Do Muslims in the UK have to follow Saudi Arabia for Eid al Adha? A set of resources
Imad Ahmed
11 July 2021 / 30 Dhul Qaidah 1442
Unfortunately, we've found ourselves in the same situation again!
Muslims in the UK will be celebrating Eid, and fasting for Arafah in the UK, on different dates. This is particularly painful on the day of Arafah, where some Muslims will actually be celebrating Eid, and other Muslims will be fasting!
At this time of the year we often get the question: Do Muslims in the UK have to follow Saudi Arabia for Eid al Adha?
The short answer is 'no, you are not obliged to follow Saudi. Quite the opposite'.
The short answer is 'no, you are not obliged to follow Saudi. Quite the opposite'.
We have prepared some resources which answer the question, below.
But first - what are the dates for Eid al Adha 2021 / 1442?
Dates according to Local Moonsighting
Eid: Wednesday 21 July / 10 Dhul Hijjah 1442
Fast of Arafat: Tuesday 20 July / 9 Dhul Hijjah 1442
Saudi-following mosques will be doing all of the above one day earlier. This is because of a glitch in the 'mixed' Saudi calendar system, leading to a scientifically impossible date.
Saudi Mixup: started their month a day too early!
The Saudi calendar system has several flaws, which means that almost every Eid date is scientifically incorrect.
One problem is that Saudi employ a 'mixed' calendar system.
They use one calendar, called the Umm al Qura calendar, for most of the year. This is a predetermined calendar, and does not match the visiblity of the moon. In fact, it is almost always a day too early.
Saudi, to their credit, admit that their Umm al Qura calendar doesn't match lunar visibility, as stated on their website: The Um Al-Qura calendar is both the formal and civil calendar of the Kingdom, but it may not match the actual visibility of the crescent which is necessary to start the religious months.
For four months of the year, Saudi switch to 'moonsighting' , including this month of Hajj. Unfortunately, when Saudis went and looked for the moon for Dhul Hijjah this year, they went according to the Umm al Qura calendar, and ended up looking for the moon a day too early. As a result, they ended up starting the month of Hajj a day to early!
We've written about it briefly here, and you can watch our explainer video where we outline this in more detail.
Why, then, Saudi persist on looking on the wrong date is a question they will have to answer!
Do we have to follow Saudi Arabia for Eid al Adha and Arafat anyway?
One of the most common questions we are asked at New Crescent Society is: Do we have to match our Eid dates with the Eid in Saudi?
There does seem to be a misconception that we are obliged to follow Saudi.
People tell us often: "We can see the Hajjis on TV on the mount of Arafat, so we feel we need to fast in solidarity with them. We want to match our ritual sacrifice with the date that are doing it in Hajj. Intuitively, almost, it feels like we have to follow them"
This notion, however, is absolutely misplaced.
Muslims in the history of Muslim civilisation NEVER attempted to synchronise their Eid with Makkah, nor did they think this was desireable. The dates of Eid (10 Dhul HijjaH), and Arafah (9 Dhul Hijjah) are DATES in the calendar, which has always been determined by Muslim communities sighting the moon locally.
We've put together some resources to help further elucidate this question.
1) Saudi Arabia themselves say that other locations should not follow them
Please find this video where Saudi Arabian scholars themselves say we should not follow them according to their understanding of Islamic law:
You can also read a written and signed fatwa here by Shaykh Abdullah Bin Baz, Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, and Shaykh Salih al Uthaymeen, one of Saudi Arabia's most prominent scholars.
This document is dated 1981. There are some other non Saudi scholars who countersigned this too, including Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi, an Indian cleric and Chancellor of Darul Ulum Nadwi.
Shaykh Abdullah Bin Baz also said this in another fatwa/religious edict which you can find online, helpfully placed onto this infographic here:
2) Another helpful infographic from moonsighting.org.uk, which summarises some of the points. It is taken from this article.
3) Another video, which I myself made a few years ago, answering the same question. Hope you like it!
If that isn't enough, I've also been sent this video by Shaykh Suliman Gani, where he delivers the same information in a khutbah at his mosque in Purley:
Hope that helps! We'll be moonsighting tonight in the UK to see the moon of Dhul Hijjah for ourselves. I'll update this blog with some pictures when that happens.
Any comments or questions, put them in the comments!
Any comments or questions, put them in the comments!
UPDATE: I should also add, what's our proposed solution?
Please watch this video, it explains everything. In summary, New Crescent Society advocate for a return to the sunnah practice of moonsighting in the UK, as the practical and sunnah means of uniting the UK in an Islamic Calendar.
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How can Arafah which is a place, and an event that occurs in one place on earth and is part of the Hajj pilgrimage which is a muslim is obligated to do if possible for them, be historically celebrated locally in different countries and hence on different dates. People don't choose which day they go to Mount Arafat and perform the rituals when they do the Hajj pilgrimage so how can we in different countries say Saudi did it today but we'll do it tomorrow, because the of the local moon sighting.
ReplyDeleteJust mentioning a quote that says historically different countries did X, Y and Z doesn't make it true.
Similarly with Ramadan and Eid, hwo can they're be different 27th nights. Means in theory I could get the best of 2000 months or 166 years if I travel and get it in different countries. Men are creating unnecessary contradictions for no good reason. How can the devils be chained up for the month of Ramadan when some countries cross that month because of local moon sightings? Means some are still fasting once devils have been released.
How come no Muslim
DeleteEver said what you are saying - from sahaba till today? And how comes every Mufti above signed a fatwa to the same effect? Perhaps go and take it up with them.
I think the point was that previous to this movement most British Muslims would have been following one way of doing things or the majority at least were following KSA. Now whether right or wrong, your group has decided that your need to be right is so important you have now created a split within the Muslim community in Britain.
DeleteIf ever there was a problem facing muslims across the globe it's non Muslims attempts and successful efforts to keep us in disunity. More important than you being right is us achieving some kind of unity. All this does is make us more divided.
I hope what you do is seen as correct by Allah. I would have assumed globally doing Arafat and Eid in one unified day would be more like by Allah, but Allah knows best
https://t.me/salafidawahRoa/5087
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