36:
206:, respectively from the eighth and ninth centuries, to have expressed different opinions on the issue. Shafi put his entire trust in arithmetic and astronomical calculations; Hanbal deemed the physical sighting of the Moon mandatory, although he did not see local sighting as necessary — once the Moon is sighted anywhere in the Muslim world, every follower of the faith must accept that.
233:
The first official institution to decide on the sighting of the Moon in
Pakistan was formed in 1948; an executive order set up a central committee which would receive reports from districts committees from all the regions, including its now separated eastern part. The meteorological department, too,
172:
People who has sighted the Moon by themselves, can convey the information about the position of the Moon to the Ruet-e-Hilal
Committee or Pakistan Meteorological department, on their phone numbers. The phone numbers for given information about the new moon sighting in Pakistan, by the public can be
314:
With this purportedly consultative and inclusive arrangement, the government expected an end to any future controversies over Moon sighting. Retaining Thanvi as the head of the central committee, the law also stipulated that its members, including the chairman, would have only a single three-year
279:
A few years later, the problem cropped up again. Both in 1966 and 1967, Ayub Khan’s government changed its earlier Moon sighting announcements, again late in the night. In the latter year, the final official declaration that the Eid moon had been sighted appeared particularly galling since the
214:, a 12th-century Arab biographer and geographer of Greek origin, gives the government complete authority in making such decisions. He cites a legal maxim: “Hukm al-hakim ilzamun wa yarfa’ al-khilaf” (decision by a ruler is decisive and erases differences). In the 1920s, the
310:
passed a law for the creation of a
Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee as well as four zonal/provincial committees. The central committee was to have nine members, including a woman, and it was bound to consult the zonal/provincial committees before making any decision.
284:(JI), a Karachi-based party which was campaigning at the time for the removal of Ayub Khan’s decade-long authoritarian rule, vehemently opposed the official decision. Most residents of Karachi sided with JI and did not observe Eid on the government-designated day.
299:. The trio were sent behind bars for three months. The government’s jitters gave rise to the urban legend that it had changed its announcement only to avoid having Eid on a Friday — the coincidence was seen as ‘a bad omen’ for the rulers.
210:, another 13th-century scholar, writing in his Risala fi’l-Hilal (Tract on the Crescent), “...categorically rejects the use of astronomical calculation in determining the lunar month.”
272:
and saw the shifting of Eid day as another political snub. As a result, most parts of
Karachi observed a fast on March 18 while most of the rest of the country – except, of course,
245:
a day before the rest of the country. This was the first of many controversies to come, created by regional, and sometimes political, differences over Moon sighting. In the 1960s,
115:
256:’s military government made an announcement about Eidul Fitr and then, in a late night development, changed its announcement without consulting the committee and its chairman,
327:
Since its creation in 1974, the status of the
Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee has been controversial as it frequently refuses the "Witnesses" (Shahadats) from other
230:
wrote in a paper that personal testimony of Moon sighting cannot be accepted if scientific calculations conclusively prove that a Moon sighting was not possible.
319:
of
Peshawar-based Masjid Qasim abroad just ahead of the Eid ul Fitr in a bid to end the Moon-sighting controversy, his colleague Maulana Khairul Bashar alleged.
83:
554:
473:
276:– observed Eid that day. Peshawar had already marked Eid on March 17, following a Saudi announcement. Pakistan thus had three Eids that year.
351:
every year in
Peshawar. Pakistani journalists have on many occasions demanded for adopting new mechanism for the sighting of new moon.
559:
400:
458:
264:
from
Karachi. The residents of the port city were already chafed by the government’s decision to shift the federal capital from
492:
287:
Ayub Khan’s administration saw this as an act of subversion and arrested three leading scholars, including JI founding chief
149:
307:
161:
249:
differed with the central government's decisions on the sighting of the Moon three times in seven years.
198:
Muhyi ad-Din Yahya al-Nawawi, shows the founders of various
Islamic schools of jurisprudence, including
425:
360:
336:
316:
281:
335:, the decisions of new moon sighting by Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee is criticized in Pakistan.
370:
164:, and no rules and regulations for the functioning of the committee have been drafted till date.
306:
decided to give legislative cover to the official Moon sighting mechanism. In
January 1974, the
257:
89:
340:
203:
564:
8:
303:
253:
375:
227:
219:
160:
The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee was set up in 1974 under a resolution passed by the
145:
103:
64:
141:
365:
211:
187:
548:
315:
tenure. Before the Eid ul Fitr of June 2017 the government had forcibly sent
207:
195:
127:
35:
512:"190 years of controversy: The Qasim Ali mosque and moon sighting elitism"
459:"Popalzai 'forcibly sent abroad' in bid to end moon-sighting controversy"
380:
242:
215:
191:
199:
440:
269:
530:
511:
331:
sects. Every year at the beginning and at the end of the month of
273:
252:
On March 17, 1961, the official mechanism all but self-destructed.
238:
137:
97:
344:
332:
292:
288:
265:
246:
74:
348:
328:
296:
261:
181:
223:
426:"Ruet-e-Hilal committee to meet on June 14 for Shawwal moon"
493:"A Popalzai Lune: The writing on Qasim Khan mosque's walls"
234:
was consulted before a decision on Moon sighting was made.
237:
In 1958, this mechanism faced its first reported shock as
280:
weather that day had made it impossible to see the Moon.
474:"Senate body decides to draft Ruet-e-Hilal Constitution"
173:
given on these phone numbers mentioned in the pictures.
302:
In order to resolve these conflicts, the government of
531:"Ending the moon-sighting controversy through science"
140:
is the department which announces the sighting of the
84:
Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-faith Harmony
116:
Ministry of Religious Affairs and Inter-faith Harmony
186:
Controversies over Moon sighting have noted been in
194:. Al Majmu, a treatise written by the 13th century
528:
291:, Thanvi and Muhammad Hussain Naeemi, a prominent
546:
401:"New Ruet-e-Hilal Committee chairman appointed"
438:
490:
182:Historical controversies over Moon sighting
132:
25:
555:Pakistan federal departments and agencies
509:
167:
471:
547:
322:
343:separately announces the new moon of
148:assisted by 150 observatories of the
529:BILAL KARIM MUGHAL (17 June 2015).
131:
13:
150:Pakistan Meteorological Department
14:
576:
155:
34:
560:1974 establishments in Pakistan
16:Pakistani government department
522:
503:
484:
465:
451:
432:
418:
393:
176:
124:Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee
29:Markazi Ruet-e-Hilal Committee
20:Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee
1:
439:Abid Hussain (17 July 2015).
386:
162:National Assembly of Pakistan
491:Manzoor Ali (25 July 2014).
212:Yaqut ibn Abdullah al-Hamawi
7:
354:
48:; 50 years ago
10:
581:
510:ALI AKBAR (17 July 2015).
361:Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai
337:Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai
317:Mufti Shahabuddin Popalzai
146:Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad
109:
95:
81:
70:
60:
42:
33:
24:
405:The News International
371:Maulana Abdullah Ghazi
366:Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman
228:Shaykh Mustafa Maraghi
168:Information about Moon
133:مرکزی رویتِ ہلال کمیٹی
90:Chaudhry Salik Hussain
26:مرکزی رویتِ ہلال کمیٹی
341:Qasim Ali Khan Mosque
258:Ehteshamul Haq Thanvi
204:Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal
497:The Express Tribune
323:Other controversies
304:Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
111:Parent organization
21:
376:Abdul Khabeer Azad
144:. Its head is now
104:Abdul Khabeer Azad
19:
308:National Assembly
289:Abul A’la Maududi
121:
120:
65:Government agency
572:
539:
538:
526:
520:
519:
507:
501:
500:
488:
482:
481:
469:
463:
462:
455:
449:
448:
436:
430:
429:
422:
416:
415:
413:
412:
397:
135:
134:
56:
54:
49:
38:
27:
22:
18:
580:
579:
575:
574:
573:
571:
570:
569:
545:
544:
543:
542:
527:
523:
508:
504:
489:
485:
470:
466:
461:. 28 June 2017.
457:
456:
452:
437:
433:
428:. 12 June 2018.
424:
423:
419:
410:
408:
399:
398:
394:
389:
357:
325:
282:Jamaat-e-Islami
184:
179:
170:
158:
112:
100:
86:
52:
50:
47:
28:
17:
12:
11:
5:
578:
568:
567:
562:
557:
541:
540:
521:
502:
483:
478:Pakistan Today
472:STAFF REPORT.
464:
450:
431:
417:
391:
390:
388:
385:
384:
383:
378:
373:
368:
363:
356:
353:
324:
321:
260:, a respected
220:Jamia al-Azhar
208:Ibn-e-Taymiyya
188:Muslim history
183:
180:
178:
175:
169:
166:
157:
154:
119:
118:
113:
110:
107:
106:
101:
96:
93:
92:
87:
82:
79:
78:
72:
68:
67:
62:
58:
57:
44:
40:
39:
31:
30:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
577:
566:
563:
561:
558:
556:
553:
552:
550:
536:
532:
525:
517:
513:
506:
498:
494:
487:
479:
475:
468:
460:
454:
446:
442:
441:"Moon gazing"
435:
427:
421:
406:
402:
396:
392:
382:
379:
377:
374:
372:
369:
367:
364:
362:
359:
358:
352:
350:
346:
342:
338:
334:
330:
320:
318:
312:
309:
305:
300:
298:
295:scholar from
294:
290:
285:
283:
277:
275:
271:
267:
263:
259:
255:
250:
248:
244:
240:
235:
231:
229:
225:
221:
217:
213:
209:
205:
201:
197:
193:
189:
174:
165:
163:
156:Establishment
153:
151:
147:
143:
139:
129:
125:
117:
114:
108:
105:
102:
99:
94:
91:
88:
85:
80:
76:
73:
69:
66:
63:
59:
45:
41:
37:
32:
23:
534:
524:
515:
505:
496:
486:
477:
467:
453:
444:
434:
420:
409:. Retrieved
407:. 2020-12-30
404:
395:
326:
313:
301:
286:
278:
251:
236:
232:
196:Arab scholar
185:
171:
159:
123:
122:
71:Headquarters
565:Eid (Islam)
381:Chaand Raat
241:celebrated
216:grand mufti
192:Middle Ages
177:Controversy
43:Established
549:Categories
535:Daily Dawn
516:Daily Dawn
445:Daily Dawn
411:2021-01-03
387:References
243:Eidul Fitr
200:Imam Shafi
190:since the
77:, Pakistan
270:Islamabad
254:Ayub Khan
355:See also
274:Peshawar
239:Peshawar
142:new moon
138:Pakistan
98:Chairman
345:Ramazan
293:Barelvi
266:Karachi
247:Karachi
75:Karachi
51: (
349:Shawal
333:Ramzan
329:Muslim
297:Lahore
262:cleric
224:Cairo
136:) of
347:and
202:and
128:Urdu
61:Type
53:1974
46:1974
339:of
268:to
222:in
218:at
551::
533:.
514:.
495:.
476:.
443:.
403:.
226:,
152:.
130::
537:.
518:.
499:.
480:.
447:.
414:.
126:(
55:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
