• Today is: 18 Ramadhan 1445 | March 29, 2024
  • Contact: (718) 426-3454, info@sbny.org
The Sunnah of Moon Sighting

Shariah Board, New York promotes the pure sunnah of physical moon sighting and arranges groups of local brothers to go out on the 29th of every Islamic month to sight the moon. SBNY is a member of the Central Hilal Committee of North America, which is an umbrella organization built to establish an effective network of local hilal committees throughout the USA. Currently there are local hilal committees from 21 states in association with CHC.

As we are a small minority in much of the western world, we have yet to establish the required religious institutions to survive as proper Muslims. We have to defend our beliefs and practices in so many different ways, it is indeed overwhelming at times.  Among the ways of distorting this Deen is removing the Sunnah of the Beloved Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, from its pure form.  The monthly moonsighting is a part of this Sunnah and essential to many components of our Deen like fasting, Eid, Hajj, zakat, divorce, etc. It is a Fardh Kifayah (obligatory, sufficient if some individuals fulfill it on behalf of all, otherwise all will be held accountable). To discard the monthly moonsighting effort would be to change the form of Deen taught by the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. 

We must establish our own system of moon sighting in North America, by the will of Allah, if we are to live as proper Muslims in this great land which has so many opportunities and has provided us with so many religious freedoms unthinkable in many other places.  We do not need to rely on foreign sources when we can organize a proper system in accordance to the Shari'ah in our own land.  We owe this to ourselves, to secure our 'Ibaadah (worship), to our future progeny in this land, and most importantly to our Master, the Almightly as His bound slaves. May Allah accept this humble effort and bless it, Aameen!