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Conditions for the UK to Follow Morocco's Moon Sightings [download pdf] [poster ] [Karachi Fatwa]
Question
Can the UK follow Morocco's moon sightings if the UK is cloudy?
Answer:
UK Muslims have long asked the Darul Ulooms (Islamic seminaries) in the Indian subcontinent, such as those in Karachi and Deoband, how to decide the dates of Ramadan and Eid when clouds prevent them from seeing the crescent Moon.
The advice described here is to try to sight the crescent locally first. If clouds prevent this, they may use a sighting from a nearby country, such as Morocco. Some rulings specifically advise against relying on a country as far away as Saudi Arabia. According to this account, Karachi Darul Uloom gave this advice in October 2026 (Fatwa No. 2867/86) in response to a question from (Mufti) Shabaz Ahmad in Scotland (sent in September 2026).
However, this advice can be misunderstood if it omits an important condition. A lunar calendar month can have 29 or 30 days; it is not always 29 days long. Cloudy weather does not automatically mean that the UK should follow Morocco. The Hadith guidance referred to here is to complete 30 days when the crescent is not seen. Following another country's dates without checking the local calendar could produce a month as short as 28 days or as long as 31 days, as discussed on the ICOUK website.
Consider this example. Suppose clouds prevent observers in the UK from seeing the crescent for Jumada Al-Thani 1448 on the evening of 10 November 2026. Suppose Morocco reports a sighting, and the UK follows that report, starting the month on 11 November 2026.
The example assumes that the Moon sets before the Sun at the UK observing locations on 10 November 2026. If so, the crescent cannot be seen there after sunset, even with clear skies. The problem would therefore be the Moon's position, not the clouds. Under the local-sighting approach described here, 11 November would be day 30 of the previous month, Jumada Al-Ula 1448, rather than the first day of the new month.
Now consider the end of that month. In this example, Morocco would look for the next crescent on 9 December 2026, its 29th day of Jumada Al-Thani. If the UK had started the month a day later, following its own local calendar, that date would be only day 28 in the UK. The example also assumes that the Moon sets before the Sun at the UK observing locations that evening, making an after-sunset sighting impossible there. It is the Moon's position - not the calendar date alone - that determines whether it can be seen.
The interpretation put forward here is that the UK should use a sighting report from Morocco only if the crescent could also be visible from the UK under clear skies (i.e., Geographia Imkan). This is the condition described here as part of the 1984 UK fatwa, or religious ruling. Using the report must also keep the local month within 29 or 30 days.
A lunar year has 354 days with six 29-day months and six 30-day months. So, 30-day months are a normal part of the calendar. Under the approach described here, the UK should allow a month to reach 30 days when needed, rather than automatically using a sighting from Morocco or another country.
A 355-day lunar year has five 29-day months and seven 30-day months. In a calculated Islamic calendar, this is called a leap year. In a calendar based on sightings, the month lengths depend on when the crescent is sighted. Several 30-day months can occur in a row; the original account gives up to four.
In conclusion, the argument here is that clouds on the 29th day are not, by themselves, enough reason for the UK to follow Morocco or another country. The crescent must also be possible to be seen from the UK under clear skies, and the local month must remain 29 or 30 days long. The UK observation records cited in the original account, beginning in 2017/1439 AH, are reported to show that this approach keeps the months within those limits, even when cloudy weather in the UK means completing 30 days.
Ref: [Visibility Maps 1448] [UK Moon Sighting Fatawa]
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Beyond Moon Age: Factors Affecting Crescent Visibility in the UK [download pdf] [poster image]
Question
Why couldn't we see a 2-day-old moon in the UK in September 2026, but we could see a 1-day-old moon in February 2026 (or even a younger moon in May 2025)? (Question by a London Imam to ICOUK / October 2026)
Answer:
Allah says: (1) "The sun and the moon follow courses (exactly) computed;" (Quran 55:5). (2) "It is He Who made the sun to be a shining glory and the moon to be a light (of beauty) and measured out stages for her; that you might know the number of years and the count (of time)." (Quran 10:5). (3) "They ask thee concerning the Crescent Moons. Say: They are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) people, and for Pilgrimage." (Quran 2:189)
Therefore, we must accept that the orbit and the visibility of the moon are by the will and design of Allah. We do not have any control over its movements, whether it’s above or below the UK horizon.
Now please note that the moon's age alone isn't an accurate indicator of its visibility in the UK.
From our past moon-sighting experience (2024-2026), we have found that a very young moon (e.g., 18 hrs old) could be easily seen with the naked eye in Spring/Summer, yet a much older moon (e.g., 40 hrs old) could not be seen in Autumn/Winter (even with Optical Aids).
Many factors affect the moon's visibility, such as elongation (how far from the Sun it is) and altitude (how high above the horizon it is), as well as the observer's experience and weather conditions.
Furthermore, in Spring/Summer of 2026, the lunar orbit was over the Northern Hemisphere (with high altitude), so the moon was easily visible, even 1 day before other countries like Morocco.
However, in Autum/Winter of 2026, the lunar orbit is over the Southern Hemisphere (with low altitude), so the moon is not easily visible, even 1 day after other countries like Morocco.
The above fluctuations in the lunar orbit do not happen every year (e.g., 2018 - 2023), but they happen during the Major Lunar Standstills (MLS), which repeat every 18.6 years (e.g., 1987, 2006, 2025, 2043, etc.).
Fortunately, our UK moon sighting data from the past few years of MLS show that the Shariah rule of 29- 30-day months still holds, and so a purely local moon sighting calendar from the UK-only is possible and has been proven to work in the worst case of the low-altitude moons (2024 - 2026).
The only drawback is that there will be a few consecutive 30-day months in the Autumn/Winter, when the moon has very low altitude at sunset, but it makes up the total count by Spring/Summer with a few consecutive 29-day months.
As for the question of unity in the UK, following different foreign countries (Morocco, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, etc.) has not worked over the past 40 years (since 1986).
So, UK Muslim unity is more likely if we adopt pure local moon sightings, even if they differ by 2 days from foreign countries (such as the Saudi Ummul Qura calendar) in some months, especially during MLS! Note also that other countries, like India, have such differences with foreign countries, too (e.g., in September 2026, India started 2 days after the Saudi Ummul Qura calendar1)!
[1] See "Must the UK follow Saudi Arabia?", published in October 2026 [bit.ly/uk2SaudiMoon]
Furthermore, Allah says: "And the Moon, We have measured for her mansions (to traverse) till she returns like the old (and withered) lower part of a date-stalk." (Quran 36:39).
The Tafsir of this verse [Quran 36:39] explains that there are visible phases of the moon when it can be seen, and there are invisible phases of the moon (Mahaq) when it cannot be seen.
Such phases of the moon are shown by the predicted crescent visibility maps below from the ICOUK website (bit.ly/VizMaps).
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| On 27 May 2025 [Dhul Hijjah 1446], an 18-hour-old moon was sighted in the UK (Dewsbury, Leeds, Thirsk, etc.) by many people a day before it was sighted in other countries, like Morocco. | On 15 July 2026 [Safar 1448], a 35-hour-old moon was sighted in the UK (Blackburn, Cardiff, Leicester, London, Slough) by many people on the same day as it was sighted in other countries, like Morocco. | On 12 September 2026 [Rabi-I 1448], a nearly 40-hour-old moon could not be sighted in the UK (as moonset was before or at the same time as sunset in most places), but it was sighted a day later in the UK than in other countries, like Morocco. |
Conclusion: The above crescent moon observation data (with testimonies) from the ICOUK website show beyond any doubt that the age of the moon alone does not determine its visibility but includes many other factors. However, the Shariah rule of a 29- 30-day month is fully met in the UK (since 2018) without following any foreign countries (which may also lead to a 28- 31-day month2), Alhamdulillah.
[2] See "The 1984 Moon Sighting Criteria Review", published in September 2026 [bit.ly/Review1984criteria]
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(by Eng. Qamar Uddin, ICOUK; dated 10 October 2026) [download pdf] | [Image - Square] | [Image - Portrait]
Understanding the 1 - 2 Day Difference in Moon Sighting
The Islamic month begins with the sighting of the crescent moon (in your country of residence) - not simply because another country has announced a new month.
LOCAL MOON SIGHTING MATTERS
Since 2018, the ICOUK has developed a consistent local moon-sighting system, with Islamic months lasting 29 or 30 days. Depending on the moon's visibility from different locations, the UK may begin a month one day, and occasionally two days, different from Saudi Arabia.
IS A TWO-DAY DIFFERENCE WRONG?
No. A difference of two days does not, by itself, make a local moon-sighting decision contrary to Shariah.
Countries that base their Islamic months on actual crescent visibility may differ from Saudi Arabia's Umm al-Qura calendar. Such differences can arise from geographical location, crescent visibility, and the criteria used to determine the beginning of a month.
India, with over 172 million Muslims (14%) and a long-established tradition of local moon sightings, is another example of a country whose Islamic dates can differ from Saudi Arabia. [1448-04: Hijri Date India | Deoband Hilal | Saudi Umm al-Qura]
WHAT SHOULD GUIDE UK MUSLIMS?
- ✓ Follow reliable moon-sighting evidence and sound Islamic scholarly guidance.
- ✓ Recognise legitimate differences arising from local visibility and accepted sighting criteria.
- ✓ Do not assume that Saudi Arabia's dates must automatically apply to the UK.
- ✓ Judge the validity of a sighting decision by its evidence and Shariah principles, not merely by the number of days' difference.
ONE UMMAH, DIFFERENT HORIZONS 
A difference in dates is not, by itself, proof of a mistake.
Support authentic local moon sightings in the UK.
Related: (1) UK Moon Sighting Fatawa | (2) Hijri Date India on X | (3) Ummul Qura Calendar
Checked by: ICOUK Ulama Panel (10/2026)
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When is Muharram 1448 in UK?
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