Eid ul-Adha will be on Sunday, 16th June 2024/هـ1445 insha Allah.

The Scottish Hilal Forum (SHF) has announced Ramadan and Eid dates for 2024 under the supervision of Ulama in line with agreed Islamic criteria and including data from His Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (British Observatory).

Based on the agreed criteria:

Eid ul-Adha 2024/1445هـ will be on Sunday, 16 June 2024, in sha Allah.

The Muslim community in Scotland has faced confusion for many years regarding the starting of Ramadan and Eids. This has resulted in severe difficulties for students, employees and the self-employed who could not take time off from work or from educational institutions due to the wait for last minute confirmation of Eid day.

SHF, by Ulama agreeing on Islamic and Scientific criteria, has been able to announce the required dates ahead of time, allowing the community to plan ahead while keeping united.

Scottish Hilal Forum agreed that the Shara’i new month is ascertained if the following conditions are satisfied:

  1. The conjunction must have occurred in the UK (birth of new moon).
  2. The moonset must occur after sunset in the UK.
  3. The visibility of moon must fall either in Category A or B or C for either Makkah, or any city in the UK or any city in Australia, Asia, Europe or Americas.
  4. The city that is chosen in the regions/ counties mentioned above in the point 3 for the start of Hijri month must be same for the end of Hijri month.

We can safely determine Sunday,  16th of June 2024 as the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah ذو الحجة‎ 1445هـ. According to His Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (HMNAO), the visibility falls in the following categories on 6th of June 2024:

Moon Visibility on Thursday 6th June 2024

 Thursday, 6 June 2024 
City VisibilityLag time (minutes)
Makkah F11
Rabat F28
Cape Town – S Africa F-17
Dakar – Senegal F17
New York E46
San Diego, California C46
Santiago, Chile F-3
London F49
Glasgow F62

First Dhul Hijja will be on Friday, 7th June 2024 and Eid al Adha will be on Sunday, 16th June 2024, in sha Allah.

1st Ramadan 2023/1444هـ will be on Thursday, 23 March 2023 and and Eid ul-Fitr 2023/1444هـ will be on Friday, 21 April 2023, in sha Allah

The Scottish Hilal Forum (SHF) has announced Ramadan and Eid ul-Fitr dates for 2023 under the supervision of Ulama in line with agreed Islamic criteria and including data from Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (British Observatory).

Based on the agreed criteria:

The first day of Ramadan 2023/1444هـ will be on Thursday, 23 March 2023

and

Eid ul-Fitr 2023/1444هـ will be on Friday, 21 April 2023, in sha Allah.

The Muslim community in Scotland has faced confusion for many years regarding the starting of Ramadan and Eid. This has resulted in severe difficulties for students, employees and the self-employed who could not take time off from work or from educational institutions due to the wait for last minute confirmation of Eid day.

SHF, by Ulama agreeing on Islamic and Scientific criteria, has been able to announce the required dates ahead of time, allowing the community to plan ahead while keeping united.

Scottish Hilal Forum agreed that the Shara’i new month is ascertained if the following conditions are satisfied:

  1. The conjunction must have occurred in the UK (birth of new moon).
  2. The moonset must occur after sunset in the UK.
  3. The visibility of moon must fall either in Category A or B or C for either Makkah, or any city in the UK or any city in Australia, Asia, Europe or Americas.
  4. The city that is chosen in the regions/ counties mentioned above in the point 3 for the start of Hijri month must be same for the end of Hijri month.

Ramadan 2023/1444هـ

We can safely determine Thursday, 23 March 2023 as the first day of Ramadan 2023/1444هـ.

According to Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (HMNAO), the visibility falls in the category ‘A’ for many countries on 22nd of March 2023:

Tuesday, 21 March 2023  Wednesday, 22 March 2023 
CityVisibilityLag time (minutes) VisibilityLag time (minutes)
Makkah A51
RabatF-4 A64
Cape Town – South Africa C37
Dakar – SenegalF2 A58
Accra – GhanaF1 A53
Washington
DC
F9 A80
LondonF-13 A71
GlasgowF-15 A76

It should be noted that the moon will be born on 21st March 2023 but according to the British Observatory, it will be in Category ‘F’ for the cities/ countries listed above, which means it will be below the Danjon limit, not visible even with the help of a telescope.

Eid ul-Fitr 2023/1444هـ

Similarly, we can safely determine Friday, 21 April 2023 as the 1st of Shawwal 1444هـ. 

According to Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (HMNAO), the visibility falls in categories ‘B’, or ‘C’ on 20th April 2023 for some of the cities/ countries listed below:

  Thursday, 20 April 2023 
City VisibilityLag time (minutes)
Makkah   F24
Rabat F35
Dakar – Senegal E31
New York C51
Washington DC   B51
San Diego, California B54
London F42
Glasgow F47

Eid ul-Adha will be on Sunday, 11th of August 2019/هـ1440 insha Allah.

The Scottish Hilal Forum (SHF) has announced Eid ul Adha date for 2019 under the supervision of Ulama in line with agreed Islamic criteria and including data from Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (British Observatory).

Based on the agreed criteria:

Eid ul-Adha will be on Sunday,  11th of August 2019/هـ1440 insha Allah.

SHF, by Ulama agreeing on Islamic and Scientific criteria, has been able to announce the required dates ahead of time, allowing the community to plan ahead while keeping united.

Scottish Hilal Forum agreed that the Shara’i new month is ascertained if the following conditions are satisfied:

  1. The conjunction must have actually occurred.
  2. The moonset follows sunset.
  3. The visibility falls either in Category A or B or C for either Makkah, or any city in the UK or any city in North, North West, West, South and South West African countries.
  4. The city that is chosen in the regions/ counties mentioned above in the point 3 for the start of Hijri month must be same for the end of Hijri month.

We can safely determine Sunday, 11th of August 2019 as the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah ذو الحجة‎ هـ1440According to Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (HMNAO), the visibility falls in the following categories on 1st  August 2019:

Moon Visibility on 1st August 2019
Thursday, 1 August 2019

 

City Visibility Lag time (minutes)
Makkah F 30
Rabat D 37
Cape Town – South Africa F 29
Johannesburg – South Africa F 28
Dakar – Senegal C 39
Accra – Ghana C 36
Freetown – Sierra Leone C 38
London F 35
Glasgow F 34

Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (HMNAO) has categorised the visibility of the moon as follows:

A. Easily visible
B. Visible under perfect conditions
C. May need optical aid to find the crescent Moon
D. Will need optical aid to find the crescent Moon
E. Not visible with a telescope
F. Not visible, below the Danjon limit

Ramadan 2019/1440 هـ& Eid ul-Fitr 2019/1440 هـDates

The Scottish Hilal Forum (SHF) has announced Ramadan and Eid dates for 2019 under the supervision of Ulama in line with agreed Islamic criteria and including data from Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (British Observatory).

Based on the agreed criteria:

The first day of Ramadan 2019/1440 هـ will be on Monday, 6th of May 2019
and
Eid ul-Fitr will be on Wednesday, 5th of June 2019 insha Allah.

The Muslim community in Scotland has faced confusion for many years regarding the starting of Ramadan and Eid. This has resulted in severe difficulties for students, employees and the self-employed who could not take time off from work or from educational institutions due to the wait for last minute confirmation of Eid day.

SHF, by Ulama agreeing on Islamic and Scientific criteria, has been able to announce the required dates ahead of time, allowing the community to plan ahead while keeping united.

Scottish Hilal Forum agreed that the Shara’i new month is ascertained if the following conditions are satisfied:

  1. The conjunction must have actually occurred.
  2. The moonset follows sunset.
  3. The visibility falls either in Category A or B or C for either Makkah, or any city in the UK or any city in North, North West, West, South and South West African countries.
  4. The city that is chosen in the regions/ counties mentioned above in the point 3 for the start of Hijri month must be same for the end of Hijri month.

 Ramadan 2019/1440 هـ
We can safely determine Monday, 6th of May 2019 as the 1st of Ramadan 1440 هـ According to Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (HMNAO), the visibility falls in category ‘B’ or ‘C’ for many countries on 5th of May 2019:

Sunday, 5 May 2019 Monday, 6 May 2019
City Visibility Lag time (minutes) Visibility Lag time (minutes)
Makkah E 33 A 90
Rabat D 39 A 190
Cape Town – South Africa D 41 A 82
Johannesburg – South Africa C 39 A 83
Dakar – Senegal B 42 A 98
Accra – Ghana B 40 A 94
Freetown – Sierra Leone B 42 A 96
London F 34 A 106
Glasgow F 34 A 109

 

Eid ul-Fitr 2019/1440 هـ
Similarly, we can safely determine Wednesday, 5th of June 2019 as the 1stof Shawwal 1440 هـAccording to Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (HMNAO), the visibility falls in categories ‘A’ on 4thJune 2019:

Monday, 3 June 2019 Tuesday, 4 June 2019
City Visibility Lag time (minutes) Visibility Lag time (minutes)
Makkah  F 6 A 67
Rabat  F 12 A 74
Cape Town  F 17 A 68
Johannesburg  F 15 A 68
Dakar – Senegal  F 17 A 76
Accra – Ghana  F 15 A 73
Freetown – Sierra Leone  F 17 A 75
London F 3 A 72
Glasgow F 0 B 71

 It should be noted that the moon will be born on 3rd June 2019 but according to the British Observatory, it will be in Category ‘F’ for the cities/ countries listed above, which means it will be below the Danjon limit, not visible even with the help of a telescope.

1st Ramadan 2018/هـ1439 will be on Thursday, 17th of May 2018 and Eid ul-Fitr will be on Friday, 15th of June 2018/هـ1439 insha Allah.

The Scottish Hilal Forum (SHF) has announced Ramadan and Eid dates for 2018 under the supervision of Ulama in line with agreed Islamic criteria and including data from Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (British Observatory).

Based on the agreed criteria:

The first day of Ramadan 2018/هـ1439 will be on Thursday, 17th of May 2018
and
Eid ul-Fitr will be on Friday, 15th of June 2018/هـ1439 insha Allah.

The Muslim community in Scotland has faced confusion for many years regarding the starting of Ramadan and Eid. This has resulted in severe difficulties for students, employees and the self-employed who could not take time off from work or from educational institutions due to the wait for last minute confirmation of Eid day.

SHF, by Ulama agreeing on Islamic and Scientific criteria, has been able to announce the required dates ahead of time, allowing the community to plan ahead while keeping united.

Scottish Hilal Forum agreed that the Shara’i new month is ascertained if the following conditions are satisfied:

  1. The conjunction must have actually occurred.
  2. The moonset follows sunset.
  3. The visibility falls either in Category A or B or C for either Makkah, or any city in the UK or any city in North, North West, West, South and South West African countries.
  4. The city that is chosen in the regions/ counties mentioned above in the point 3 for the start of Hijri month must be same for the end of Hijri month.

we can safely determine Thursday, 17th of May 2018 as the 1st of Ramadanهـ1439According to Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (HMNAO), the visibility falls in the following categories on 16th May 2018:

City                                                                  Visibility         Lag time (minutes)

Makkah                                                                 A                      65

Rabat                                                                     A                      73

Cape Town – South Africa                          A                      70

Dakar – Senegal                                               A                      76

Accra – Ghana                                                   A                      73

Freetown – Sierra Leone                              A                      75

London                                                                   A                      69

Glasgow                                                                 B                      69

It should be noted that the moon will be born on 15th May 2018 but according to the British Observatory, it will be in Category F for the cities/ countries listed above, which means it will be below the Danjon limit, not visible even with the help of a telescope.

Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (HMNAO) has categorised the visibility of the moon as follows:

A. Easily visible
B. Visible under perfect conditions
C. May need optical aid to find the crescent Moon
D. Will need optical aid to find the crescent Moon
E. Not visible with a telescope
F. Not visible, below the Danjon limit

Similarly, we can safely determine Friday, 15th of June 2018 as the 1st of Shawwal هـ1439According to Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (HMNAO), the visibility falls in the following categories on 14th June 2018:

City                                                                 Visibility         Lag time (minutes)

Makkah                                                                  B                      44

Rabat                                                                       B                      49

Cape Town – South Africa                            B                      56

Dakar – Senegal                                                 A                      55

Accra – Ghana                                                      A                      54

Freetown – Sierra Leone                                 A                      55

London                                                                     F                      38

Glasgow                                                                    F                      33

Following mosques and centres are agreed with the Scottish Hilal Forum’s criteria:

  1. Minhaj ul Qur’an International – Glasgow
  2. Al-Furqan Mosque – UKIM – Glasgow
  3. Jamia Islamia – Tantallon Road – Glasgow
  4. Zia-ul-Qur’an – Glasgow
  5. Hamilton Islamic Centre – Hamilton
  6. Airdrie Islamic Centre – Airdrie
  7. Coatbridge Islamic Centre – Coatbridge
  8. Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) – Glasgow
  9. Masjid-e-Bilal, Dundee
  10. Somali Muslim Community (SMC) – Glasgow
  11. Salahuddin Mosque and Islamic Centre – Glasgow
  12. The Leaf Network, UK

1st Rabi’-ul-Awwal 2017/ هـ1439 will be on Monday, 20th November 2017.

Scottish Hilal Forum agreed that the Shara’i new month is ascertained if the following conditions are satisfied:

  1. The conjunction must have actually occurred.
  2. The moonset follows sunset.
  3. The visibility falls either in Category A or B or C for either Makkah, or any city in the UK or any city in North, North West, West, South and South West African countries. Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) held the opinion of ittihad-ul-mataley’ – إتّحادالمطالع (unity of horizon) – i.e. global sighting is valid.
  4. The city that is chosen in the regions/ counties mentioned above in the point iii for the start of Hijri month must be same for the end of Hijri month.

Now we can safely determine the 20th of November 2017, Monday as the 1st of Rabi’ ul Awwal ه1439 insha Allah. According to Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (HMNAO), the visibility falls in the following categories on 19th of November 2017: (please refer to the attached sheets for details):

City Visibility Lag time (minutes)
Makkah A 56
Rabat A 63
Cape Town – South Africa B 51
Dakar – Senegal A 63
Accra – Ghana A 60
Freetown – Sierra Leone A 62
London B 66
Glasgow C 67

Note: Although the moon is born on 18th November but its visibility for all the above cities and any other cities in Europe, Africa and Middle East falls in category F; hence 19th November cannot be the 1st of Rabi’ ul Awwal 1439ه.

1st Muharram-ul-Haram 2017/ هـ1439 will be on Friday, 22nd September 2017. 

Scottish Hilal Forum agreed that the Shara’i new month is ascertained if the following conditions are satisfied:

  1. The conjunction must have actually occurred.
  2. The moonset follows sunset.
  3. The visibility falls either in Category A or B or C for either Makkah, or any city in the UK or any city in North, North West, West, South and South West African countries. Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) held the opinion of ittihad-ul-mataley’ – إتّحادالمطالع (unity of horizon) – i.e. global sighting is valid.
  4. The city that is chosen in the regions/ counties mentioned above in the point 3 for the start of Hijri month must be same for the end of Hijri month.

Now we can safely determine the 22nd of September 2017, Friday as the 1st of Muharram-ul-Haram هـ1439. According to Her Majesty’s Nautical Almanac Office (HMNAO), the visibility falls in the following categories on 21st of September 2017:

City Visibility Lag time (minutes)
Makkah A 62
Rabat A 63
Cape Town – South Africa A 79
Dakar – Senegal A 71
Accra – Ghana A 71
Freetown – Sierra Leone A 72
London B 52
Glasgow B 49

Note: Although the moon is born on 20th September but its visibility for all the above cities and any other cities in Europe, Africa and Middle East falls in category F; hence 21st September cannot be the 1st of Muharram-ul-Haram هـ1439.