'The Ruet': Fawad Chaudhry announces launch of moonsighting mobile app
Following the launch of Pakistan's first official moonsighting website, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday announced the availability of a mobile application which displays the various phases of, and other real-time information about, the moon.
The app, named 'The Ruet', is available on the Google Play store for download.
According to the description provided on Google Play for the app, "The Ruet is a utility and information application related to moon and sighting of moon in Pakistan by Ministry of Science and Technology."
The main features of the app listed on the store are:
- Current phase and age of the moon.
- Islamic Hijri Calendar.
- Setting location manually to any coordinates in Pakistan.
- New moon details by Islamic months.
- Moon phases calendar.
- Moon, Sun and all major planets' positions on the interactive sky simulation.
Earlier this week, Chaudhry had announced the launch of the website, pakmoonsighting.pk, by the science and technology ministry "to halt the moonsighting controversy" that rears its head in the country every year prior to religious festivals.
The minister took the initiative for developing the website and the app after disagreeing with the way the moon was sighted by the Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee.
He said the way of sighting the moon by Islamic schools of thought of Imam Hambal and Imam Shaafai was different. “Imam Hambal supports physical sighting of moon while Imam Shaafai recommends scientific ways for it.”
Chaudhry had also questioned the wisdom of spending large sums of money on moonsighting every year after the National Assembly was informed recently that an amount of Rs3.06 million was spent on the sighting of the moon for Muharram, Ramazan, Eidul Fitr and Eidul Azha last year.
He had said that it was time science and technology were utilised to end the controversy.
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Comments (27) Closed
Interesting and informative initiative. Well done; this will bring kids into natural science conversation.
Gordon D. Walker
Canada
Setting location manually to any coordinates in Pakistan.would give different moon phase on each location of the geographical coordinates on the Earth. It would magnify the confusion, rather than simplifying the moon sighting.
Agreed, step in right direction.
At least busy....
Very good initiative
please dont say anything without verification.... "Imam Hambal supports physical sighting of moon while Imam Shaafai recommends scientific ways for it.” Thia statement is false..all four shool of thoughts rule for the phisical sighting of the moon..
Good effort by minister Sahib
A good effort indeed. I am a developer myself and much can be improved in the current version to make it compatible with the world class apps. But it is nice to see the progress of the people of my country in Science and technology.
This will be revolutionary and very beneficial.
Why is location permission mandatory for the application to run? I denied location permission and now application simply crashes whenever I try to launch.
Someone code changes needed to make it optional for location permission in-case user denies it - why code changes needed - because upon first launch - application asks for permission with 'Allow' and 'Deny' option - I selected Deny and applications crashed - Not a friendly end user experience if you want the application to be used by everyone.
It's not sure whether Fawad Chaudhry has studied science in class 9th or 10th but some how the other he has become Federal Minister of Science and Technology and after discovering moon sighting through technology he wants to leave behind the world known scientists like Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, James Watson, Francis Crick, Nikola Telsa and many others in discovering a new computer app. and making moon sighting website.
He should know that he cannot change hundreds of years of practice of Muslims in the world who at the beginning of every Ramzan and also at the end of Ramzan would like to see the moon personally through their naked eyes.
No matter Fawad Chaudhry was successful with the help of the people working in Science & Technology in naming the app. "The Ruet" but people of Pakistan will only celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr after they will hear a formal announcement from Chairman of Ruet Hilal Committee, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman on Radio and Television.
@M. Saeed, if you are tech savvy enough to set the coordinates manually, I guarantee you you will be savvy enough to not confuse yourself.
Lets see how many 'Eids' nation celebrates this time.
Without the newest astrophysical equations GPS would be off by six miles.
@M. Saeed, if there is no confusion in large country like America where more mosques have started following calculation then why will it be an issue in Pakistan.
More confusion now. Whom to believe?
Please change app name to something simpler, like “Pakistan Moonsighting” etc.
Very good news and impressive
Run by Chinese search engine
The app is poorly designed. Calling it useful without using is similar to following religious scholars blindly.
Fawad Vs Muneeb waiting for 04 June
@Gordon D. Walker,
One's who support incorrect stances only to support a political party and are in direct conflict with the rules set forth by the Creator are really gutsy people. Bravo. Salute to you and the minister.
FC is preaching his own understanding of some text he might've read or heard in some forum. There's no such proof or evidence supporting his claims about Imam Shafi supporting scientific calculations.
Can FC provide evidence/proof rather than continuing with his rhetoric. Why are the ulama not coming forward and countering him? Or the media is only being one-sided when it comes to promoting a particular version of an idea in general population?
Tell Fawad Chudhary to read ayat 185 and 189 of Sura Baqarah and decide for himself what he interprets.
He can also relate to the several ahadith supporting the sighting of moon to begin and end fasting.
This should put any controversy to rest.
BTW, his app contains the same stuff that other apps carry.
@Fus, because mosques in USA are aiming for convenience as well as relying on the incorrect interpretation of rulings and relying on the premise that even the one who strives to reach the correct deduction, if comes up with an incorrect decision, will still be rewarded with one reward as opposed to the double reward which a person reaching the correct decision would receive.
Yes. its very wise to spend hundreds of millions of rupees on National, Provincial Assemblies and Senate, while their performance is zero. But its unwise if someone else does it.
Not a fair decision, without convencing all and listening to only one is not fair. One way
Comments (27) Closed
Interesting and informative initiative. Well done; this will bring kids into natural science conversation.
Gordon D. Walker
Canada
Setting location manually to any coordinates in Pakistan.would give different moon phase on each location of the geographical coordinates on the Earth. It would magnify the confusion, rather than simplifying the moon sighting.
Agreed, step in right direction.
At least busy....
Very good initiative
please dont say anything without verification.... "Imam Hambal supports physical sighting of moon while Imam Shaafai recommends scientific ways for it.” Thia statement is false..all four shool of thoughts rule for the phisical sighting of the moon..
Good effort by minister Sahib
A good effort indeed. I am a developer myself and much can be improved in the current version to make it compatible with the world class apps. But it is nice to see the progress of the people of my country in Science and technology.
This will be revolutionary and very beneficial.
Why is location permission mandatory for the application to run? I denied location permission and now application simply crashes whenever I try to launch.
Someone code changes needed to make it optional for location permission in-case user denies it - why code changes needed - because upon first launch - application asks for permission with 'Allow' and 'Deny' option - I selected Deny and applications crashed - Not a friendly end user experience if you want the application to be used by everyone.
It's not sure whether Fawad Chaudhry has studied science in class 9th or 10th but some how the other he has become Federal Minister of Science and Technology and after discovering moon sighting through technology he wants to leave behind the world known scientists like Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, James Watson, Francis Crick, Nikola Telsa and many others in discovering a new computer app. and making moon sighting website.
He should know that he cannot change hundreds of years of practice of Muslims in the world who at the beginning of every Ramzan and also at the end of Ramzan would like to see the moon personally through their naked eyes.
No matter Fawad Chaudhry was successful with the help of the people working in Science & Technology in naming the app. "The Ruet" but people of Pakistan will only celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr after they will hear a formal announcement from Chairman of Ruet Hilal Committee, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman on Radio and Television.
@M. Saeed, if you are tech savvy enough to set the coordinates manually, I guarantee you you will be savvy enough to not confuse yourself.
Lets see how many 'Eids' nation celebrates this time.
Without the newest astrophysical equations GPS would be off by six miles.
@M. Saeed, if there is no confusion in large country like America where more mosques have started following calculation then why will it be an issue in Pakistan.
More confusion now. Whom to believe?
Please change app name to something simpler, like “Pakistan Moonsighting” etc.
Very good news and impressive
Run by Chinese search engine
The app is poorly designed. Calling it useful without using is similar to following religious scholars blindly.
Fawad Vs Muneeb waiting for 04 June
@Gordon D. Walker,
One's who support incorrect stances only to support a political party and are in direct conflict with the rules set forth by the Creator are really gutsy people. Bravo. Salute to you and the minister.
FC is preaching his own understanding of some text he might've read or heard in some forum. There's no such proof or evidence supporting his claims about Imam Shafi supporting scientific calculations.
Can FC provide evidence/proof rather than continuing with his rhetoric. Why are the ulama not coming forward and countering him? Or the media is only being one-sided when it comes to promoting a particular version of an idea in general population?
Tell Fawad Chudhary to read ayat 185 and 189 of Sura Baqarah and decide for himself what he interprets.
He can also relate to the several ahadith supporting the sighting of moon to begin and end fasting.
This should put any controversy to rest.
BTW, his app contains the same stuff that other apps carry.
@Fus, because mosques in USA are aiming for convenience as well as relying on the incorrect interpretation of rulings and relying on the premise that even the one who strives to reach the correct deduction, if comes up with an incorrect decision, will still be rewarded with one reward as opposed to the double reward which a person reaching the correct decision would receive.
Yes. its very wise to spend hundreds of millions of rupees on National, Provincial Assemblies and Senate, while their performance is zero. But its unwise if someone else does it.
Not a fair decision, without convencing all and listening to only one is not fair. One way