hey guys
there is some confusion on when the actual date of ramadaan is ...does it start on
friday 22nd
saturday 23rd
sunday 23rd
...i know the cycle of moon determines the start date...but what would your educated guesses say...
the message board for Dubai English speaking community
constantine wrote:THANKS GUYS
so would you say for certain that 22nd is highly unlikely...
the_zooter wrote:Can I ask a ridiculous follow-up question?? Well I'm gonna ask it anyway!
How decides when Ramadan has started?? I mean, I understand that their is an astronomical event that triggers it, but I'm guessing that ultimately there is a human arbitrator who confirms the event has happened on behalf of all muslims??
Oh, and how do they let the world know??
Thanks!
MaaaD wrote:So that being said the lunar month (or lunation) can be either 29 or 30 days. To make things even more fun Islamic scholars insist on seeing the moon with the naked eye and not depend on any technology so you find that evey year one country will say they saw the moon and start fasting while the other will say they didnt see the moon and start fasting the day after.
I hope this made sense and i didnt confuse you even more!!
the_zooter wrote:With that in mind, I'm surprised that the fasting ever starts in England - we could go a month without seeing the moon because of heavy cloud!!
arniegang wrote:Maaad
does this mean fasting starts at different times around the globe ?
and...
In which country and who/what/where is the actually decision made to say "OK its Ramadan" ???
arniegang wrote:Maaad
does this mean fasting starts at different times around the globe ?
In which country and who/what/where is the actually decision made to say "OK its Ramadan" ???
shafique wrote:All Muslim lunar months are defined as starting when the new moon is visible from that place.
We can now calculate when the moon will be visible from any place on the earth - but it is a reasonably complex calculation as there are a number of factors that need to be taken into account.
1. The moon is physically born at a precise moment - this is easy to look up. This is defined as the moment the moon moves out of the earth's shadow.
2. at the astrological birth of the moon, the crescent is not visible from earth when viewed by the naked eye - a powerful telescope is required to see this.
3. Only a moon that is approximately 20 hours old is visible from earth - so we can calculate this moment as well.
4. For the moon to be visible from a point - it must be in sight of that point on earth, and this is determined by the elevation of the moon relative to the horizon.
For any given location, we can therefore calculate which night the moon will be visible from a given location.
Astronomically, some places of a necessity must start Ramadhan on a different day - if the above rules are observed.
The complication is that there are different interpretations - some people follow when the moon is visible in Mecca, by naked eye. Others say that we can use the astronomical birth even though it is not visible without a telescope.
Astronomically we know easily that the moon can only be born on one of two days. If it is not seen on the first day, then the next day automatically becomes Ramadhan. Traditionally, if on the first night all the sky is overcast, then the moon is not sighted and the next night will be the first night of Ramadhan.
There you - more information that you ever needed!!
Cheers,
Shafique
arniegang wrote:shafique wrote:All Muslim lunar months are defined as starting when the new moon is visible from that place.
We can now calculate when the moon will be visible from any place on the earth - but it is a reasonably complex calculation as there are a number of factors that need to be taken into account.
1. The moon is physically born at a precise moment - this is easy to look up. This is defined as the moment the moon moves out of the earth's shadow.
2. at the astrological birth of the moon, the crescent is not visible from earth when viewed by the naked eye - a powerful telescope is required to see this.
3. Only a moon that is approximately 20 hours old is visible from earth - so we can calculate this moment as well.
4. For the moon to be visible from a point - it must be in sight of that point on earth, and this is determined by the elevation of the moon relative to the horizon.
For any given location, we can therefore calculate which night the moon will be visible from a given location.
Astronomically, some places of a necessity must start Ramadhan on a different day - if the above rules are observed.
The complication is that there are different interpretations - some people follow when the moon is visible in Mecca, by naked eye. Others say that we can use the astronomical birth even though it is not visible without a telescope.
Astronomically we know easily that the moon can only be born on one of two days. If it is not seen on the first day, then the next day automatically becomes Ramadhan. Traditionally, if on the first night all the sky is overcast, then the moon is not sighted and the next night will be the first night of Ramadhan.
There you - more information that you ever needed!!
Cheers,
Shafique
Ok then smarty pants
What if the moon cannot be seen on the first or second night
Chocoholic wrote:I reckon it'll be Saturday. That's what most people are saying anyway, but of course we have to wait for the moon spotters.