1st day of Shawwal 1440 AH will be Wednesday June 5th 2019.
At least 75 Moques/Masjids and Islamic Centers are aligned with the Hilal Committee of Toronto & Vicinity.
Eid al-Fitr celebrations around the world: Like the US, two Eids were celebrated in the UK. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Gaza, Afghanistan, Yemen celebrated Eid on Tuesday, whereas Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand, India and Australia celebrated on Wednesday.
In Lebanon and Iraq, Sunnis began celebrating Eid on Tuesday whereas Shiites celebrated on Wednesday.
In Africa, Chad, Eritrea, Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe Eid was celebrated on Tuesday.
Muslims in Mali sighted the Shawwal crescent on Sunday (June 2), and celebrated Eid Al Fitr on Monday.
In Pakistan, there were two Eids. While the Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry had announced that Eid Al Fitr would be on Wednesday, according to the lunar calendar prepared by his ministry, the Central Moon Sighting Committee announced that the crescent of Shawwal was sighted on Tuesday and Eid Al Fitr will be on Wednesday.
However, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Eid Al Fitr was celebrated on Tuesday since a local Imam in Peshawar had announced that he had witnesses who confirmed that the crescent of Shawwal was sighted on Monday and Eid Al Fitr will be on Tuesday.
However, there was a catch in this decision since Monday was the 28th of Ramadan and not 29th when witnesses are received for the Crescent of Shawwal. Clearly there was an anomaly and the Chief Minister of the provinceMehmood Khan acknowledged this mistake. He said that people will have to fast one day more because the month of Ramadan cannot be of less than 29 days.
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