Asalamualaikum,

On Thursday 1 August 2019, the Hilal of Dhū al-Ḥijjah was not sighted locally here in the UK. Negative sighting reports were also received from Morocco, the nearest Islamic country to the UK, as well as South Africa, part of which is located in the next UTC (Universal Coordinated Time) zone.

Therefore, the current month of Dhū al-Qaʿdah will complete 30 days and the month of Dhū al-Ḥijjah will start on Saturday 3 August 2019 InshaaAllah. Accordingly, Eid-ul Adha will be celebrated on Monday 12 August 2019.

Although the Masjid’s Islamic calendar has always been based on local moon sightings, in recent years we have also accommodated for members of our congregation who follow the Saudi Arabian Islamic calendar.

Whist this was done with the best of intentions, it has led to confusion and unforeseen scenarios developing. As such, we have taken the decision to revert to our original position of only following local moon sightings to determine our Islamic calendar.

In basic terms, this means the Masjid will no longer be providing an Eid Jama’ah on two days when there is a difference in the two calendars. Instead, Eid and all other Islamic events will be held in accordance with the dates determined by local moon sightings.

The local moon sighting methodology adopted by the Masjid comprises of three steps and will be used to determine the start and end of every Islamic month of the year:

1. We will await observation reports of sightings conducted locally here in the UK after Maghrib salah. If positive, the new Islamic month will begin in accordance with this. If negative, we will move to step 2.

2. We will review observation reports from Morocco, which is the nearest Islamic country to the UK and also runs along the Greenwich Meridian. If positive, the new Islamic month will begin in accordance with this. If negative, we will move to step 3.

3. We will review observation reports from South Africa, part of which is located in the next UTC (Universal Coordinated Time) zone. If positive, the new Islamic month will begin in accordance with this. If negative, we will complete the full 30 days before starting the new month.

Should you have any questions or queries concerning the above, please feel free to discuss them with the Imams who will be more than happy to address them.

Finally, we would like to wish a safe journey to all our brothers and sisters from Southampton, and around the world, that are going to perform Hajj this month.

May Allah accept from you your Hajj, your worship and your duas. Ameen.