Declaration
01/01/2006:
The Chicago Hilal Committee
has confirmed that there was no moon sighting across the United States on
Saturday, December 31, 2005. Consequently, Zul-Qaidah will complete its full
cycle of 30 days and the the first day of Zul-Hijjah will be on Monday, January
2, 2006.
Accordingly, Eid-ul-Adha (Zul-Hijjah
10, 1426) will be on Wednesday, January 11, 2006.
Jazaakumullahu Khair for your
patience as we tried to gather reports and come to a final decision.
12/31/2005:
8:35pm:
There were no reports of a
moon sighting received by the Chicago Hilal Committee from anywhere across North
America or Canada. The Chicago Hilal Committee will be accepting phone
calls throughout the night in regards to moon sighting reports.
8:20pm:
We talked to our sources in
Phoenix, AZ. The conditions were clear and the moon was not sighted.
8:15pm:
We talked to our sources in
San Francisco, CA and Los Angeles, LA. Both cities had rainy/cloudy weather and
the moon could not be seen.
We talked to our sources in
Sacramento, CA and Stockton, CA. Both cities had clear weather and the moon was
not sighted.
7:20pm:
The Chicago Hilal Committee
has reconvened and will resume trying to gather information in order to
determine the start of Dhul-Hijjah.
6:50pm:
The Chicago Hilal Committee
is currently breaking for Isha prayer.
6:30pm:
We have contacted our sources
in Houston, TX. The visibility was clear and the moon was not sighted.
We have also contacted our
sources in Toronto, Canada. They reported cloudy skies and the moon was
not sighted.
In addition, we have contacted
our sources in Miami, Jacksonville, and Orlando, FL. Miami and
Jacksonville reported clear skies while Orlando reported cloudy skies. In
all three cities the moon was not sighted.
5:50pm:
We have contacted our sources
in Monroe, LA. The visibility was clear and the moon was not sighted.
We have also contacted our
sources in Frederick, VA. The visibility was clear and the moon was not
sighted.
5:25pm:
We have contacted our sources
in Roanoke, VA. The visibility was clear and the moon was not sighted.
5:10pm:
The Chicago Hilal Committee
meeting is in session. The members are meeting and trying to gather reports from
around the country.
12/26/2005:
The Chicago Hilal Committee
will be meeting on Saturday, December 31, 2005 at the Islamic Center of Chicago
(ICC) regarding the moon sighting of Zul-Hijjah 1426. Please visit the site
after Maghrib (4:30pm) for up-to-date information.
Please note that January 1,
2006 is expected to be the first day of Zul-Hijjah, 1426. Accordingly, inshAllah,
Eid-ul-Adha will be on Tuesday, January 10, 2006.
11/02/2005:
10:35pm:
Two Muslim men who live in the north
side of Chicago came to the Chicago Hilal Committee meeting at ICC, Chicago and
gave their witness of the moon sighting. A third man who saw the moon with the
two aforementioned brothers gave his witness by phone. The committee
investigated their claim and took their oath by Allah that they saw the moon.
The committee deliberated their witness and decided that their claim was valid.
Accordingly, the committee has unanimously concluded that tomorrow, Thursday,
November 3, 2005 is the 1st day of Shawwal. Ramadan 1426 has ended with 29 days.
The Chicago Hilal Committee
wishes everyone a Happy Eid!
10:25pm:
The committee has accepted the witness
of the three Muslim men who saw the moon in Chicago. Eid Mubarak! Eid-ul-Fitr
will be Thursday, November 3, 2005.
10:00pm:
Two Muslim men have come to the
Chicago Hilal Committee Meeting saying they have seen the moon with their naked
eyes. They are being questioned as to their sighting. More updates soon.
9:10pm:
The Chicago Hilal Committee is still
deliberating various reports from across the country.
There have been reported
sightings in Arizona. The Committee is still verifying their authenticity.
8:40pm:
We have received word from San Jose,
California. The conditions were cloudy and there were no reports of moon
sighting in the area.
We have received word that
there have been 3 claims of moon sighting in the United States. At initial
glace, these reports seem invalid. We will post our decision after further
deliberation.
8:00pm:
We have contacted our sources in
Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino, CA. The conditions were clear in
some areas and cloudy in some areas. There were no reports of moon sighting in
any of the areas. A final decision will be made soon.
6:45pm:
We have not received any moon sighting reports from the East Coast and Midwest.
We will now wait for reports from the West Coast. Sunset in the West Coast will
occur 10-15 minutes past 7:00pm CDT.
6:32pm: We have
contacted our sources in Houston, TX. The visibility was clear but there were no
reports of a sighting.
6:25pm: We are
currently trying to contact our sources in Houston, TX. We will provide an
update as soon as we hear from them.
5:55pm: We have
contacted our sources in Orlando, Florida. The visibility was clear but there
were no reports of a sighting.
We have also contacted our
sources in Ft. Myers, Florida. The visibility was clear but there were no
reports of a sighting.
5:50pm: We have
contacted our sources in Maryland in Washington DC. The visibility was clear but
there were no reports of a sighting.
5:45pm: We have
contacted our sources in Virginia and West Virginia. The visibility was clear
but there were no reports of a sighting.
5:30pm: We have
contacted our sources in Alabama. The visibility was clear but there were no
reports of a sighting.
5:15pm: The Chicago
Hilal Committee is in session and they are monitoring reports from all over the
country. There is no information to report.
11:00am: The Chicago Hilal Committee
will meet tonight, Wednesday, November 3, 2005, at ICC in Chicago to receive reports of
moon sighting around the country. According to astronomical information, most
probably there will be no sighting.
Updates will be posted
every 5-10 minutes. The first update will occur around 5:10pm inshAllah.
10/13/2005:
The Chicago Hilal Committee
will meet on Wednesday, November 3, 2005 at ICC in Chicago to receive reports of
moon sighting around the country. According to astronomical information, most
probably there will be no sighting.
A decision will be made on
Wednesday, November 3rd after Maghrib prayer (4:45pm). Updates will be posted
every 5-10 minutes. The first update will occur around 5:10pm.
10/04/2005:
The Chicago Hilal Team would
like to wish everyone a blessed Ramadan. May Allah enable you to benefit from
this great month.
Ramadan will commence tonight
at Maghrib and the first fast will be observed tomorrow, Wednesday, October 5,
2005.
The possible dates for
Eid-ul-Fitr are Thursday, November 3, 2005 and Friday, November 4, 2005. The
most likely date is Friday, November 4th. Please check back on the Wednesday,
November 2, 2005 for Shawwal (Eid-ul-Fitr) moon sighting information.
10/03/2005:
9:30pm The Hilal Committee has confirmed that tomorrow will be the 30th day of Shaban.
Shaban will complete its full cycle of 30 days and the 1st day of Ramadan will
be Tuesday night/Wednesday. There was only one source who claimed he saw the
moon. The committee decided that this report was not credible and has decided
that there is no credible moon sighting in the United States.
9:00pm There still are no reports of moon sighting within the United States. We will
shortly be getting moon sighting information from our sources in the West Coast.
A final decision will be made shortly.
8:50pm There still are no reports of moon sighting within the United States.
8:35pm There still are no reports of moon sighting within the United States.
8:20pm We have contacted our sources in Little Rock, AR. The visibility was clear and
there have been no reports of moon sighting.
8:00pm The committee is breaking for Isha Prayer. There will be no updates for the next
20 minutes.
7:55pm There still are no reports of moon sighting within the United States.
7:40pm We have contacted our sources in Alabama. The visibility is clear and there have
been no reports of moon sighting.
7:30pm We have contacted our sources in Arizona. There is no information to report at
this time.
7:20pm We have contacted our sources in Houston. The visibility is cloudy and there
have been no reports of moon sighting.
7:10pm We have contacted our sources in Virginia and West Virginia. The visibility is
clear, but there have been no reports of moon sighting.
6:50pm We have contacted our sources in Florida. The visibility is cloudy and there are
no reports of moon sighting there.
6:45pm We have
currently checked with our sources in the East and there is no moon sighting
information there. We are currently trying to check within the Midwest and
South.
Some cities within the country
have declared the start of Ramadan based on the Saudi Arabian announcement.
There are no reports of within the United States as of yet.
09/26/2005:
Astronomical Information:
The Astronomical New Moon is on Monday October 3,
2005 at 10:28 Universal Time. Looking at the visibility curve one can understand
that the moon is in the Southern Hemisphere. The moon is about 15 hours old and
being too low on the horizon for North America will set in 14 min. after sunset
on west coast. It most probably cannot be seen in North America nor anywhere in
East of USA October 3. On October 4, it will most probably be visible in most of
the world except most of Asia and Europe, where it will be 24 to 31 hours old
and less than 2 degrees
above the horizon, still not visible. In Europe and most of Asia, it most
probably can be seen
even on October 5, when it will be 48 to 55 hours old. Accordingly, the first
day of Ramadan most probably will be on Wednesday, October 5, 2005 for North America and most
of the world, Insha-Allah.
The Chicago Hilal Committee will be meeting at
its new location, Islamic Center of Chicago (ICC) on Monday to monitor moon
sighting reports nation-wide and to make a decision regarding the start of
Ramadan. Check back on Monday, October 3, 2005 after Maghrib (6:30pm) CST for
further updates.
09/04/2005:
Sunday night 09/04/2005
& Monday 09/05/2005 is Shaban 1, 1426
The Chicago Hilal Team would
like to welcome the month of Shaban. Based on deliberations that confirmed
moon sighting, Rajab ended with 29 days and Shaban began
on Sunday, the 4th of September at Maghrib (sunset). The moon was sighted in San
Jose, California. The sighting was accepted by the Hilal Committee; thus, the Chicago Hilal Team
would like to welcome the month of Shaban.
Saturday night 08/06/2005
& Sunday 08/07/2005 is Rajab 1, 1426
The Chicago Hilal Team would
like to welcome the month of Rajab. Based on deliberations that did not confirm
moon sighting, Juma'ada al-Thani completed its cycle of 30 days and Rajab began
on Saturday, the 6th of August at Maghrib (sunset). Thus, the Chicago Hilal Team
would like to welcome the month of Rajab. Accordingly, Shab-e-Me'raj (the night
of Isra and Me'raj) will fall on Thursday night, September 1, 2005 (Rajab 26,
1426).
Thursday night 07/07/2005
& Friday 07/08/2005 is Juma'ada al-Thani 1, 1426
The Chicago Hilal Team would like to welcome the month of Jum'ada-al-Thani.
Based on deliberations that did not confirm moon sighting, Jum'ada al-Awwal
completed its cycle of 30 days and Juma'da al-Thani began on Thursday, the 7th
of July at Maghrib (sunset). Thus, the Chicago Hilal Team would like to welcome
the month of
Juma'ada-al-Thani.
Tuesday night 06/07/2005 & Wednesday 06/08/2005 is Juma'ada-al-Awwal 1, 1426
The Chicago Hilal Team would like to welcome the month of Juma'ada al-Awwal.
Based on deliberations that confirmed moon sighting, Rabi al-Thani ended with 29
days and Juma'ada al-Awwal began on Tuesday, the 7th of June at Maghrib
(sunset). Sightings were reported and authenticated from both CA and AZ. Thus,
the Chicago Hilal Team would like to welcome the month of Juma'ada-al-Awwal.
05/09/2005:
Monday night 05/09/2005 &
Tuesday 05/10/2005 is Rabi-al-Thani 1, 1426
The Chicago Hilal Team would like to welcome the month of Rabi-al-Thani. Based
on deliberations that confirmed moon sighting, Rabi-ul-Awwal completed its cycle
of 30 days and Rabi-al-Thani began on Monday, the 9th of May at Maghrib
(sunset). Sightings were reported and authenticated from both Fremont and San
Jose, CA. Thus, the Chicago Hilal Team would like to welcome the month of
Rabi-al-Thani.
04/09/2005 08:40pm:
Saturday night 04/09/2005 & Sunday 04/10/2005 is Rabi-ul-Awwal 1, 1426
The Chicago Hilal Team would like to welcome the month of Rabi-ul-Awwal. Based
on deliberations that confirmed moon sighting, Safar ended with 29 days and
Rabi-ul-Awwal began on Saturday, the 9th of April at Maghrib
(sunset). Maulana Abdullah Saleem confirmed the moonsighting on Saturday night
after receiving a sighting-report from a man and his son in Glendale Heights,
Illinois. Thus, the Chicago Hilal Team would like to welcome the month of Rabi-ul-Awwal.
03/12/2005 10:55am:
Friday night 03/11/2005 &
Saturday 03/12/2005 is Safar 1, 1426
The Chicago Hilal Team would
like to welcome the month of Safar. Based on
deliberations that confirmed moon
sighting, Muharram completed its cycle of 30 days and Safar began on
Friday, the 11th of March at Maghrib (sunset). Maulana Abdullah Saleem
sighted the moon himself on Friday evening. Thus, the Chicago Hilal Team would like to welcome the
month of Safar.
02/10/2005 10:55pm:
Wednesday night 02/09/2005 &
Thursday 02/10/2005 is Muharram 1, 1426
The Chicago Hilal Team would
like to welcome the month of Muharram and the Islamic New Year. Based on
deliberations that confirmed moon
sighting, Dhul-Hijjah completed its cycle of 30 days and Muharram began on
Wednesday, the 9th of February at Maghrib (sunset). Sightings were reported and
authenticated from Los Angeles, CA. Thus, the Chicago
Hilal Team would like to welcome the year 1426 AH and wish everyone a Happy New
Year.
