Articles

Statement on Sighting the New Moons
Author : The General Iftaa` Department
Date Added : 07-03-2023

Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim

All perfect praise be to Allah The Lord of The Worlds. May His Peace and Blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

Since being entrusted with the task of announcing the beginning of the lunar months, the General Iftaa` Department sights the new moons at the beginning and end of each month in compliance with the verse: "They ask thee concerning the New Moons. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men, and for Pilgrimage." {Al-Baqarah/189}. The Department has adopted a precise scientific methodology based on scientific data and the examination of reports submitted by the competent authorities of astronomers. The latter perform accurate calculations of the moment the crescent is born and the conjunction occurs, the duration of its stay on the horizon, the possibility of sighting it and they present the findings to the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies.

Accordingly, the Department held a meeting with the astronomical and scientific authorities specialized in sighting the new moons to study the scientific data for the conditions of the birth and sighting of the new moons, among which is the moon of the holy month of Ramadan. The mansions of this moon have been monitored since the beginning of the month of Sha'ban and will continue until the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan is announced. The Department also holds scientific seminars in cooperation with the Arab Federation of Astronomy and Space Sciences, the Jordanian Astronomical Society and the Royal Geographical Centre. In these seminars, scholars of Sharia and astronomers in the Islamic world meet to exchange experiences, scientific updates and scholarly views.

After seeking The Help of Allah first, then the Iftaa` Department and the Board of Iftaa`, Research and Islamic Studies, sought the assistance of the astronomers and scientific committees to sight the new moon of the holy month of Ramadan on the 29th of the month of Sha'ban to prove the sighting of this moon. This is in compliance with the Prophetic directives embodied in the following narration: "Fast when you see it and break your fast when you see it, and if the weather is cloudy treat Sha‘ban as having thirty days." (Bukhari and Muslim).

O Allah, allow us to witness Ramadan and make it a month of blessings for the entire Muslim nation. And all perfect praise Be to Allah The Lord of The Worlds. 

 

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

I have concluded my marriage contract at a Sharia court; however, one day I was talking to my fiancée over the phone and she got on my nerves leading me to utter one divorce. This is knowing that I can`t tell my her father because he is very strict and will not accept that at all. What is the best course of action that I should pursue in this situation?

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
When divorce takes place before the consummation of marriage it is called Ba`in divorce* (Minor irrevocable divoce), so your wife is considered unlawful to you until you conduct a new marriage contract and pay Mahr* , and you should visit the Iftaa` Department in order to know the correct Fatwa. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.

* Minor irrevocable divorce Talaq Al-Ba'in Binona Soghra: It is a divorce where the husband cannot take his ex-wife back unless with her consent, conducting a new marriage contract and paying new bridal wealth Mahr.

* In Islam, a Mahr is the obligation, in the form of money or possessions paid by the groom, to the bride at the time of Islamic marriage. While the Mahr is often money, it can also be anything agreed upon by the bride such as jewelry, home goods, furniture, a dwelling or some land.

I work in an accounting and auditing office, and among the clients of the office are restaurants, hotels, and supermarkets that sell alcohol. Our work is limited to collecting invoices, whether purchases, sales, or expenses, and recording them in daily books. We also review income and sales taxes on behalf of these clients.

You are more knowledgeable about the nature of your work. If you see it as assisting in wrongdoing, then it is forbidden, as Allah The Exalted Says (What means): "And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression" [Al-Ma’idah/2]. However, if your work is merely documenting the reality, then I hope there is no sin upon you. The the pious predecessors (Salaf) used to take the tithe from the traders of the People of the Book, even if it included alcohol, after knowing the value of their goods. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.

Is it disliked to clip one`s nails at night, and is it permissible to burn them afterwards?

It is desirable to bury the cut hair and the clipped nails. As for burning clipped nails, there is no evidence forbidding that , but it is better to suffice with the aforesaid ruling-burying cut hair and clipped nails-as it is based on a well known evidence.

My headcloth is causing me a terrible headache and severe shortsightedness. Is it permissible for me to take it off?

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
If the headcloth Khimar is harmful, it is sufficient to wear the Niqab (face-veil). However, with the passage of time you will get used to the Khimar and these symptoms will go away. And Allah The Almighty Knows Best.