Methods of Beginning Islamic Months in Different Countries

  1. Actual Sighting judged by Qadi, or Review Panel. (e.g., Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Oman, Morocco, Trinidad)
  2. Moon born before Makkah sunset and moonset after Makkah sunset. (e.g., Saudi Arabia, sometimes deviates for Ramadan, Shawwal, and Dhul-Hijjah)
  3. Follow Saudi Arabia. (e.g., Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Yemen, Turkey)
  4. Moon Born & moon sets at least 5 minutes after sunset. (e.g., Egypt)
  5. News from neighbor countries. (e.g., New Zealand gets from Australia, and Suriname gets from Guyana)
  6. Follow first Muslim country that announces it. (e.g., Some Caribbean Islands)
  7. Criteria of age, or altitude, or sunset-moonset lag. (e.g., Algeria, and Tunisia)
  8. Moon born before Fajr time in Libya. (e.g., Libya)
  9. Age > 8 hours, altitude > 2°, elongation > 3°. (e.g., Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia)
  10. Pre-calculated calendar. (Bohra, Ismaiili, and Ahmadiyyah [Qadiani] everywhere in the world)
  11. No specific criterion! Decision varies year by year. (e.g., Nigeria)
   The above shown in red have adopted some kind of pre-calculated Islamic calendar. The complete list of the countries which follow pre-calculated Islamic calendar is as follows:
  1. Afghanistan
  2. Albania
  3. Algeria
  4. Armenia
  5. Azerbaijan
  6. Bahrian
  7. Bosnia and Hercegovina
  8. Brunei
    Age > 8 hours, altitude > 2°, elongation > 3°
  9. Canada - Islamic Society of North America
  10. Cosovo
  11. Denmark
  12. Egypt
    Moon Born before sunset & moon sets at least 5 minutes after sunset
  13. Georgia
  14. Indonesia
  15. Iraq
  16. Jordan
  17. Kazakhstan
  18. Kirgizstan
  19. Kuwait
  20. Lebanon
  21. Libya
    Moon must be born before Fajr in Libya.
  22. Luxembourg
  23. Malaysia
    Age > 8 hours, altitude > 2°, elongation > 3°
  24. Montenegro
  25. Netherlands
  26. Palestine
  27. Qatar
  28. Romania
  29. Russia
  30. Saudi Arabia
    The criteria are Sunset should occur after conjunction (ie. the New Moon), and moonset should occur after sunset in Makkah. (Ummul-Qura Calendar)
    However, if anyone gives Shahadah that he has seen the moon, then month starts, even if the moon is not born.
  31. Spain
  32. Sudan
  33. Tajikistan
  34. Tatarstan
  35. Tunisia
  36. Turkey
    The Islamic calendar used in Turkey is based (partially) on the results of the Conference for Determining the beginnings of Lunar Months which was held in Istanbul, on 28 November 1978, and which set forth 3 astronomical criteria for the prediction of lunar visibility: (1) Sunset should occur after conjunction (ie. the New Moon), (2) an angular distance between the moon and the sun of at least 8 degrees, and (3) an angular distance of the moon from the horizon that should not be less than 5 degrees. In principle, these criteria were to be used by all the following countries, Bangladesh, Algeria, Indonesia, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, but in practice, nowadays, only Turkey follows these criteria.
    Reference: http://www.qppstudio.net/publicholidays2008/turkey.htm
  37. U.A.E.
  38. UK (Approx. 50%)
  39. USA - Islamic Society of North America
    The criteria are Sunset should occur after conjunction (ie. the New Moon), and moonset should occur after sunset. These criteria are not applicable for Eid-al-Adha, for which it is relied on Saudi Announcement of Hajj.
  40. Yemen
   Updated October 5, 2008