Paris Mosque Defends ’Night of Doubt’ Tradition for Ramadan’s End

"The ’Night of Doubt’ is much more than a simple observation of the sky in search of the crescent moon. Also, reducing the Night of Doubt to a date that validates, in Islam, since the observation of the sky and the appearance of the first crescent moon, both the beginning and the end of the month of Ramadan, is to remove from this ritual all its spiritual and religious dimension," explains the Grand Mosque of Paris in a statement published on Sunday.

And to add: "Ignoring this night on the pretext that modern technology allows us precise calculations would be like neglecting the call to prayer simply because we have watches or connected devices." The institution blames the Muslim Theological Council of France (CTMF) and the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) for having renounced this tradition, stressing that modern methods of calculation, "however precise they may be, cannot replace the signs and sources of faith."

The Grand Mosque of Paris maintains that it remains "attached by faith to the Quranic message and to the maintenance of the tradition of the ’Night of Doubt’ in France, concerned to preserve the Islamic historical heritage and to strengthen the link with Muslims around the world."