Re: when exactly is ramadan
Peace K337
It will impossible to sight the moon anywhere on the planet before 31st August. The new moon (no moon) begins at around 8pm UK time on 30th of August, which means it will take some time before the hilal is sighted. First hilal should be sighting with visual aids in the southern hemisphere. Looking forward to hear South Africa's announcement. However, clear visibility will not occur until South America are in their Maghrib time, which is too late for most Muslim countries around the world.
This is the basis for global sighting. Saudi are sure to announce a sighting at their own maghrib time for Ramadan on the 31st of August to commence on the 1st of September, we can have a good laugh about that however, there is a 5% or so chance that someone will see something right on the horizon with a powerful optical aid.
We in the UK will probably not see the moon until 2nd September 2008, but 95% of the Muslim world will have seen it by 1st September 2008.
If we rely on local sighting then we will be doing Ramadan on the 3rd, if we rely on global majority anticipated then it will be 2nd September 2008, if we do first global sighting then it will be 1st September 2008.
In my view the more correct time is 2nd September because on the 1st September most countries in the world will see hilal at maghrib, however, UK will not even see it then unless someone is using again an optical aid. Scotland for sure will not see it but Londoners may.
Then we are left to the agreement of the various committees. In the UK the northerners are more likely to follow local sightings, but the ro'ya committee in the south tend to follow South Africa sightings to complement the hemisphere shift of the visibility profile of the moons path.
South UK are morely likely to be early i.e. 1st Sept and north are more likely 2nd Sept, but even 3rd too.