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INTRODUCTION PART A
The determination of the 1st Dhul Hijja is crucial for the Australian Muslim CORRECT DAY TO OBSERVE CRESCENT FOR DHUL HIJJA
community (and for the Muslims around the world, who will ascertain such
The correct date to have sight the crescent was 7th November, and not 6th
determination based on their regional conditions), and Australian National
November. Those who have declared the 1st of Dhul Hijja is on 7th (rather than
Crescent Sighting Coordination Centre (ANCSCC) has worked tirelessly in getting
8th), have incorrectly relied on Saudi Arabia for this course of action. Saudi Arabia
the most up-to-date and accurate information to all Muslims in Australia. This Post-
asked its citizens to observe the crescent on 6th, and then claimed to have sighted
Notification Report regarding the status of the crescent for the month of Dhul Hijja
the crescent whereby it claimed that 7th November equated to 1st of Dhul Hijja. As
is to provide detailed information to the Australian Muslim community in order to
such it will be important to assess the lunar reality on the 6th based on the local time
keep them fully informed, so that they themselves can make informed decisions as to
of Saudi Arabia (keeping in mind that it is incorrect to follow Saudi Arabia anyway,
when to celebrate ‘Eid in accordance with the rules under Shari’ah.
and discussion about that is contained in Part C of this Report).
This Report is divided into three parts- Part A is to provide an explanation why
7th November (and not 6th November) was the correct date to sight the crescent for FIGURE 1 – LUNAR FACTS: 6TH NOVEMBER
Dhul Hijja; Part B provides an explanation why 8th November is the 1st day of Dhul
Hijja (and thus ‘Eid ul-Adha to be on 17th November). Part C provides an explanation MAKKAH, SAUDI ARABIA
about the claims made by Saudi Arabia and why it cannot be accepted. This Report
will not provide detailed explanation of the Fiqh and Science of Crescent Sighting-
please, contact ANCSCC to arrange a training workshop for detailed study of crescent
sighting.
From the outset, ANCSCC rejects the suggestion that it is trying to divide
the Muslim Australian community or is merely highlighting the errors of other
organisations. ANCSCC categorically states that its objective or interest is not who is
in error, but what the error or problem really is, and is committed to assist in rectifying
them so that the entire Muslim Australian community can benefit from such efforts,
and in fact unite on the correctness of actions approved by the Shari’ah by respecting The most important reality of the moon in Makkah on 6th November at the
valid opinions and leaving that which is factually incorrect. time of sighting was its relative altitude from the sun at sunset. The altitude of the
moon was almost the same as the sun, i.e., in order to make a claim to have sighted
the crescent, one would have had to look straight into the bright glare of the sun’s
disc. It is impossible to view the moon in such a location, let alone the extremely
bright glare damaging one’s eyes even if one tried.
In addition to this physical impossibility, 6th November could not have been
29th Dhul Q’ada, but only 28th. Going back one additional month to Shawwal, the
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29th was 8th October, but no crescent was sighted in Saudi Arabia although attempted
by numerous people. Therefore Shawwal should have ended as a 30-day month for
Saudi Arabia (as it did in Australia), but they did not do so and simply applied its pre-
calculated civil “Umm al-Qurra” calendar to claim a 29-day month. This forced Saudi
Arabia to treat 6th November as 29th of Dhul Q’ada, when in reality it was supposed to
have been 7th November as per its own record based on crescent sighting.
Hijja t obe on 7th is baseless? The proof, often, is on what the lunar cycle does in
the next month- in this case, Muharram. Here are the facts for the coming month of
Muharram based on Makkan local time.
- Saudi claim of 1st Dhul Hijja: 7th November
- Therefore 29th Dhul Hijja: 5th December

Not a single place on earth was able to sight the crescent on the 6th, except the one
claim in Saudi Arabia which was accepted by its officials. It is important to note that
approximately 200 individuals associated with crescent sighting from different parts
of the world are also in Saudi Arabia for the upcoming Pilgrimage, who unanimously
reported not a single sighting from various parts of Saudi Arabia.
In summary, attempting to sight the crescent in Saudi Arabia on 6th November
was not only incorrect, but it was physically impossible by all counts to have sighted
the crescent on the 6th.
Based on these undisputed data for Saudi Arabia as it stands, here are the lunar
data for 5th December- the date that Saudi Arabia claims to be 29th of the lunar month
of Dhul Hijja and the date it would have to observe for the crescent for the coming
month of Muharram:
FIGURE 2 – 5TH DECEMBER LUNAR DATA:
MAKKAH, SAUDI ARABIA

PART B
1ST DAY OF DHUL HIJJA
After establishing why 6th November was not the correct day for sighting the
crescent in Saudi Arabia (or Australia), this section will outline the results obtained
regarding the correct sighting of the crescent on 7th November, thus establishing 8th
November as the 1st day of Dhul Hijja. Whilst it is not correct to follow Saudi Arabia
in the first place (and discussion about that is in Part C of this Report), it will again be
important to assess the real facts about the lunar cycle there, given the decisions made
in Australia was based on the claims made by Saudi Arabia.
It suffices to mention that those from various parts of the world who did go to
observe the crescent on the 6th and saw nothing, also went out to observe on the
7th and confirmed multiple sightings of the crescent. As such, by virtue of positive
and reliable sighting in Saudi Arabia itself on the 7th, the 1st day of Dhul Hijja really
commences on 8th November.
But how can we provide irrefutable proof that Saudi claim for the 1st of Dhul

In addition to the facts about Saudi Arabia, ANCSCC also rejects the claims of
some organisations in Australia that they based their decision to make 7th November
to be the 1st day of Dhull Hijja on calculation. Firstly, pre-determined calculation
offers no certainty and is counter to the requirements of Shari’ah, and should not be
the basis of any such decision; it is very disappointing that entities would take such
an erroneous step. Secondly, and as importantly, there is not a SINGLE data based
on calculation that suggests that the crescent could have been sighted, whether in
Australia or Saudi Arabia; in fact all such calculated data confirm the opposite, i.e.,
that it cannot be sighted.
In summary and simply stated, 5th December cannot be 29th of Dhul Hijja,
which in turn means 7th November cannot be 1st of Dhul Hijja! To suggest that 5th
December can be 29th is preposterous, and is the same as saying any date (e.g., 4th,
10th or 1st December....) can arbitrarily be chosen to coincide with whichever date
an authority wants. This is unacceptable and expressly prohibited under Shari’ah,
and cannot be supported.
PART C
FOLLOWING SAUDI ARABIA IS INCORRECT
There is no doubt, based on scientific facts or on Shari’ah, that the correct date
for sighting the crescent for the month of Dhul Hijja, was 7th November, 2010.
Further, the correct date for starting the month of Dhul Hijja was on 8th November,
and therefore the date for ‘Eid ul-Adha is on 17th November. That is beyond doubt.
The issue of some entities following Saudi Arabia at all costs, needs explanation.
From the outset, the explanation below is a summary, and we urge all
communities around Australia to contact ANCSCC to facilitate its seminars and
workshops for their communities in order to learn in detail all aspects of crescent
sighting, including why following Saudi Arabia is incorrect. ANCSCC management
also sincerely apologises for highlighting these significantly problematic realities
regarding following Saudi Arabia, and much of this information is well known by
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astronomical experts and Scholars.
We do note that some organisations implied in their decision to start Dhul Hijja
on 7th November that they were not following Saudi Arabia but simply calculation.
Three important points need to be made regarding this:
i) As explained earlier, there is not a single calculated data that suggests
that the crescent could have been sighted on 6th November; in fact, only the
opposite is true- that it cannot be sighted. Further, the entire world could not
sight it on the 6th November anyway;
ii) The position of many such entities in previous years has clearly been to
follow Saudi Arabia. Further, if the decision was not based on Saudi Arabia, it
is highly questionable to be making an announcement regarding ‘Eid ul-Adha
immediately after the claimed sighting in Saudi Arabia, when such a decision
could easily have been made public well in advance by virtue of the fact that it
is based on a pre-determined calculation. Such prevarication is not helpful to
anyone in the Australian Muslim community;
iii) It is unacceptable that an entity will advice its community regarding the
commencement of some months on the basis of actual sighting and others on
the claimed basis of calculations.
Following Saudi Arabia in establishing the lunar months for any month is
undoubtedly incorrect (Saudi Scholars themselves attest to this), and is merely a
cultural practice ensuing from Arab comunities settled in various parts of the world
and which has no Fiqhi or scientific basis. ANCSCC urges the reader to attend its
seminars and workshops to understand in detail why it is incorrect. In context to
Dhul Hijja specifically, the following reasons, stated as summary points, ought to
suffice as to why the assumption that following Saudi Arabia due to the Pilgrims is
simply incorrect:
i) Lunar behaviour over Saudi Arabia and surrounding regions behaves
completely differently to all other parts of the world, such that the presence of
the crescent – the obligatory cause – differ each month and can be first sighted
at different points on earth and not over Saudi Arabia. In other words, in one
month the first visibility of the crescent could be over the region of Saudi

Arabia, and another month over South America, and yet another month over
Australia. Further, the crescent can be (and historically has been many times)
sighted one full day ahead of Saudi Arabia, which will obligate that particular
region to commence Dhul Hijja before Saudi Arabia. Following Saudi Arabia
has no basis in Shari’ah at all, and to enforced this upon the Muslim community
without any basis of fact is nothing less than an innovation. Simply based on this
fact, the evidences provided below is secondary although highly significant;
ii) Unfortunately Saudi Arabia is highly unreliable for the fulfilment of the
testimony of a positive sighting, and has factual errors of such claims higher than
any other region in the world. The following chart will assist in understanding
the gravity of the problem, which assesses all sighting claims made by Saudi
Arabia from 1961 – 2004 [source: Islamic Crescent Observations Project- Presentation
on Al-Jazeera TV & Imam Afroz Ali- Online seminar on SeekersGuidance Online
Academy. Also refer to additional Research Paper- Zaki al-Mostafa, “Lunar Calendars: The
New Saudi Arabian Criterion”(Astronomy & Geophysics Research Institute, Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia, 2005)]
FIGURE 3: SAUDI ARABIA 1961 - 2004
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The graph identifies the following:
a) Only 13% of the overall claims made by Saudi Arabia to have sighted the
crescent were when the crescent was factually present in its horizon;
b) 23% of the overall claims made by Saudi Arabia to have sighted the crescent
were when the crescent was possible to have been sighted;
c) But a significant 64% of the claims made by Saudi Arabia to have sighted
the crescent were when the crescent was factually known NOT to even have
existed in its horizon.
A further evidence of highly unreliable claims made by Saudi Arabia is the
following screen capture of its official website (source: Saudi Press Agency) for the
maintenance of dates, and in particular Dhul Hijja.
The two images (Fig. 4 and 5) highlight the chain of events of what occurred
during Dhul Hijja 1428AH (2007CE), and in particular how the Saudi Agency
altered the lunar date after the fact and unbeknown to Pilgrims or the global
Muslim community. The two images highlight the following:
a) Figure 4 shows the date that was announced on Friday 28th December to
equate to 19th Dhul Hijja, and in line with the Hajj dates just a few days prior
(note that Hajj had by now finished);
b) Figure 5 shows that Gregorian calendar was rightfully progressed the
following day to Saturday 29th December. However, the Hijri calendar was
quietly edited and it remained 19th Dhul Hijja; a complete adjustment of one
day which ultimately matched what communities following crescent sighting
methods already had as part of their records for the month of Dhul Hijja! This
is not a small issue, but highly critical and questionable.
ANCSCC repeats its stance that its objective is not identify people or entities
behind problems regarding the maintenance of the Islamic lunar calendar, but
the problem itself. ANCSCC urges all individuals to deal with these kinds of
facts with sincere concern rather than anger and blame. The problem exists;
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FIGURE 4

The official date stated is:

Friday 19th Dhul Hijja,

1428AH, parallel with 28th
December, 2007CE

Source: http://www.spa.gov.sa/details.php?id=512856
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FIGURE 5

The official date stated is:

Saturday 19th Dhul Hijja,

1428AH, parallel with 29th
December, 2007CE

Source: http://www.spa.gov.sa/details.php?id=513097
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we have a collective responsibility to rectify it, not entering into a blame game. FIGURE 6 – ATTEMPTED GLOBAL SYNCHRONICITY
TO FOLLOW PILGRIMS: MAKKAH, SYDNEY, HAWAII
iii) A further evidence that following Makkah has no Shar’i basis is the fact that
Hajj was obligated in Islam in the 9th year after Hijra, yet ‘Eid ul-Adha was a
Shar’i celebration already in the 2nd year after Hijra. The Prophet, upon whom
be peace and blessings of Allah, offered the sacrifice every year of his entire ten
years in Madina. There was not a single attempt by the Prophet, upon whom be
peace and blessings of Allah, nor his Companions, may Allah be pleased with
them all, to synchronise or adjust the Madinan and Makkan lunar calendar.
In fact there is reasonably strong evidence historically that the very year the
Prophet, upon whom be peace and blessings of Allah, completed his pilgrimage
that the dates of Madina and Makkah were different by at least a day.

iv) For more than 1000 years, Muslims all over the world had no ability to
synchronise their dates with Saudi Arabia or the pilgrims in Makkah. This fact
confirms as a minimum that no such synchronicity is actually obligated under
Shari’ah. When understood with all other facts, it should be very clear that it is
not only not obligatory, it is incorrect to be doing so.

v) The highest scholarly authorities of Saudi Arabia itself have released legal
rulings that there is no basis under Shari’ah to follow or synchronise dates with
Saudi Arabia (Refer to the Fatawa of the likes of al-Uthaimeen and ibn Baaz).
vi) An actual assessment of the real-time comparison with the time of Makkah
and what the pilgrims are doing, with the rest of the world is very telling, that
attempts around the world to synchronise with Makkah and the pilgrims is
simply theoretical and there is no reality attached to it. The data of the facts are:
The reality outlined above will inform even a casual observer that in fact there
is neither synchronicity nor following the pilgrims, and that some parts of the world
are well ahead of the pilgrims whilst others are well behind them in real time in an
extremely haphazard manner. Further, a casual observer will also be able to realise
that in reality some regions will be fasting in real time on the 10th Dhul Hijja if
they followed Saudi Arabia, and some would be celebrating ‘Eid already whilst the
pilgrims are just starting to depart ‘Arafah! This situation forced upon communities
is simply erroneous and unacceptable.
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CONCLUSION
The establishment of the lunar months are specifically related to matter
of Devotional Worship of Allah; they are not a superficial set of dates for just
celebration or conveniences, and as such, ANCSCC urges individuals to plead with
their community leaders making decisions to explain their processes and to adopt
factual systems of establishing lunar month which do not vary according to people’s
whims and choices but that which fulfil the requirements of Shari’ah.
The information provided herein by ANCSCC is to provide the Australian
Muslim with all relevant data and facts, so that they can reach their own conclusion
which date ‘Eid ul-Adha shall fall on. We urge you to make objective decisions and
assist others to understand all relevant facts, particularly your local organisations
facilitating prayers. We also ask you to contact us if you require further information,
and to avoid unnecessary disputation, mocking of or blaming others, but to consult
and work together in a civil manner in order to bring about constructive changes
within your communities. The Board and State Coordinators of Australian National
Crescent Sighting Coordination Centre (ANCSCC) wishes you a joyous ‘Eid ul-Adha
and a positive year ahead, and may Allah accept your sincerity and good deeds.