Umm Al Qura means Mother of all cities this title is given by Allah (Subhana hu wo taala)= ( Holy is He above everything) to the holy city of Mecca where Holy Kaaba is located.
Let us correct our Qibla for Global Umm Al Qura calendar
Qibla is an Arabic word for the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays. The qibla has importance to more than just the salat, and plays an important part in everyday ceremonies. The head of an animal that is slaughtered using Halal methods is aligned with the qibla. After death, Muslims are buried with their faces in the direction of the qibla.
Umm Al Qura means Mother of all cities this title is given by Allah (Subhana hu wo taala)= ( Holy is He above everything) to the holy city of Mecca where Holy Kaaba is located. Mecca has a unique location as center of Islamic world and the Muslim are commanded to face Ka'ba when offering prayers.
It is well known that in some parts of the globe deep in the West of Mecca the crescent tends to become visible a day earlier than Holy Mecca but in some parts deep in East of Mecca a day or two later.
So Mecca must be the International date line for Islamic lunar calendar. And the crescent sighting at Mecca or preferably the astronomical calculations for appearance of crescent over Mecca's horizon are good enough for the whole Muslim world as information can now be conveyed within seconds. We can ignore earlier sighting deep in West of Mecca because the advice of the Holy Prophet (sws) was apparently for crescent's appearance in Arabia as it was addressed to the people of Arabia whom he himself defined as illiterate. Obviously the population of Muslims of that age who were not literate and did not know how to write or to calculate (complicated astronomical data was confined to Arabia. So that advice cannot be said with certainty to be applicable to Muslims all over the world.
Therefore, the Umm Al Qura Calendar based on astronomical calculations for appearance of crescent in Mecca is the best way to standardize Islamic dating procedures and ensure Eid on the same day all around the world. Just as Juma prayers are offered within 12 to 15 hours, we should be able to offer Eid prayers and follow beginning of new Islamic month within that time span.
Visibility of moon on earth by naked eye is becoming more and more unpredictable due to global warming and pollution of atmosphere because of industrialization and space exploration. In the first two days after New Moon, the new crescent Moon appears very low in the western sky after sunset, and must be viewed through bright twilight. It sets shortly after sunset within a few minutes or seconds. The sighting of the lunar crescent within one day of New Moon is usually difficult but possible at some locations as the crescent at this time is quite thin, has a low surface brightness, and can easily be lost in the twilight.
The old Fuqaha Positions on Regional and Global Sighting "Ikhtilaf vs. Ittihad al-Matali" appear to be based on convenient methods of communicating sighting at one place to the people in other vicinities.
Shari'ah is supposed to aim at helping the believers in carrying out their religious obligations conveniently. A schedule of Islamic dates according to astronomical calculation for appearance of moon at Mecca will reduce a lot of hardship, chaos and confusion that happen every year at the time of the beginning of Ramadan and the two Eids. Many communities are following calendar for years. Imam Shafi and other Fuqha had extended the limit of regional moonsighting according to the means of communication available in that age.
We need to examine this issue with the reason and logic as advised to in Holy Quran, which reiterates the view that the idea of antiquity of an idea is neither the evidence of its falsity, nor is it a testimony of its truthfulness. Antiquity affects material objects; but the eternal truths of existence never become old and outmoded. Truths like: God changes not what is in a people, until they change what is in themselves ... (13:11) are true for ever and ever. The Qur'an asks us to face issues with the weapon of reason and intellect. One should neither forsake a belief for fear of becoming the target of others' ridicule and banter, nor should he accept a belief just because it is upheld by some important and well- known persons. We should ourselves study and investigate the roots of all matters and draw our own conclusions. "