This Eid, Saturn is ascendant
Issandr El Amrani
Love this story from al-Masri al-Youm:
Based on Thursday’s headlines, it seems the biggest news story on the third day of Eid concerns the question of whether or not it really is the third day of Eid. Making the front pages of independent dailies Al-Shorouk, Al-Dostour, and Al-Tahrir are reports claiming that millions of Muslims around the world have “broken their fast early by an entire day, based on a sighting of Saturn.” Traditionally, the holy month of Ramadan ends at the sighting of a new moon; a role that, this year, might have gone to Saturn instead.
“The sighting of a new moon last Monday would have been simply impossible,” Maged Abou Zahra, president of the Jeddah Astronomical Society, states in Al-Shorouk. “Saturn is visible this time of year, and can be easily observed with the naked eye. Either way, the new moon could not have been visible under Monday’s circumstances because the glare from the sun was too strong to observe the moon at that particular moment… this has been confirmed by the most prominent astronomers in the region.”
The mistake has inspired a wave of jokes and sarcastic tweets, as independent dailies such as Al-Shorouk and Al-Tahrir are quick to point out, Al-Tahrir carrying the headline: “Today is the second of [Islamic month] Shawal and the third of Saturn."
Oh, the multiple ironies. One is that Saturn is the planet of the goat-horned devil in many mythologies — something that religiously-minded conspiracy theories will be sure to point out. The other is that this stupid tradition of waiting for sightings of the moon, which sometimes yields different beginnings and ends of Ramadan (with Saudi Arabia often setting the pace for others), yet again proves its anachronism. Anyone can get hold of a computer program that will indicate with great precision when the new moon arrives. I would suggest a little bit of science and ijtihad is in order: let the astronomers rather than the imams tell us when the moon is new.
Reader Comments (9)
I was told when in Dubai that imams were once sent up in a helicopter 'to spot the moon' in order to ensure the Eid holiday allowed for a convenient long weekend break...
Calling the tradition of the moon sighting for verifying Shawal. Iftar and Eid beginning is offensive to all true moslems as it was advised by none other than Prophet Mohammed Allah's prayers upon him.Please Secularist El Omrani cease from rediculing Isalm and its tennets.
The tradition of moon sighting isn't stupid, outdated perhaps, but certainly not stupid.
MashaAllah sister Zainab, exactly what i was about to say. Remember brother Issandr, rulings are there for a reason, we should delve into the reasoning before we make such comments, which seem so easy to say nowadays. Also just because something is not "convenient" does not make it stupid.
"Oh, the multiple ironies. One is that Saturn is the planet of the goat-horned devil in many mythologies — something that religiously-minded conspiracy theories will be sure to point out. "
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As opposed to the moon which is associated with many lunar dieties such as Sin, Isis or Bendis to name a few.
Interesting article.
I cannot see how this error could have been made except of course if Saturn appears as a crescent when it was sighted.
In any event it is irrelevant if those who sighted the object truly believed they were observing the moon at the time.
Its all woo anyway, look at the disruption of food businesses caused by it, waste of time.
The comments are for learning.Yes,let the science inform us when the moon could be visible so as to assist the Imams and follow the Teachings of the Prophet to see the moon with naked eyes.Not just follow science and forget the Prophet's Traditions.
That is not the point! Knowing when the new moon arrives, is simple and you can find those dates precalculated in every other calendar. If the definition of the new month arriving after the new moon was visible, then the calculation gets fuzzy and not so clear-cut all together.
Turkey calculates it's lunar calendar and still they said Tuesday. So, simply demanding that 'scientists' do some calculation won't do the trick. Natural scientists actually will agree much less than religious scientists, if that is possible.