Lots of links….some from current edition of Arab News (only because it covers the local news)…others I had archived, others instructional and explanatory regarding the forever controversial issue of MOONSIGHTING…..
New Imams and billions of riyals on new projects in and around the Haramain:
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=98388&d=12&m=7&y=2007
And another SR20 billion for rail links between Makkah and Madinah and Jeddah:
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=98301&d=9&m=7&y=2007
And air conditioning to be installed throughout entire Masjid in Makkah:
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=93453&d=8&m=7&y=2007
Madinah is in summer festival mood….Insha’Allah will post on this later, after visiting some of the places:
MOONSIGHTING announcement, Saudi style!!
Befriend the moon….become aware of its phases and seek the correct knowledge for determining the new moon:
http://www.crescentmoonwatch.org/
An excellent detailed dissertation from Shaykh Hamza Yusuf…
http://www.zaytuna.org/articleDetails.asp?articleID=100
This paper advances several arguments and rebuts others in an effort to prove that the only acceptable basis for determining the lunar month is the actual sighting of the dawning crescent. At the root of the problem is a failure to recognize that the crescent moon’s appearance is a legal cause (sabab) determined by God in the Qur’an and through His Prophet’s words. That being the case, no scholar in the history of Islam has ever permitted calculation in lieu of sighting until the modern era. Moreover, predicting the new moon’s visibility with absolute certainty is impossible, even by modern scientific calculations, as opposed to the degree of certainty that has been attained in predicting the astronomical new moon, which is invisible to the naked-eye. Furthermore, the ability to predict the new moon’s probable appearance has not increased greatly from premodern times. For these reasons, and others discussed in this paper, actual sighting poses difficulties in terms of the scheduling requisites created by a modern industrial or postindustrial society.
The following is a video of Shaykh Hamza Yusuf sighting the new moon of Shawwal 2006, regardless of the dateand the locality the beauty of witnessing the birth of a new moon is moving, and the message he delivers is for all time and all places:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeItA_44Rgk
A moonsighting home page where you will find articles, facts, fatawa and much more. Every month an Islamic calendar will be uploaded which is produced using the criteria we use to sight the moon:
http://www.wifaqululama.co.uk/moonsighting.html
An audio:
http://www.alghazzali.org/display/audio scroll to number 6.
Shaykh Muhammad Afifi al-Akiti’s Definitive Reply to the Moonsighting Controversy:
http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/misc/moonsighting.htm
Other sites offering insights and information:
http://islam.about.com/od/ramadan/a/moonsighting.htm
http://www.hilal-sighting.com/
http://www.madania.org/english/article_ramadan_moonsighting.php
JUMA’AH MUBARAK!
All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.
