Announcement of the New Moon Sighting of the Holy Month of Ramadan
(Translated)

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِيَ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَى وَالْفُرْقَانِ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ

فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ يُرِيدُ اللّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلاَ يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُواْ الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُواْ اللّهَ عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

I seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled

"The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful." [Al-Baqara: 85]

All praise is due to Allah and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his companions, allies, and those who followed in his footsteps; thus making the Islamic Aqeedah the basis for one's thoughts, and the Ahkam Shari'ah (Legislative Ruling) the measure of one's actions and the source for their rulings.

Bukhari reported in his Sahih as narrated by Muhammad ibn Ziyad, who said: "I heard Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him say: ‘The Messenger of Allah (saw) said', or he said: ‘Abu al-Qasim (saw) said:

« صوموا لِرُؤيتِهِ وأَفْطِرُوا لرؤيتِهِ فإنْ غُـبِّيَ عليكم فأَكْمِلُوا عِدَّةَ شعبانَ ثلاثين » "Fast when you see it and break your fast when you see it, and if you cannot see it then complete 30 days of Sha'ban".

After investigating the new moon of Ramadan on this night, the night of Saturday, no valid sighting of the new Moon of Ramadhan has taken place according to legal (Shari'ah) requirements. Therefore, tomorrow Saturday is the continuation for the month of Sha'ban, Allah willing, making the day after tomorrow, Sunday, the first day of the Blessed month of Ramadan.

On this occasion, we received the following speech from the Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir, the eminent scholar Ata Bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah- may Allah protect him. This is the script:

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem

All praise is due to Allah (swt), prayer and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, companions and allies and those after them:

To the sincere truthful Brothers and Sisters that carry the Dawah...

To all Muslims everywhere on this globe...

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,

I ask the Almighty that He accepts the fasting and Qiyaam of the Muslims and that Allah forgives us for all our previous sins, as RasulAllah (saw) said as extracted by Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:«مَنْ صَامَ رَمَضَانَ، إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا،غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ» "Whoever fasts during Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven" and in another narration from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

«مَنْ قَامَ رَمَضَانَ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا، غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ» "Whoever prays Qiyaam (voluntary night prayer) during Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven".

Dear respected brothers and sisters, in the month of Sha'ban of the second year after the Hijra, Allah Almighty made fasting the month of Ramadan obligatory. It is a month in which Allah revealed the Quran:

(شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِنَ الْهُدَى وَالْفُرْقَانِ) "The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion" [Al-Baqara: 185]. It is the month in which Allah honored the Ummah with victories and distinct and clear conquests. Thus, the great Battle of Badr was on the 17th of Ramadan when the polytheists of Mecca were wholly defeated... Then there were other decisive battles in this blessed month, starting with the conquest of Mecca on the 20th of Ramadan in the eighth year after the Hijra to the Battle of al-Buwayb (currently near the city of Kufa) which was the Persian Yarmouk when the Muslims were victorious under the leadership of al-Muthanna on 14th of Ramadan of the year 31 AH, then to the conquest of Amuriyah led by Al-Mu'tassim on 17th of Ramadan in the year 223 AH, and to the battle of Ayn Jaloot when the Muslims defeated the Tatars on 25th of Ramadan in the year 658 AH to other victories in this blessed month...

So, fasting was coupled with the Holy Qur'an which cannot be afflicted by falsehood from before it or from behind it ... And fasting was coupled with distinct conquest and victory ... Fasting was coupled with jihad ... Fasting was coupled with application of Allah's Laws ... And anyone with clear vision and insight realizes that Allah's Laws cannot be separated from one another, whether they are acts of worship or jihad or transactions or morals and conducts, or crimes and Hudud punishments... For all of these are from the same niche, and whoever ponders the verses of the Holy Quran and the texts of the honorable Ahadeeth finds that this is explicitly clarified. A Muslim recites from the Holy Quran (أَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ)"And establish prayer", as he recites (نِ احْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ) And judge, [O Muhammad], between them by what Allah has revealed". And he recites (كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ) "Fasting is prescribed to you", as recites ((كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَال))"Fighting is prescribed over you". Also he is reading about the pilgrimage in the Hadeeth of RasulAllah (saw)«خُذُوا عَنِّي مَنَاسِكَكُمْ» "Take from me your rituals"; extracted by Bayhaqi in his As-Sunan Al-Kubra from Jabir, as he reads about the Hudud (punishments)

«خُذُوا عَنِّي، خُذُوا عَنِّي، قَدْ جَعَلَ اللهُ لَهُنَّ سَبِيلًا، الْبِكْرُ بِالْبِكْرِ جَلْدُ مِائَةٍ وَنَفْيُ سَنَةٍ، وَالثَّيِّبُ بِالثَّيِّبِ جَلْدُ مِائَةٍ، وَالرَّجْمُ»

"Receive from me (this revelation), receive from me (this revelation). Allah has ordained a way for those women (unmarried females who committed adultery). When an unmarried man commits adultery with an unmarried woman, they should receive one hundred lashes and be exiled for a year. If they (fornicate while they) were married, they shall receive hundred lashes and be stoned to death"; extracted by Muslim on the authority of Ubada bin As-Samit. And he reads about the transactions «البَيِّعَانِ بِالخِيَارِ مَا لَمْ يَتَفَرَّقَا - أو قال حتى يتفرقا -» "The seller and the buyer have the right to keep or return goods as long as they have not parted - or he said till they part -"; extracted by Bukhari on the authority of Hakeem bin Hizam, as he reads in the Bayah of the Khalifah

«وَمَنْ مَاتَ وَلَيْسَ فِي عُنُقِهِ بَيْعَةٌ، مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً» "And whoever dies without the Bayah (allegiance) on his neck dies the death of Jahiliyyah" extracted by Muslim on the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar. Thus, Islam is an indivisible whole, and the call to it is one to be applied in the state, life and society. So whoever separates between Allah's verses, and calls for the separation of religion from life, or the separation of religion from politics, he has committed a grave sin and a major crime that lead a person to the shame in this world and painful punishment in the Hereafter.

In conclusion, Allah Almighty mentioned the act of supplication between the four verses of fasting in Surat Al-Baqara, the Almighty said:

(وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ)

"And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided" ]Al-Baqara: 186[. And the separation of the inseparable is a proof that the partition is intended, for Allah the Almighty has commanded the fast, then commanded the act of supplication, and then completed the verses of fasting to indicate the greatness of the act of supplication. So increase supplication in Ramadan, for RasulAllah (saw) said in the hadith narrated by Ahmad from Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (saw)

«ثَلَاثَةٌ لَا تُرَدُّ دَعْوَتُهُمْ: الْإِمَامُ الْعَادِلُ، وَالصَّائِمُ حَتَّى يُفْطِرَ، وَدَعْوَةُ الْمَظْلُومِ تُحْمَلُ عَلَى الْغَمَامِ، وَتُفْتَحُ لَهَا أَبْوَابُ السَّمَاوَاتِ، وَيَقُولُ الرَّبُّ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: وَعِزَّتِي لَأَنْصُرَنَّكَ وَلَوْ بَعْدَ حِينٍ»

"The Supplication of three people are not rejected: the supplication of a just ruler, of a fasting person at the time of breaking fast, and a person who is wronged. Allah causes their supplication to rise above the clouds, and gates of heaven are opened for them, and Allah says, ‘By My Majesty, I will help you, even if it is after a while'". And supplication was mentioned between the verses of fasting as proof for the insistence of supplication in the month of fasting and a statement of its merit and glad tiding of it being answered, for Allah is close and responds.

And the final conclusion, as we must be protective of our fast so Allah may be pleased with us and forgive our sins, thus we should also be keen to work for the resumption of the Islamic way of life with the establishment of the rightly guided Khilafah "Caliphate" so that we will be among the victors in this life with the implementation of Allah's Laws, under the banner of the Messenger of Allah (saw), the Rayat Al-Uqab, the banner of "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah", and likewise be the victors in the Hereafter, Allah willing, under Allah's shade on the Day there is no shade except His, so that we may attain victory in both realms, and so is a great victory.

Wassalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh.

 Your Brother,

 Ata Bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah

Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir [End.]

Saturday is the continuation for the month of Sha'ban for the year 1435 Hijra

Allah bless the Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir, the eminent scholar Ata Bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah on these good words and the sincere guidance ... On this occasion I am pleased to convey for the Ameer (may Allah protect him) and for the Muslim Ummah as a whole, the congratulations of the head of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir as well as all those working within it, on this blessed month. We ask Allah Almighty that He redeem us from the fire in the month of forgiveness and good deeds, as we ask Allah Almighty that He make us witness the Night of Al-Qadr and bless us with His rewards...

O Muslims throughout the lands ... here we are, Allah has blessed us and made us witness the blessed month of Ramadan, the month of obedience, conquests and victories, so show Allah the best of yourselves, and strive and work hard to get close to Him (swt). And we urge you to take the solemn position, which pleases the Lord of the Worlds, fulfills your pledge, and rescues the Ummah, from what it is suffering from of misfortunes, and what it faces of massive global conspiracy to break its resolve and prevent the return of its State and to impose the continuation of their influence over it... And what is happening in Iraq of calamities, in Syria of fleeing Muslims, in Palestine of the occupation of Al-Aqsa Mosque, in Central Africa of the slaughter of Muslims and in others of occupation, killing, displacement and violation of their sanctity and sacred sites; all this would not happen if there was Khilafah "Caliphate" for the Muslims, this would not happen if there was a Khaleefah for the Muslims who watches over the well-being of their affairs and defend them and their interests...

We invite you to work with us in Hizb ut Tahrir with your utmost power and speed for the return of Allah's Deen into existence through the establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate", the protection of Islam and Muslims. The Khilafah "Caliphate"; the promise of our Lord and the tidings of our Prophet (saw)...

O Muslims: We are here, to show the sincere sons of the Ummah what is being plotted to the Islamic Ummah of plots, constriction, siege and conspiracy until they place Dunya over their Deen, and bow in front of the vindictive cunning West. So let your decision be decisive, strict and clear; no to the treachery and subjugation aids, no to the Haram and normalization funds... Refuse O Muslims solutions of the treacherous West, and abort the conferences of sales, lackeys and treachery, and abandon the oppositions of deception and hotels.

Do not accept the falsity of their democracy, or the glamor of their civilization (Madaniya), and declare it strongly and loudly, rightly guided Islamic Khilafah "Caliphate", in which the Quran is the constitution, and the Shariah is a legislation, and the Seerah of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) is a way and a methodology...

Here is your party, Hizb ut Tahrir is with you, and among you, engaged in an intensified intellectual and political struggle, revealing to you the plans of the cunning West, and showing you the straight path of Islam. Therefore put your pure hands, in its hand, may Allah write victory by our hand and enable us to establish the Islamic Khilafah "Caliphate" and nothing else. And may Allah write by the hands of the Ameer of Hizb ut Tahrir, the eminent scholar Ata Bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah, distinct conquest, so that you may give him Bayah as a Khaleefah to rule by the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His noble Prophet, and establish in it and by it the law of Allah, and carry the call of Islam as an illuminating guidance for all the worlds.

O military officers, O people of strength, O people of power know that Allah is inevitably the protector of His Deen, so do not miss this great honor, and align with the side of the Ummah so you may attain Allah's satisfaction and be honored in this world and the Hereafter.

O Allah, the Lord of the heavens and the Earth honor us with a Bayah to a Khaleefah in the second rightly guided Khilafah "Caliphate", soon, sooner rather than later...

Ameen, Ameen, Ameen.

Wassalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh.

Saturday night, the continuation for the month of Sha'ban, for the year 1435 AH.

Osman Bakhash
Director of the Central Media Office
of Hizb ut Tahrir