The Actual Saudi Dating System
In this Page:
- The OLD Criteria (Up to 1419 AH).
- The 2nd Criteria (1420 AH - 1422 AH).
- The NEW Criteria (1423 AH - ).
The OLD Criteria (Up to 1419 AH)
Most people think that Saudi Arabia always adopt the actual sighting of the crescent as the basis to start Islamic months. But during the previous years, it was very clear to the public as well as to astronomers that most of the Saudi months were wrong if the actual sighting is the basis for starting the Islamic month. Fortunately, the Jordanian Astronomical Society (JAS) received a telegram from The Highest Religious Council "Majlis al-Ifta' al-A'ala" in Saudi Arabia showing the basis of the Saudi official calendar (Ummel Qurah). Below is a literal translation of this telegram.
"( To Jordan/ Al-Yadodeh/ M.Kh./ Al-Sook/ Mr.
Hayel Mamdooh Abu-Zeid, dated January 21, 1998/Ramadan 23, 1418H.
We wish to thank you for sending us your greetings of Ramadan, and for
reminding us of the date of the New Moon of Shawwal for the year 1418 H.
We would like to remind you that determining the first day of the Islamic
month is like determining the prayer times, and the aim of His Almighty
from these times is to inform us not to take it as worship. It is adopted
in Umm-ul-Qura Calendar that if the Moon's age at Sunset is 12 hours
or more after the New Moon then the PREVIOUS day is
the first day of the Islamic month, since the Islamic day starts at
Sunset, and the night is before the daylight, as well as the time of
fasting is in the civil daylight. May Allah accept your worship. May
Allah bless this Ramadan. Thanking you for your good cooperation.
From: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia/ Al-Riyadh/ The Higher Religious Council "Majlis al-Ifta'
al-A'ala"/ Mohammad Bin Ehmead.)"
Mr. Hayel of JAS received other letters also, about the same subject, which were clearer than this telegram. The following example may make their system clearer: If for example 29th Dec is 29 Sha'ban, and the New Moon Phase occurs after Sunset in Riyadh, say at 11 pm on 29th Dec., then the next day (30th Dec.) at the Sunset (For example at 5 pm) the Moon's age will be 18 hours which is more than 12 hours, so that day (30th Dec.) is the first day of Ramadan, even though the New Moon was not even born at the Sunset on 29 Sha'ban (29th Dec.), and generally in such cases the Moon will set before Sunset!! Below is a copy of the telegram.
Starting from 1420 AH Saudi starts the lunar month if the Moon sets
AFTER the Sun on the 29th day of the previous month, as seen
from Mecca. Although the new criteria are much better than the old ones,
it still ignores the the crescent visibility! Also, at certain
months they begin the month while the Moon is not yet in conjunction (i.e.
new moon)!! Setting of the Moon after the Sun does
NOT always imply that the Moon reached conjunction.
Kindly find below a quote from the statement of Al-Shorah Council in which
they mentioned their new criteria.
A literal translation of the below quote goes thus:
"To determine the beginnings of lunar months, the collaborators in the
preparation of Umm Al-Qurrah calendar should adopt the sunset
before the moonset according to Mecca, and the coordinates of Al-Haram
Mosque are adopted."
For example, on 07 December 1999 (29 Sha'ban), the Sun will set in Mecca
at 17:38 LT, and the Moon will set at 17:29. So since the Moon
will set before the Sun, 08 December is NOT 1 Ramadan. Consequently, 1
Ramadan will be on 09 December.
Kindly, find below two papers. The one to the right is a paper from an old
Saudi calendar (which was printed before changing the criteria), showing
that 1 Ramadan coincides with 08 December. Whereas the one to the left is
a paper from Umm Al-Qurrah Calendar 1420 AH, showing that 1 Ramadan is 09
December 1999.
The official site of Ummul Qurah Calendar mentions that if on the 29th day of the lunar month these two conditions are satisfied, then the next day is the first day of the new lunar month:-
Notice that the new criteria still ignore the visibility of the crescent!
By Moh'd Odeh. Copyright © 1998-2011 Islamic Crescents' Observation Project (ICOP), All Rights Reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission. For more information Kindly send E-mail
