Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 2013-02-19

The United Ulama Council of South Africa (UUCSA) has received a late notification of the sighting of the moon in Venda and hence the Islamic date will be adjusted. UCCSA has issued the following statement:

The United Ulama Council of South Africa had via its Hilal Committee announced that the 1st Rabi ul Akhir 1434 was on Wednesday 13 February 2013 in view of the fact that the moon was not sighted anywhere in South Africa.

However it later emerged that the Hilal was sighted in Venda but the sighting was not communicated to the UUCSA Hilal Committee.

It was only after three days that those who sighted the moon realized that there was no other sighting in the rest of the country. They accordingly contacted the UUCSA Hilal Committee which then verified the sighting and took the necessary testimony (shahadah) via the Imam of the local masjid.

In view of the delayed communication of the sighting the 1st Rabi ul Akhir 1434 will retrospectively correspond with the 12th February 2013.

We regret any inconvenience caused by the adjustment

Waslaam

Moulana Ebrahim Bham
Coordinator
Hilal Committee

19 February 2013
7 Rabi ul Akhir 1434