29 July 2014, 2nd of Shawwal, 1435 AH

Assalamu alaykum (Peace Be Upon you)

The Muslims Against Terror organisation felicitates with Muslims on the occasion of Eid. We declare our confidence and support to the Sultan of Sokoto, Amirul Mumineen Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar in his wisdom and steadfastness in determination of the end of Ramadan and beginning of the new month.

Our Sultan followed the guidelines of the Sunnah of the prophet(p) and with this he can not go wrong, Allahu Alim (Allah(s) knows best. We urge him to continue to stay on the right path and not be misled. Those who dispute his abiding by the sighting of the moon cannot pull out a single Hadith to support their innovative position.

The Hadith of the Prophet (P) has stated the method of determination of these dates clearly and the Sultan in his wisdom followed the Hadith of Rasul(P).

Narrated Abu Hurayrah Sahih Muslim Hadith_No 2378 Allah’s Messenger (peace_be_upon_him) said: Whenever you sight the new moon (of the month of Ramadan) observe fast, and when you sight it (the new moon of Shawwal) break it, and if the sky is cloudy for you, then observe fast for thirty days.

With this it is clear enough and there is no dispute. For if Allah(s) decides to reveal His moon to his people, who is to deny it; and if He decides to conceal it, who should bring it out before the expiation of the 30 days to be measured? We are a religion of miracles and divinity and we will not second guess our Lord who is capable of all things, the Originator and Ruler over the constellation.

Those who attempt to use Google and Apple Siri to take over the determination of Muslim Holy dates so the promise that all our Holy items will be stolen and corrupted, may have convinced and confused all Muslims but if Nigeria is the only country that stands on the Hadith, we are grateful to our Lord and stand with our Sultan.

In determining of the time of our Holy months, it is better to look and be wrong than not to look and be right. This is our opinion.

Umar (ra) reported that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: (in translation): “We are ummiyah (unlettered) people, we neither write nor calculate. The month is this way and that, sometimes 29 days and sometimes 30.”

This is explained here:

The description of the Ummah in this Hadith, “Ummiyah”, does not imply an illah (legal reason). “Ummiyah” could mean “Arab”. [TMQ 62:2]. “We neither naktub (write) nor nahsib (calculate)…” “Nahsib” in the Hadith carries several meanings such as: we do not use astronomical calculations to determine the legal Shari’i beginning and end of the month; nor do we practice astrology, etc. “Nahsib” does not mean general calculations because Muslims are commanded by the Shar’iah to follow the laws of Zakah, inheritance etc. which do involve extensive calculations.

http://www.khilafah.com/index.php/ramadan/ramadan/7311-the-obligation-of-beginning-ramadhan-when-the-moon-is-sighted-in-any-country

We will rather remain ‘illiterate’ and proud of it as determines the Holy dates than purposefully walk a path of misguidance. The methods of calculation did not just arise today, they could calculate the moon as perfectly as we can today with all our modern equipment, in the time of Nabii(p). Yet he rejected this method. The ancient Mayans could calculate the moon for 10,000 years ahead. The science of calculating the moon is nothing new.

We pray our Sultan continues to stay on the path next year and every year after. We pray for his good health and long life.

We invite you to join us:
www.muslimsagainstterror.com
From Nigeria to the World,
We Denounce Terror.

Salam (Peace)
Brother Issa Ibrahim
MUSLIMS AGAINST TERROR