Aashorah of Muharram 1429

Important Announcement to clarify Fitnah for the Day of Aashoorah of Muharram1429 and 31days for Zilhajjah
by Molvi Yakub Ahmed Miftahi
1^st Muharram 1429h
As the month of Muharram 1429H began, a gang of ‘web users’ including Shaukat Awdah of ICOP along with others quoting him, unleashed a vicious and false propaganda campaign against the Saudi moonsighting news. Under the heading ‘Zil-Hujjah 1428H has 31 days!’, they claimed that Saudi Arabia had announced 31 days for Dhul-hajj 1428h.   The news spread quickly and very soon the community was thrown into much debate and confusion. The people behind this claim wanted to sow discord amongst the Muslim Community in Britain and a concerted effort was made to break the unity of the community who had for decades used Saudi Arabian moonsighting news for their Islamic needs. This article will reveal the truth behind the allegations and you will see how a simple administrative practice in use for decades in Saudi Arabia was exploited to create a whirlwind of lies and propaganda that the Saudi’s had supposedly created a new standard of 31 days for Dhul-Hajj.

In line with the practise of countries where an annual fixed calendar is used, the Saudis have set their own annual calendar with fixed dates called the “Umm al Qurra Calendar’.   This uses Islamic months rather than the more widely used Roman/Christian Gregorian calendar months.   The Saudis use the ‘Umm al Qurra Calendar’ for administrative purposes in government, business and public offices. This is to protect the distinctness of their Islamic identity as an example for Muslim countries.
Consequently, you will find the use of the fixed ‘Umm al Qurra Calendar’ in the Saudi press, media, business, Government and in other public domains, just as we in Britain use the fixed ‘English Gregorian Calendar’. However in Saudi Arabia during and outside the months of ceremony and worship from Shaban through to Dhul Hijjah, it is the ‘Majlis al Qada al A’la’, the Saudi Supreme Court that declares the Islamic moonsighting decisions according to the Shariah, and announces it at governmental level in the media, although not announcing it in the press during other months.
Consider this, is it really possible that people in the land of the two Holy Mosques, are not aware that the Islamic month has a minimum of 29 days and a maximum of 30 days! Is it possible that they are so bereft of Islamic knowledge that they should now create a new standard of 31 days for Zhul-Hijjah?
Most people in Britain are unaware that the Saudi’s use an entirely legitimate dual system of Calendar dating, but more troubling is that none of those ‘web users’ mentioned this fact when they attempted to cause confusion in the Muslim Community.
During Ramadhan, the Two Eids and for Hajj, the Saudi’s use only the Shariah based Islamic methodology for reporting the Islamic dates, so on the 29^th night of the Islamic month an attempt is made to sight the moon with the naked eye according to the prophetic method and if the moon is not sighted then 30 days are completed or the new month is begun and an official announcement is made. It is for this reason that the media and newspapers publish this officially announced date instead of the administrative Umm al Qurra date, which was picked up by the troublemakers showing that Friday 28^th December 2007 was stated as 19^th Dhul Hijjah 1428h by the Saudi Press Agency and that Saturday 29^th December 2007 was stated 19^th Dhul Hijjah 1428h as well.
Turning to the allegations circulated by the ‘web users’ and examine them in more detail. Keep in mind that the previous month of Dhul Qad 1428h had 30 days according to the administrative calendar and 29 days according to the ``Rasmi``Islamic calendar(by Ruyate hilal on the eve of 29^th day/30days ).   Moving on, the 19^th of Dhul Hajj 1428h was on Friday as per the official Shariah based ``Rasmi`` Islamic Calendar, whereas the 19^th of Dhul Hajj 1428h was on Saturday as per official administrative ‘Umm al Qura’ Calendar. Therefore, Dhul Hajj 1428h had 30 days in the administrative calendar and 30 days in the Islamic Rasmi Calendar. This leaves a gap of 1 day between the two calendars over the two months and it is this statistical fact that was mischievously highlighted to propagate the lie that the Saudi’s had announced 31 days for Dhul hajj.
We advise all our brothers and sisters in Britain to remember that the decades long unity we have had is being threatened by institutions, bodies and individuals whose agenda is based not on Islam and its principles but on personal aggrandisement and jealousy. They see our decades based unity as a threat to their interests, but we assure you that we will Insha’Allah rise up to any challenge they may throw up and we will vigorously defend the unity of our community as per the Sunnah of Rasullah (SAW) and the deen of Allah (SWT).
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First of Muharram1429h and The day of Aashoorah!
Dhulhajj 1428 had started onMonday 10th of Dec2008 and hilal of Muharram 1429 had note sighted on it`s end of 29^th day (on the eve of 7^th Jan 2008 ) , there fore The first of Muharram 1429 is on Wednesday 9^th Jan 2008 and The day of Aashoorah is on Friday 18^th Jan 2008 )
See ``Arab News `` and `` SPA`` cuttings belove ;