Some Arab countries differed in this year's Shawwal crescent survey, which led to some countries being silent Ramadan 29 days, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan, while others such as Oman and Morocco were silent for 30 days. But does this difference extend to Eid al-Adha as well?
To understand the reasons for disagreement and agreement astronomically, we need to learn about the nature of the moon's rotation around the Earth. When we raise our heads to the sky at night, we see the moon in multiple phases such as the crescent or humpback, for example, these phases are only a reflection of sunlight on the surface of the moon, and the difference between them appears due to the moon's rotation around the earth, once every about 28 days.
You can easily notice this cycle from the roof of your house, starting from the first day of any Hijri month, you can go out on the same date every day and look for the moon contemplating its position in the sky, and you will find that it changes its place as if it jumps in the sky day after day away from the sun after sunset.
If you had a telescope and watched the moon hour by hour, you might have noticed its seemingly slow motion that our eyes wouldn't notice.
The moon goes through different phases until it reaches the crescent phase (Shutterstock)
Central coupling
Now, hypothetically, let's assume that we can turn back time day by day, it means that the moon will stand right next to the sun, and in astronomy this is the moment of the centripetal conjunction, and we cannot see it because sunlight blinds us, but astronomical calculations can determine it accurately.
After the moment of conjunction, the moon begins to move away from the sun in the sky little by little, and we cannot see it at first easily because it is close to the sun, but about 14 hours after the moment of conjunction, naked eyes can see the moon in the sky after sunset.
In Islamic law, the calculations of the Hijri months are based on vision, which is different from the central conjugation. The vision means that specialists go out of the Sharia boards to search for the crescent of the new month after sunset on the 29th of the Hijri month, and if they can monitor it, tomorrow is the first of the new month, and if they are unable to do so, tomorrow is a completion of the current month.
The requirements of vision vary from country to country, whether with the naked eye, telescopes and their advanced cameras, or even astronomical calculation.
Arab and Islamic countries are likely to agree at the beginning of Dhu al-Qa'dah this year (Shutterstock)
Possible agreement in Dhu al-Qa'dah
According to the International Astronomy Center, the central conjunction of the month of Dhu al-Qa'dah will occur on Friday, May 19, 2023 at 18:53 Mecca time.
For countries that are silent Ramadan 29 days, this is the day of visibility, and because the distance between the moment of conjunction and sunset is very short (less than an hour), it is likely that these countries will not be able to see the crescent with naked eyes or optical telescopes, so the next day (May 20) may be declared the completion of the month of Shawwal, and the 21st will be the first day of Dhu al-Qi'dah.
As for the countries that are silent Ramadan 30 days, they will go out to see the crescent after an additional full day from the moment of the central conjunction (on May 20), which enables specialists in the Sharia bodies there to see the crescent with naked eyes, so the next day (May 21) is declared the first of the month of Dhu al-Qi'dah, and thus it is likely that the Arab countries will agree in the first day of Dhu al-Qi'dah.
Eid al-Adha is likely to fall on June 28 (Reuters)
Controversy over Eid al-Adha
The above means that the day of visibility for the month of Dhu al-Hijjah in all Arab countries is likely to be Sunday, June 18, and the central conjunction will occur at 07:37 am Mecca time on this day, leaving the crescent less than 12 hours before sunset.
According to the International Astronomy Center, this means that the crescent can be seen with optical telescopes only, not with naked eyes, in most countries of the Arab world, except for southern Arabia (Yemen and Oman).
Of course, each country has its own way of applying the legal texts in this context, and assuming that these countries are able to see the crescent on the day of visibility, this means that Eid al-Adha will be on June 28, 2023, which is likely for most Arab countries this year.