“… Any information on sighting the crescent (of Shawwal) should be conveyed to the National Moonsighting Committee so that the President-General of the NSCIA, His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, may pronounce the end of fasting,” Mr. Oloyede had said.

“It is an indisputable fact that the old (Ramadan) moon will set just before sunset in Nigeria on Saturday, 26 th of July 2014. The new astronomic moon would be born few minutes before midnight of that Saturday.

“Consequently, the search for Shawwal moon is on Sunday 27th of July 2014. It can be sighted in Nigeria on SUNDAY with optical instruments or with some difficulties with naked eyes. Any claim of sighting a moon that is yet to be born is not only false, mistaken or impossible but also ridiculous.”

The sultan is said to have approved that statement.

PREMIUM TIMES also consulted popular moonlighting website, www.moonsighting.com, which compiles reports of moonsighting all over the world.

In a detailed report Sunday morning, the website said: “Moon is not possible to be seen anywhere in the world” on Saturday, July 26

“Moon is not expected to be seen in almost the whole world except with difficulty in South America, and with ease in Polynesian Islands, where there are not many Muslims reporting moonsighting. There is small possibility in South Africa but only experienced observers may see it.”

It added, “The Astronomical New Moon is on Saturday July 26, 2014 at 22:42 UT. There is no possibility of moonsighting on that day. On July 27, the moon can be seen with difficulty in South America, but can easily be seen in Polynesian Islands. However, there are not many Muslims reporting moonsighting. On July 28, the moon can easily be seen in almost the whole world, except Northern Asia and Europe.”

Also, a Nigerian and member of the Moonsighting Committee Worldwide [MCW], Kareem Isa, from the Kado estate mosque area of Abuja, was quoted as reporting not sighting the moon.

“It is Ramadan 29 today in Nigeria. It was partly clooudy, and I tried from 19:00 to 19:20 local time,” Mr. Isa was quoted as saying.

The same kind of confusion now trailing the end of Ramadan in the country also marked the commencement of the holy month in late June, with miscommunication within the NSCIA itself.

The Council later apologised for the situation and promised Muslims in the country that it would work hard to avoid a repeat.

“It is in this respect that the NSCIA wishes to remind all Muslims who know, and notify those who do not, that there is an established structure for moon-sighting in Nigeria,” Mr. Oloyede had said in a statement.

“Due to its significance and technicalities, the Council has a National Moonsighting Committee under the leadership of an expert. The Committee is equipped with necessary equipment and technological gadgets that are relevant to the discharge of its assignment.”

Sultan Sa’ad has now announced the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Shawwal without recourse to the committee

Source...Premiun News