Eid ul Adha 2023 in Southall
Tue 27 Jun 2023
Saudi Arabia Supreme Court announced that Monday 19th June 2023 is the first day of the holy month of Zul-Hijja and Eid al-Adha is on Wednesday 28 June 2023.
The London Central Mosque follows Saudi Arabia and others in the UK follow them. They state that the "The Islamic month is dependent on the actual sighting of the new moon by the naked eye and therefore can differ from the printed calendar sometimes."
Their sightings are often NOT in line with scientific data provided by the Royal Observatory (London). These dubious moon crescent sightings are ONE of the reasons why Eid-ul-Adha is not celebrated on the same day. The other reason being not able to physically see the moon crescent.
The new moon crescent is ONLY visible with the naked eye AFTER 16 hours of a new moon. It visible with optical aids after 12 hours.
The UK moonsighting website states that "The crescent visibility map below for Dhul Hijjah 1444 (RHS) shows that the moon will be born on 18 June 2023 at 04:37 GMT/UT, but it will not be visible to the naked-eye anywhere in the UK to Morocco (MA) region on that date. However, on 19 June 2023, it will be easily visible in the UK and in most parts of the world."
The US moonsighting website states that "On June 18, the moon may be seen in USA only. On June 19, it can be seen with difficulty in Australia, but easily everywhere else". It goes on to say its member Abdul Kadir Mulla from Jeddah reported that the moon was not sighted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
So once again, Saudi Arabia is the odd one out and some countries and organisations follow them blindly. It is for that reason that some people in the UK and others around the world will be celebrating on the next day.
The Eid salah times are:
| Jamia Masjid, Townsend Road | 5:15, 6:30, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00 |
| AbuBakr Mosque, The Broadway | 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00 and 10:15 |
| Central Jamia Masjid, Montague Waye | 7:00, 8:00, 9:00 and 10:00 |
| Darussalam Masjid, Hayes Road | 8:30 and 9:30 |
On Eid-ul-Adha is recommended to eat after the Eid prayers. On Eid-ul-Fitr it is recommended to eat something before going for Eid prayers. On both occasion, after the Eid prayers, one should return home via a different route.
The Eid prayers are not compulsory for Muslims but the 5 times daily prayers are.
On the days of Eid-ul-Adha millions of animals will be offered as Qurbani (sacrifice) through out the world. This is to show gratitude towards Allah (God) and to provide meat for the poor and needy.
It is the Sunnah (tradition) of the prophet Abraham (as) and is obligatory on adult Muslims who have sufficient means.
Eid Mubarak.If you have a local news story, share it with the rest of Southall, by using the contact form.
