Crescent Controversy-3

Apropos my earlier letters of 22^nd July and 2^nd August asking to watch the full moon (14^th of the moon) on 3^rd  August, quite a few friends have written to me that the moon tonight (3rd August) looked to be the full moon, that is; it was the 14^th of ZulHajj.  If it is so, then the new moon had appeared on the 21^st July and not on the 22^nd _­of July 2020.

Now, this difference of a day in the date of the appearance of the new moon is not something that could be dismissed summarily.  If it is so, then we didn’t perform our Eid and Hajj rituals on the days these should have been performed and our all rituals connected with the dates were out of sync and were performed a day later probably as Qaza. We offered our Eid prayers a day later than its actual day. The Qurbani which can be offered till three days (72 hours) after Eid prayers would have been now extended in certain cases beyond this limit. Would it be accepted as Qurbani on this “extended” day or would it be just a slaughter of an animal for meat for the family? Similarly, there might be some other rituals (hair and nails cutting etc.) which would now have been performed 24 hours after their actual time.  I am no religious authority but is there any compensation (fidiya or kuffara) to be paid/offered in Shariah for performing such rituals not ! on their proper time?   And if it is correct that we have missed a day, then who shall offer the fidiya or the kuffara for the entire nation and in what form?  The ordinary 200 million followers individually or the Ruet e Halal Committee?  

Col. Syed Riaz Jafri (Retd)