When the Clock Changes

Spring

• 2:00 becomes 3:00, so
• At the same time of day, the clock reads one hour later:
• If the clock reads 4:00, then, at the same time of day before the change, it read 3:00.
• The same clock reading now denotes an earlier time of day.
• We lose an hour, so
• We get one less hour of sleep.
• Clockwise, we pray one hour later, so
• To pray Fajr on time, you wake up one hour later.
• If you don't change your clock, you arrive at events one hour late.
• Going to work in the morning, you find less sun light.
• Going home at the end of the day, you get more sun light.

Fall

• 2:00 becomes 1:00, so
• At the same time of day, the clock reads one hour earlier:
• If the clock reads 4:00, then, at the same time of before the change, it read 5:00.
• The same clock reading now denotes a later time of day.
• We gain an hour, so
• We get one more hour of sleep.
• Clockwise, we pray one hour earlier, so
• To pray Fajr on time, you have to wake up one hour early.
• If you don't change your clock, you arrive at events one hour early.
• Going to work in the morning, you find more sun light.
• Going home at the end of the day, you get less sun light.

My Eid After Ramadan 1427 H

I decided to follow ISNA, and the Fiqh Council of North America's decision, that the first day of Eid will be on Monday, 10/23/06.
The Imam of the Aurora Fox Valley mosque, closer to home, where I prayed Taraweeh, said that, from what he heard, the Eid will be on Tuesday.
The DIC mosque, where I pray Jum'a, and where I was planning on attending the Eid prayer, since it's closer to work, said it will either be on Monday or Tuesday.
Sunday evening the DIC website didn't have any information, so I called them, and the mosque where I pray Taraweeh, getting only a busy signal. Some time after 9:30 PM, I got a ring tone from the Fox Valley mosque, then a recorded message. It stated that Eid will be on Tuesday. I still needed to know what the DIC decision will be, since it is where I will pray, so I kept trying. After a bit, I got a recorded message, stating that Eid will be on Tuesday. I called again just to be sure, and got the same message.
I wanted to pray Eid, so I planned on going on Tuesday anyway, although I ended my fast on Sunday. I had planned on starting to fast the days of Shawwal on Tuesday, but since I was going to pray Eid on that day, I decided not to, thinking that this way I'd score less on the weirdness scale.
Got up early on Tuesday, was early at the DIC mosque, but the door was closed. Nobody appeared through the glass doors. I wandered a bit, until it was 8:25. The prayer was supposed to start on 8:30. I found two people waiting at the shut door, a third joined in a minute, but no sign of anyone inside. The third guy is now on the phone trying to get the DIC number from the phone directory. I had the number on my cell, so I called. I got a recorded message, in it: "It was confirmed that the Eid will be on Monday".

The Evidence of Beauty

Some believe that the world is the way it is right now because of chance, and that things are, the way they are, for no specific reason, or purpose. That includes us, humans.
It strikes me deep inside, when I look at the setting sun, and witness the color parade at the west side of the sky. When I look at the clouds, and the wide open sea. When I look at the trees and the flowers. And it strikes me in so many other occasions, the fact that this world appeals so much to me.
How could it be a chance? Chance and random behavior do not seem to especially create beautiful things. Why would it be, so that it appeals so much to me?
Chance?
No.
This world was created for me.

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Quranic Wisdom: The Negative Power of Example

We use examples, and mental models, all the time to aid our understanding of various elements of this world. A wrong example, or an inaccurate model, can be of sever consequences. Physicists, in particular, know that the understanding of a certain phenomenon is only possible if they find an appropriate theoretical model that fits all observable behaviors of the system at hand. Theoretical models may bear no correspondence to any familiar aspect, however (10+ dimensions, anyone?).
We have to be careful of inaccurate analogies. From Quran [17-Al-Isra][48]:

انظُرْ كَيْفَ ضَرَبُواْ لَكَ الأَمْثَالَ فَضَلُّواْ فَلاَ يَسْتَطِيعْونَ سَبِيلاً

It may be translated as (By M. Picktall, via islamicity.com)

See what similitudes they coin for thee, and thus are all astray, and cannot find a road!

Also in [25:Al-Furqan][9].
This verse states that they went astray as a result of them making examples for you, by the means of seeking similarities and resemblance.
I believe this is why the technique of analogy (القياس) has deserved such attention from Fiqh scholars, and why we've been instructed not to make examples for God [16:An-Nahl][74].
We can be consumed in, guided, and betrayed by our mental models. Extreme care, validation, and re-examination of these models are necessary for us to have a chance in understanding and making progress.

For the Moon Observer

These are some observations about the moon throughout the lunar month:

The new moon:

• The new moon first appears right after sunset, on the west side of the sky.
• The moon position is slightly east of the sun (up).
• The moon is usually not on the same trajectory as the sun, it could be a bit to the north or to the south.
• The moon sets shortly after the sun.
• The new moon rises shortly after sunrise, but is not visible until the time of sunset.
• The new moon is a thin crescent. The lit side of the moon is the one facing west.

Tip: The lit side of the moon is always the side where the sun is. ( But you already knew that :-) )

If you observe the new moon day after day at the same time every day:

• The lit side of the moon increases by about 1/15th of a full moon.
• The moon position moves about 12 degrees to the east, higher in the sky.

As the month advances:

• The moon rises, and sets, about 49 minutes later every day. This means it stays visible for a longer time.

In the middle of the month:

• The moon is a full moon.
• It rises at sunset, and sets at dawn, thus lighting the whole night.
• It reaches the highest point in the sky at midnight.

In the second half of the month:

• The moon rises late at night, and stays visible for a while after sunrise.
• The lit side of the moon is the one facing east.

Close to the end of the month:

• The moon rises just a bit before sunrise.
• It's now a tiny eastern crescent, soon to disappear in the sun's glare.