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THE HILAL ISSUE CANNOT BE LET TO REST
UNTIL MUSLIMS DO THEMSELVES RIGHT
IQRA, Vol. 19, No. 10 Shawwaal 06, 1428
(October 19, 2007), page 2
(Shawwal 06, 1428 is Wednesday October
17, 2007)
Comments in red by Ali manikfan
We said, "O Allah's Apostle! Shall we
see our Lord on the Day of
Resurrection?" He said, "Do you have any
difficulty in seeing the sun and the
moon when the sky is clear?" We said,
"No." He said, "So you will have no
difficulty in seeing your Lord on that
Day as you have no difficulty in seeing
the sun and the moon (in a clear sky)."
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.532B Narrated
by Abu Said Al Khudri
Like so many
other Eidain, Muslims once again were
confused as to when the Eid was. Some
began fasting on September 13th,
others waited until September 14th.
For those who started on 13th
of September thirty days were over on
Friday. Those who started on 14th
of September thirty days were not over
until Saturday. This made it
theoretically possible that Eid could be
on three different days, on 12th,
13th, or 14th of
October. Eid ul Fitr was actually
observed on four days. There was a group
of Muslims who observed it on 11th
of October.
The Prophet SAW had fixed the date for
Eidul fitre on the first of Shawwal. Can
the First of Shawwal 1428H be 12th,
13th, and 14th
October 2007?
Is it wrong to
observe Eid on different days in
different parts of the world? The answer
is no. We know from authentic ahadith
that this was the practice of the best
of generations. We know from our
knowledge that most of the time, indeed
all of the time, the moon is sighted in
one part of the world ahead of the other
part. This is not a mystery. It is an
indisputable fact. Knowing that, it is
certain that during the lifetime of the
Prophet
 and all
through the pre-radio generations of
Muslims fasting started and stopped at
different times by different groups of
Muslims. This was because Allah has
created the ‘monthly moon clock’ in such
a way that different parts of the world
are to start and end their ibadah
of fast on different days. Very much
like the ‘daily sun clock’ that Allah
has created in such a way that different
parts of the world are to observe their
daily salaats at different times.
One part is praying Fajr while the other
part is in the middle of the night. When
Connecticut prays Fajr,
California is still sleeping. When
California is praying Asr
Connecticut has already finished
Maghrib and Isha.
The author seems to ignore the calendar
prescribed in the Book of Allah for the
mankind. It is certainly wrong and
Haraam to observe the Eid on three days.
An Eid must be performed in one day (24
hours) according to the Shariah. The
four Imams have ruled that the
information received from other places
must be followed by those who get it.
This is based on the Ahadees and Sunnah
of the Prophet SAW.
Sighting the moon is not the criterion
that defines the months. The dates of
the calendar are defined by the
Ahillah/Manaazil of the moon. 2:189,
10:5. The Prophet SAW knew that the
first sighting will be different at all
places in the world. So he informed.
“Fa’in shahida shaahidaani muslimaani
fasoomoo fafthiroo”. If two Muslims
witnessed you begin the fasting and
celebrate Eid.
Moon clock shows the dates by its
varying phases every day just as the sun
clock shows us the hours of the day by
changing its angle with the horizon. The
phases of the moon have nothing to do
with horizon. The ru’uya of the phase
viewed from different places will be
same. The moon cannot show different
dates for a particular day. Then how can
the first of Shawwal be three days,
Friday, Saturday and Sunday? This is
certainly absurd. The author has not
understood the difference between time
and day which are different units of
time. Prayer times which are dependant
on the angle of the sun must be
different while the day / date which
depends on the phases of the moon and
has nothing to do with the horizon, must
be same for all in the world.
We do not find any Muslim living in USA
arguing with his cousins in Saudi Arabia
about the difference in salaat
timings. We do not find anyone living in
Connecticut arguing with someone living
in Arizona about the difference in the
salaat timings. Everyone is
following the orders of Allah and His
messenger
.
When the time of a salaat comes
at their place of residence they observe
that salaat and everyone is
right, 100%. That is how Allah has
created the ‘daily sun-clock’.
Our common sense demands that the prayer
times in USA and Saudi Arabia must be
different in the earth which is a globe.
America has night when India has day
because the earth is a globe. So the
times must be different everywhere.
Similarly has Allah created the ‘monthly
moon-clock’. It is not created that a
month will begin simultaneously all over
the globe on the same solar day. Let us
see how it works from the example of
this Eid. Let us observe the global moon
scan, produced by Dr. Monzur Ahmed.
Everyone who has any even basic
knowledge of the moon cycle agrees that
Dr. Monzur’s program is quite reliable.
Allah SWT informs us that the dates
depend on the phases of the moon clock,
which has a different phase for each
day. The date stands for the day which
is known by the name. Date and day are
same and must change at the same time.
It cannot be that the date changed while
the day remained unchanged. Has the
author not seen that when the sheets of
the calendar are torn every day, day and
date are changed at he same time? Month
begins with the day and days everywhere
in the world change at different times
because the earth is a globe. Dr. Manzur
is not a scholar in religion and he does
not know the rules of Shariah regarding
the months. He is a scientist. Let him
tell whether a date can represent two
days in a calendar?
On 11th of October the new
moon is born (i.e. conjunction occurs
and moon, sun and earth lineup in a
straight line). That very day at
Maghrib time, the hilal can
be seen, albeit with some difficulties,
using optical instruments, in Argentina,
Rio Grande area (Graph 1). It cannot be
seen anywhere else in the world.
(Graph 1)
The date / day do not change at Magrib
as imagined by the author. If the day
changed at Magrib to which day/date do
the Magrib and Isha belong? Date does
not begin at the time of appearing of
the Hilaal. We begin the day / date at
the time of Fajre.
What do Muslims in Rio Grande do when
they have seen the hilâl? They
stop fasting and observe Eid on Friday,
the 12th of October. The rest
of the Muslims, including those in Saudi
Arabia, must continue the fast. On the
12th of October at Maghrib
time (Graph 2), Muslims in New Zealand,
Australia part of Africa, all of South
America and some parts of Central
America
When the Muslim in Rio Grande see the
Hilaal on 11-10-2007 Thursday, they must
celebrate Eid on Friday 12-10-2007 and
inform their brethren living elsewhere
in the world and all should celebrate
Eid on Friday because that is the first
of Shawwal 1428H for all people in the
world. It is silly to believe that there
will be 3 days for the first of Shawwal
of a particular year. Let the author
prove his statement from the Quraan and
Sunnah.
The author does not know 11-10-2007
Thursday was the 30th of
Ramadan and seeing the Hilaal on that
day is not required in the Shariah.
Shawwal begins on Friday irrespective of
the Hilaal.
(Graph 2)
and North America see the hilâl.
What do the Muslims in these areas do
when they have seen the hilâl?
They stop fasting and observe Eid on
Saturday, the 13th of
October. All of the Muslims in the
Northern Hemisphere who did not see the
hilâl on Friday must continue
their fast on Saturday. On Saturday the
Muslims in the Northern Hemisphere,
including people in Connecticut, saw the
hilâl. What do the Muslims in
these areas do when they have seen the
hilâl? They stop fasting and
observe Eid on Sunday.
The view of the author that different
people should observe Eid on different
days is contradictory to the Shariah
which makes fasting Haraam on the Day of
Eid.
This is how the
‘monthly moon-clock’ is created by our
Lord. We cannot change it and if we
ignore it because of any consideration
of arabism, ajamism, tribalism,
nationalism, jamaatism, societyism or
any other ism that we have invented, we
are not following the orders of Allah
and His messenger
.
Those who are asking us to follow these
isms, in direct confrontation to the
orders of Allah’s messengers ,
must not be followed. Let us be of those
who say, “that we erect not from among
ourselves Lords and patrons other than
Allah.” Al-i'Imran, 3:64.
The author lacks knowledge in the laws
of Islamic Shariah. The Prophet said:
“Assoumu yaouma yasoomun nasu wal fitru
youma yuftirun nasu wal hajju youma
yahujjun nasu” meaning that all people
must observe these rituals on the same
day. He forbade (Haraam) fasting on the
day of Eid. If Eid can fall on two days
this order is meaningless! Those who
separate the Day of Eid obeying the
orders of the leaders, erect among
themselves lords and patrons other than
Allah
Our Nabi
, if
there was any other consideration except
to follow the moon-clock, would have
been informed and indeed ordered by
Allah that hilâl has appeared, or
is going to appear to the west of you,
or to the south of you in Africa, so you
should start the fast or end the fast
without yourself sighting the hilâl.
He did no such thing.
Our Nabi did not order us to begin every
Shawwal after sighting the Hilaal
ourselves. When Ramadan gets 30 days
because of absence of the Hilaal on the
29th of Ramadan we are
ordered to complete 30 days for Ramadan
and begin Shawwal irrespective of the
Hilaal. And our Nabi broke the fast when
he got the information of the Hilaal. He
did not insist that he should see the
Hilaal. The author lacks knowledge in
the subject.
So why do we Muslims blatantly wish to
go against the practice of our Nabi
.
Why do we wish to follow somebody who
may or may not have seen the hilâl
positively, when we are absolutely sure
that we did not and cannot sight it in
our area? Are we not afraid that doing
so may make us resemble Bani Israel who
changed the Sabbath?
We follow the Sunnah of the Nabi when we
break the fast on getting information of
the Hilaal from other countries. But if
we continue the fast even after knowing
that the Hilaal has already appeared we
are going against the practice of our
Nabi and we resemble the Bani Israel who
changed the Sabbat.
This is what happened to the Bani
Israel, who after contravening many
other orders of Allah, finally
contravened even this otherwise
seemingly not so significant order of
Allah. “And well ye knew those amongst
you who transgressed in the matter of
the Sabbath; We said to them: "Be ye
apes despised and rejected." So We
made it an example to their own time and
to their posterity and a lesson to those
who fear Allah.” Al-Baqara, 2:65-66
For that group
of Bani Israel this transgression was
probably the straw that broke the
camel’s back. Let us not be in the same
revolting spot.
In Connecticut,
like many other places, Eid was observed
on three days. Practically it had no
effect on our life. Everyone observed
the Eid as they wished. In other words
it does not really matter when we
observe Eid. What really matters and
will matter more on “that Day” is if we
obeyed the orders given to us. And the
orders are quite unambiguous:
If the people are ignorant and foolish
celebrating Eid for three days will not
have any effect on their life. They may
even pray Jumu’a on Friday, Saturday and
Sunday without having any of the effect
on their life because they are ignorant.
They ask you about the crescents. Tell
(them) they are for fixing time for men
and the Hajj. (2:198)
The author has given a wrong
interpretation to 2:189 so that he can
draw people to his wrong view that there
can be many days for a date in the lunar
calendar which must be based on the
phases of the moon. The real meaning of
the verse is: “They ask you about the
phases of the moon, tell them; they are
dates for the people and Hajj”.
For centuries the Muslims followed the
simple rule of going out on the 29th
evening and watching for the crescent.
If it was seen, then well and good if
not, then the month was completed to 30
days. This was based on explicit
instructions from the Messenger of Allâh.
Abu-Hurayrah
 said
that Allah’s Messenger
(peace be
upon him) said: Whenever you sight the
crescent (of the month of Ramadan)
observe fast, and when you sight it (the
crescent of Shawwal) break it, and if
the sky is cloudy for you, then observe
fast for thirty days. (Sahih Muslim
Hadith 2378; Sahih Bukhari, Vol.
3: 133)
Muslims going out after sun set without
praying Magrib to see the Hilaal is not
in accordance with the orders of the
Nabi who never practiced it. Moon
sighting is a Bid’a even though they may
have done so for centuries without
knowing. How can a true Muslim leave the
prayer and engage himself in the vain
effort of searching for the invisible
Hilaal? Has the author ever seen it in
his life? Allah SWT has appointed the
Manaazil for the moon on the Day He
created the heavens and the earth. The
dates of 29 or 30 depend on the Manaazil
of the moon. How can the people change
it by seeing or not seeing the crescent?
The Sahaba did not do so and the Nabi
did not permit it. The author has given
a wrong interpretation to the Hadees. We
cannot come to a conclusion without
examining all the Ahadees in this
connection. There is another version of
the Hadees which says: “Fa’in gumma
alaikumus shahru fa uddoo salaaseena
youman.” Here it is not the cloud. “If
the month became doubtful for you” How
can we give 30 days to a month of 29
when we know it by observation? The
author is not conversant with the method
of observing the Ahillah practiced by
the Prophet SAW and the Sahaaba..
The statement of the Prophet “Start
fasting on seeing the crescent (of Ramadhan), and stop fasting on seeing
the crescent (of Shawwal)”. And Ammar
said,”Whoever
fasts on a doubtful day is disobeying
Abu-l-Qasim”. (Sahih Bukhari Vol. 3
chapter 11).
The meaning is when you have seen the
Hilaal begin the fasting and when you
have seen it, celebrate Eid. This means
that we should not begin or end the
month without consulting the Hilaal. The
author has misunderstood the meaning
because he does not know how to read the
date by seeing the Ahillah or measuring
the Manaazil of the moon.
Look at this situation in more drastic
manner.
Messenger of
Allah’s
conversation with his companions one day
is recorded thus, “We said, "O Allah's
Apostle! Shall we see our Lord on the
Day of Resurrection?" He said, "Do you
have any difficulty in seeing the sun
and the moon when the sky is clear?" We
said, "No." He said, "So you will have
no difficulty in seeing your Lord on
that Day as you have no difficulty in
seeing the sun and the moon (in a clear
sky)."” Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith
9.532B Narrated by Abu Said Al Khudri
.
The same way
Nabi
told
us that a month is 29 days or 30 days.
What that has meant to Muslims for 1400
years is that sometimes the hilâl
will be seen after 29 days but without
doubt after thirty days, when the sky is
clear, hilâl will be visible. The
hilâl will be visible in the same
town where it was seen 30 days prior. If
the hilâl is not seen in the same
town after thirty days, and the sky is
clear then what it means is that we made
a mistake in the beginning or (we seek
Allah’s protection even to mention it)
the Messenger of Allah
told
us something that is not always true.
The author has not studied the months by
practicing “Soomoo li ru’uyathihi”. He
has simply followed the writings of
other people. He does not know that the
Hilaal that is not seen on the 29th
will not be seen on the 30th
also. The Nabi has not given us sanction
to make a month of 29 into 30 just
because we are unable to see the
crescent due to clouds. If the sky is
clouded and the Hilaal is not visible
for months together can we give 30 days
for all months? Then the dates will not
tally with the phases of the moon as
demanded in the Quraan. In the Shariah
different towns cannot have different
dates. If it is permitted a child born
on the same day will have different
dates of birth! Certainly Allah’s
messenger has explained everything
perfectly. But people argue in the
matters of Deen without knowledge.
This year like
all other years most of the Muslims
followed Allah’s Messenger’s
guidance.
They saw the hilâl and they
started and they saw the hilâl
and they stopped. Muslims in Rio Grande
did the right thing, although they
observed Eid on Friday. Muslims in New
Zealand, Australia, parts of Africa,
South America, and Central America and
even in Arizona and California, saw the
hilâl on Friday and observed the
Eid on Saturday. They did the right
thing, although they observed Eid on
Saturday. We in Connecticut did not see
the hilâl on Friday. The sky was
as clear as it could be. No clouds, no
fog, even the dust and the pollutants
were washed off by the rain a few hours
before the sunset. Large numbers of
Muslims went out to see. No one reported
sighting the hilâl, not even a
fake sighting. Those who keep track of
sighting reports confirmed that there
was no hilâl in our area or most
of North America. What does it mean for
those who started fasting on Thursday,
September 13 and did not see the
hilâl even after completing 30 days
of Ramadhan? In such situations we have
a choice, either we accept that we began
the month wrongly and that is why we did
not see the hilâl after 30 days,
or (we seek Allah’s protection even to
mention it) the messenger of Allah
told us something that is not always
true. The choice is ours.
The author talks without knowledge. He
should fear Allah before whom we all
will stand to be questioned. Did the
author see the Ahillah for the previous
months JumadilAkhir, Rajab and Shaban
without which Ramadan cannot be found
out correctly in the absence of
calculations? We counted 28 phases or 29
days for Jumadil Akhir, for Rajab 28
phases or 29 days and Shaban 29 phases
or 30 days ending on Tuesday. Ramadan
began on Wednesday irrespective of the
Hilaal because Shaban completed 30 days
on Tuesday. Ramadan had 29 phases or 30
days from Wednesday to Thursday. Shawwal
began irrespective of the Hilaal on
Friday. The author may please explain
how he observed all these months. How
can it be that the author got different
count of days for the months when Allah
has fixed the months the very day He
created the heavens and the earth? We
cannot have a choice. If we have changed
the month we are liable to be punished
for Kufur. The Quraan says: “Innaman
naseeu ziyaadathun fil Kufr”
One of the ways that we can learn to
believe our Nabi
,
that we shall see our Lord without any
difficulty on “that Day”, is by
practicing to believe him and act
accordingly in those things that are all
around us and are observable. One of
those things is that we will see the
moon after 30 days in the same town
where we started the month after seeing
the hilâl, if the sky is clear.
If we do not see the hilâl after
30 days of a month then we made a
mistake. If we lack belief in this
otherwise observable, confirmable and
undebatable statement of Allah’s
Messenger
then
it is only Allah’s mercy that we are not
“apes despised and rejected”.
If we are unable to read the dates shown
by the moon by seeing the Ahillah we are
no better than the cattle. Blind belief
that different towns can have different
dates in the perfect Islamic Shariah
makes us idiots. How can the
phase/Manaazil of the moon be same for
two days? The author has not cared to
look at the moon even once in his life.
Why Allah has created the Signs of Sun
and Moon? If we ourselves are blind how
can we lead the others? We should know
that we are entrusted with the task of
guiding other communities to the truth.
Allah says: “Li udhirahu aladdeeni
kullihi” How can we guide others when we
do not know even our dates. We depend on
the Christian dates instead of the dates
prescribed for the mankind in the Book
of Allah. Are we not true apes despised
and rejected?
Ali manikfan,
20-11-1428/29-11-2007
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