OBJECTIVES

• Revive the abandoned sunnah of moon sighting every month, especially for Ramadan and Eid.
• Unite the Muslims of USA on both Eids and Ramadan by establishing a nationwide system of sighting the moon all year round.
• Fulfill the obligation on the entire community to sight the moon (fardh kifaya) every month, nationwide.
• Preserve the Hijri Calendar by establishing an effective system of verified sighting.
• Determine the correct days of fasting, Eid, zakat year calculation, ‘iddat, death date, talaq date, al-Ayyam al-Beedh, etc.
• Establish a proper system of testimony of the sight reports as required by the Quran and Sunnah.
• Announce from a central authority composed of local subcommittees with Ulama to accept the local testimonies.
• Collaborate with the Ulama Kiram throughout the nation by making a joint decision by consultation.
• Eliminate the unnecessary differences and confusion among our communities by bringing everyone together on something the Quran and Sunnah mandate and NO ONE has any differences about: JUST GO OUT & SIGHT THE MOON!

THE NEED

As a small minority, the Muslim community in USA has yet to establish the religious institutions required to live 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, with the will of Allah, if we are to live as proper Muslims in this great land which 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 with the Quran and Sunnah in our own land. We owe this to ourselves, in order to secure our 'ibaadah (worship), and we owe it to our future progeny in this land. Most importantly, we owe it to our Master, the Almighty, as His bound slaves.