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Imam Dr Abduljalil Sajid
Brighton Islamic Mission
8 Caburn Road, Hove, East Sussex,
BN3 6EF, England
Tel: +44 (0) 1273 722438 Mobile: +44
(0) 7971 861972
Email:
sajid@imamsajid.com,
imamsajid@yahoo.co.uk
My letter sent to Uelma and Scholars
with my paper attached.
Assalmau Alaykum wa Rahmatullah
Please find attached a revised and
enlarged version of an early paper
on “Calculated dates of Ramadan
and Eidain 1427 H (2006/2007)”
Please send your comments,
suggestions for improving paper. If
you feel happy then circulate to
others for wider discussion and
debate. If you have website then
please put it on your website. May
Allah Subhanu waTtaala bless us all
and guide us on right path.
Islam commands us to acquire
knowledge and do not follow any
blindness. When we are in dispute
we must follow Allah and Sunnah of
the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon
him). Let us see what guidance we
get from Qur’an and Sunnah
The determination of the beginning
and end of Islamic month has been
problematic due to two major
reasons:
When we are in dispute in a matter
we must refer Quran and Sunnah.
Determination of the months has been
problematic only because of lack of
knowledge in Qur’an, Hadees and fiqh.
The Quran clearly states that
fasting is in the month of Ramadan.
Ramadan is the 9th of the
Islamic calendar. So the fasting
should begin on the first of Ramadan
without any doubt. The method of
calculating the Islamic calendar is
explained in the Book of Allah and
those who are endowed with knowledge
understand it.
1)
From the fiqhi standpoint, one may
begin the Islamic month on
"local" sighting (Ikhtilaf
al-matale') or based on sighting
anywhere in the Muslim World (Ittihad
al-matale'). Although different,
both of these positions are valid
Islamic Fiqhi positions. There is
further problem for the United
Kingdom that due to clouds most of
time sighting of Crescent is not
possible.
The fiqhi standpoint in this matter
is that Ikhthilaf al Matale’ should
not be considered in beginning the
month. When the information that the
month has begun is received all must
abide by that information. All Imams
are unanimous on this point because
two dates for one day will not be
allowed in different towns and
cities of the world. One cannot
begin the month basing on the local
sighting alone when the means of
communication with other places is
available. Of course if one is
isolated and all communication is
cut off then one may do according to
one’s own decision. Ijthihad in this
matter is allowed only when there is
no means of communication.
2)
Astromically, some data are
definitive and conclusive (i.e. the
time of birth of the
Crescent (new moon) and timing of
rise of set of moon and sun).
However, determining the
visibility of the Crescent
is not as definitive or conclusive;
rather it is dependent upon several
factors, including the available
recordings around the world.
We must understand how the months
are determined in the Shariah which
is derived from Quran and Sunnah.
The Quran is very clear on this
point. The Quran says about the
dates that they are shown by the
phases of the moon. 2:189 “they ask
you about the phases of the moon,
tell them they are dates for the
people and the Hajj.” The dates must
be definite and must be calculable
past and future, otherwise the dates
will not be of any use in the
affairs of this world be it
religious or civic. An indefinite
date system cannot be practiced in
this world. Therefore visibility is
not the criterion for a calendar.
The Muslims cannot agree on a single
date to begin Ramadan and celebrate
Eid. For years the Muslims have
experienced chaos because various
groups insist on their
interpretations of Ahadith and Fiqh
positions. For years Muslims have
experienced chaos.
The Muslims throughout the world
have been celebrating their Eids on
three different days since a very
long time. Last Eidul Fitre (1426H)
was celebrated in London on three
different days. Even in this advance
educated city and the technically
advanced age the Muslims have shown
their ignorance. Ahadith should not
be interpreted in a way that would
contradict the Quran and the Sunnah
of the Prophet. All of us are
responsible
They start Ramadan and celebrate
Eidain on 2-3 different days in the
same city because of false claims.
It is because the Muslims do not
understand that the day and date
must be same all over the world. A
date stands in place of a day which
has a particular name. For example
First of Shawwal is the date fixed
for celebrating the Eidul Fitre by
the Prophet (saw). Every year this
will fall on a particular day of the
week depending on the lunar phase.
If it falls on Monday, the first of
Shawwal will be Monday all over the
world. Tuesday or Wednesday will not
be the First of Shawwal of that
year. It will be clear from this
that seeing the crescent is not the
criterion for fixing the months in
the Islamic Shariah, which is
perfect. Some may see it or may not
see it, but the date which must be
definite will not change according
to the whims of the people? Time is
fleeing and month will not wait for
man till he sees the crescent.
Testimony by "Udul Shuhud" is often
not the "most perfect rule" as these
writers want us to believe.
The method adopted in our times for
fixing the months is not according
to the Shariah. Hijra calendar has
been abandoned since the Ottoman
period and the Muslims have adopted
the Gregorian calendar. This is the
root cause of the trouble. Allah (Swt)
has provided a calendar for the
people and we have discarded it. How
will Allah bless us when we are
ungrateful to Him by rejecting the
calendar provided by Him? In stead
the Muslims propagate the Gregorian
calendar in the world. So Allah has
left us to roam in the darkness till
we are doomed with a severe
punishment of the kind which had
befallen to the communities who
acted in that way. May Allah protect
the believers! Testimony by Udul
shuhud is nothing but a formality in
Saudi Arabia and other countries.
What happens to the crescent that "Udul
Shuhud" (several reliable witnesses)
testifies to have seen at many
places?
The witnessing for the month is
required only when there is some
confusion in fixing the month. This
is not necessary now because we are
able to calculate and measure time.
This was not possible till recent
times. We do no more look at the sun
or its shadow for finding out the
time of our Salah. But in the days
of yore people could judge time by
looking at the sun or sundial.
The testimony now remains as a
formality. When we have clear cut
methods to define the months there
is no need for it. Some people say
that time can be calculated but date
cannot be calculated. This is only
due to ignorance. The Quran Says:
Both the sun and the moon are with
calculations. (55:5). It has been
proved beyond doubt that the
crescent witnessed by the Udul
shuhud is nothing but their own
hallucination.
Why does it vanish from the sky for
one or two days? These eye-witnesses
fail both simple observational
tests: 1) "SEEN" at any place
must be seen at every place
west of it the same evening, and 2)
Seen by a few must be visible to
everybody. Obviously, the
testimonies of these ‘Udul’
witnesses are not reliable but
FALSE.
The phase of the moon is not seen to
the people of the earth for one day
only in a month. The Urjoonul Qadeem
mentioned in the Quraan 36:39 is the
last visible phase of the moon. This
can be seen all over the world one
day before the end of the month. One
has to look for it from the 26th
onwards to be sure of it. It will be
a very thin beautiful crescent in
the eastern horizon rising around
one hour before the sun rise. It
will not be visible after the sun
rise. The next morning it will not
be seen any where in the world even
though the moon rises a little
before the sun. It would set that
day only after the sun because of
the moon’s lag. This is the last day
of the month. The Hilal appears that
day evening somewhere in the world
but it is difficult to see it in our
times due to various reasons. The
new month must begin the next day.
If not we will miss the first day of
the month and this will lead to an
error in the next month.
Every year we have a repetition of
the same story. S. Arabia and some
other states claim the first
sightings of Ramadan and Eidain
moons without fail, and the Muslims
from Australia to Hawaii have to
settle their "seen": "not seen"
differences by reasoning or
fist-fights. The drama continues
despite efforts to convince Saudi
religious authorities that their
blind acceptance of testimony by
false witnesses is the real cause of
the chaos.
The Saudi religious authorities do
the right thing, Alhamdu lillah, at
least the Ummul Qura the centre of
Islam is guarded by Allah’s mercy.
The educated Doctors have not been
able to understand what is happening
and they vehemently criticize them.
The Saudi authorities have changed
the rules of the scientific Ummul
Qura calendar since 1420H because of
the pressure. The authorities said
that the change was due to the
Hadees “Soomoo li ru’uyatihi” they
said that the change was temporary
and that they will again come back
to the astronomical calculations
after three years. But they have not
kept their word. They are still
continuing the wrong method of
calculation. Now it is learnt from
reliable sources that the Saudi
government has already printed the
calendars up to 1450H on the wrong
basis. If we do not raise our voice
against this discrepancy the Muslim
Ummah will face many problems in the
years to come and we will be blamed
for our ignorance and carelessness
and we will have to answer to Allah
(swt) for this in the Day of
Judgment.
Allah (Subhnahu wa ta`ala) has set
crescent sighting as the only means
for establishing dates of various
Islamic occasions such as `Ids and
Hajj. He says:
"They ask you [Muhammad] concerning
the new moons. Say: They are but
signs to mark fixed periods of time
for men and for Hajj (pilgrimage)".
[Al-Baqarah (2) 189]
The meaning given to this verse is
not appropriate and it is only a
layman’s rendering. The real meaning
is “They ask thee about the phases
of the moon, say they are dates for
the people and the pilgrimage.” The
question was not about the new
moons. Please read the explanation
in Ibn Kathir.
In particular, the Messenger (salla
'Llahu `alayhi wa sallam) emphasized
that crescent sighting is required
in determining the beginning and the
end of the month of Ramadhan. A
large number of Sabah (Radiya 'Llahu
`anhum) reported that the Prophet
(salla 'Llahu `alayhi wa sallam)
said:
Fast (Muslims) when you see the
crescent. If it is obscure to you,
then complete thirty days in the
count of Sha`ban (or Ramadan). And
break your fast when you see the
crescent. If it to obscure to you,
then fast thirty days. [Al-Bukhari
and Muslim]
The messenger (saw) emphasized “Ja
‘allahul alillatha mawaaqeetha
linnasi fasoomoo li ru’uyathihi wa
afthiroo liru’uyathihi fa in gumma
alaikumus shahru fakmilul iddatha.”
Allah (swt) has made the phases of
the moon dates for the people, so
fast according to its view and you
celebrate the Eidul Fitr according
to its view and if the month became
dubious to you then complete the
count. This does not mean that one
should see the crescent with the
naked eye and begin the month after
seeing the Hilal. Fa’in gumma
alaikum means if you are in doubt.
The Prophet (salla 'Llahu `alayhi wa
sallam) took great care to determine
precisely the beginning of Sha`ban,
because one can then count twenty
nine days and watch for the crescent
of Ramadhan or complete thirty days
before starting to fast. `Aishah
(Radiya 'Llahu `anha) said:
The Messenger (salla 'Llahu `alayhi
wa sallam) used to be more concerned
about [determining the beginning of]
Sha`ban than about other months.
Then he used to fast at the sighting
of [the crescent of] Ramadhan. If it
were obscure, he would count thirty
days [of Sha`ban] and then fast.
[Authentic; narrated by Abu Dawud
and Ahmad]
How did the Messenger of Allah
determine precisely the beginning of
Shaban? Did he go and look for the
Hilal at sun set just as the laymen
do today? Can we produce a single
Hadees to this effect? Certainly he
found out the Shaban correctly. But
how did he do it? Did he follow what
is taught in the Quran or he did
something else? Aysha R said that
the life of the Prophet is the
Quran. So the Prophet did what is
said in the Quran for finding out
the correct beginning of Ramadan.
The Quran 36:39 says “For the moon
we have appointed Manazil till it
returned like an old Urjoon.” There
are 14 crescents in a lunar month,
seven on the waxing and seven on the
waning phase of the moon. The thin
last crescent appears on the eastern
horizon one day before the end of
the month. It will appear on 28th
if the month is 29 and on 29th
when it is a month of 30. No phase
of the moon will be seen in the
morning of the last day of the
month. If we are unable to find out
the month correctly by watching
these 14 Signs of Allah (swt) we are
like those mentioned in the verse
7:179 or 62:5
Witnesses Needed to Establish the
Sighting
The `Ulama agree that two
trustworthy Muslim witnesses are
sufficient to establish moon
sighting. This is based on reports
by a number of the Sahabah (Radiya 'Llahu
`anhum) that the Messenger (salla 'Llahu
`alayhi wa sallam) said:
"If two just Muslim witnesses
testify [that they saw it] then fast
or break your fast.." [Authentic;
narrated by Ahmad, an-Nassa'i and
ad-Daraqutni]
The Prophet addressed to the people
of the world. So the report from any
where in the world must be
acceptable to all. Why do the people
fail to do this?
Many ulama further believe that only
one trustworthy person's testimony
may be accepted as a basis for
determining the beginning of the
Month. The basis for this is that
Ibn `Umar (Radiya 'Llahu `anhum)
said:
"People were looking out for the
crescent [of Ramadhan]. I informed
the Prophet (salla 'Llahu `alayhi wa
sallam) that I saw it. So he fasted
[on the following day] and ordered
people to fast". [Authentic;
narrated by Abu Dawud and others]
People were looking out for the
crescent. Did they see it? There is
no information in this hadees
whether they saw it. But Ibn Umar
bears witness that he has observed
it because he had another method of
observing the Ahillah and
determining the months, so he bore
witness. When there is no doubt
about the beginning of Ramadan even
one witness is not required. But
when it is dubious two witnesses are
required in the Shariah. When we
know for certain as we know today no
witness is required. The authorities
can take the responsibility and
declare. But if the authority is
ignorant in the subject he must have
witnesses because he will be held
responsible on the Day of Judgment.
Witnessing is not for seeing the
Hilal, but for witnessing that the
month has begun. A knowledgeable
person should bear witness. I bear
witness that the month of Ramadan
1427H begins on Saturday as per the
Manazil fixed for the moon. Alhamdu
lillah.
The Qur’an, and Sunnah, requires the
actual visibility of the crescent
moon, and not mere ‘knowledge’ of
its existence. It goes against the
established norms of ‘evidence’ (Shahada)
as well. The Messenger (S) pointed
to the ‘Imkaan’ of sighting on the
29th evening. The moon is
always there. But he asked Muslims
not to go by mere ‘Imkaan’. They
were instructed to go look for the
visible new moon to be sure. The
Messenger (S) began the next month
only when a crescent was actually
confirmed. In case it was not
visible, he asked to count 30 days
of the lunar month, as on the 30th
evening a moon is always ‘seen’.
Muslim judges used terms such as
‘overwhelming possibility’ (Ghalabat
al-Zann) and ‘Near certainty’ (Ghalabat
al-Yaqeen) to formulate the criteria
for the beginning and ending of
Ramadan.
Quran and Sunnah do not require
seeing of the crescent. The
Messenger never ordered any one to
go and look for the crescent at the
Magrib. How can a true Muslim leave
the Magrib Jamath which is more
important? If one engaged himself in
moon sighting as it is done today
surely one will miss the Jamath. And
if one joined the Jamath one cannot
see the crescent because first
crescent would have set by that
time. Has the Messenger ever in his
life tried to see the first Hilal or
has he ever seen it in his life?
Have you seen any Hadees to this
effect?
People without knowledge of the
Quran and without experience in
observing the moon’s Ahillah say
that one must see the first crescent
which is seldom seen. The moon’s
orbit defines the month. This is
clearly known from the Quran and
Hadees. The Messenger of Allah said
that the months are of 29 or 30
days. Look for the appearing of the
Hilal on the 29th. If it
appeared on the 29th
begin the new month on the next day.
If it did not appear complete
thirty. Whenever a month gets 30
days the next month begins without
seeing the crescent. For
ascertaining whether the Hilal
appears on the 29th one
need not go on the 29th
to an open place and search for the
invisible hilal. There are many
other methods to know it. Months of
30 days are more in a year than the
months of 29. So naturally, more
months begin without seeing the
crescent. Then how do the people say
that every month begins after seeing
crescent? The crescent that is not
seen on the 29th is not
seen on the 30th also.
The statement that it is always seen
on the 30th is certainly
wrong.
The judges used terms such as
‘overwhelming possibility’ because
they had no knowledge in defining
the months. They were laymen and
they are not to be blamed.
Contrary to the often quoted
‘Araabi’ Hadith (to accept every
claim of a crescent observation made
by a Muslim) 'Amir-i Makka' Hadith
requires at least two witnesses from
a locality. On a clear sky Imam
Malik, Imam
Abu Hanifa and many other Fuqaha
require a big crowd (Jam'un Azim).
Imam Jafar Sadiq required at least
50 witnesses. As mistakes and
deception increased Imam Abu Yusuf
(as the Qadi of Bughdad) required at
least 50 witnesses. Later he
increased the number to "a big group
from each mosque in the city." Imam
Khalaf b. Ayyub required 500 in
Bukhara. Fuqaha and Qudat asked for
a larger number not because they
ignored the Arabi and other Ahadith,
or did not take the ‘Imkaan’
seriously. It was because they
followed the principle of "Ghalabat-az-Zan"
(a mandate for certainty).
Obviously, on a clear sky not one or
two but all those who try must be
able to see a crescent. Similarly,
from Hadrat Umar (R) onwards
hundreds of Qudat all over the world
rejected 'pious' Muslim witnesses
because other 'Qarain' strongly
pointed against their testimony.
Witnessing is required only when
there is doubt. All these people
mentioned may be well versed in the
art of finding out the dates by
observing the Ahillah of the moon.
How could they believe when some one
bore witness on a day when it would
not be visible? I will not believe
even if the whole world bear witness
that Hilal is seen on a day when it
cannot be seen. Ibn Abbsas, Ibn Umar,
Ali ibn Abi talib, Omer ibn al
Khattab, Aysha R and many other
Sahaba had this knowledge. Imam
Jafar Sadiq had made a formula for
finding out the first day of the
month. But it is not correct always.
The knowledgeable will always reject
wrong Shahada. This does not prove
that the hilal must be visible to
the naked eye before beginning every
month.
Some argue that an ‘Adil’
Muslim’s claim of sighting is
enough. They do not realize that
most claims of sighting contradict
physical facts. Muslims have
consistently claimed seeing a
crescent moon before the moon’s
birth, when the sun is shining,
hours after the moon has set, 30-45
degree above the horizon, etc. As a
matter of fact, 'credible witnesses'
are our bane. Where do we find that
only for moon sighting we cannot
check whether the evidence is
'credible' or not? What to do when
'credible' evidence from two Adil
Muslims clashes? A 'credible'
witness in Glasgow saw a moon at
5.45 pm on Sunday, Jan.17, 1999 one
and one half hour after the moon had
set there. Two 'credible' witnesses
saw a moon before or at sunset on
Jan. 17, 1999. When you have to
'decide' what to do? Should you take
the first report against all other
‘Qarain’ (indicators) simply because
'credible' Muslims are claiming a
'miracle' year after year? This is
where 'calculations’ and observers
from other places help. They tell
that the witnesses may be credible
but their 'testimony’ is NOT'.
There are many factors or indicators
of the Hilal. If no one saw the
Hilal and we know that the Hilal has
appeared by the indicators we bear
witness for the month and fasting
becomes compulsory.
January 17, 1999 completes 30 days
for Ramadan and one need not see the
crescent in this case. Those who
include the 18th Monday
in Ramadan are certainly wrong.
Monday was the First of Shawwal the
day of Eidul Fitre for that year, on
which fasting is forbidden by the
Prophet (saw). We must have a
thorough knowledge of he subject
before making a statement.
The True Beginning of an Islamic
Month
A great concern for many people is
that if we do not make our utmost
best to confirm the testimonies of
those who claim Crescent sighting
(by astronomical evidence and other
means) then we might be risking
nullifying some of our worship by
fasting on wrong days.
I bear witness that during my life
time the Muslims have begun their
fasting mostly on wrong days except
in Saudi Arabia and those who
followed them. Some times the people
of Kerala in South India too did
correctly. If we do not repent and
stick to our ignorance Allah will
not forgive us. He does not forgive
those who continue in sinful acts.
The Messenger (salla 'Llahu `alayhi
wa sallam) said: Beware of [going to
the extreme of] over-exaggeration in
Din. Indeed, those before you were
destroyed because of their
over-exaggeration in Din".
[Authentic: narrated by An-Nasa'i
and others]
The people who stick on to their
ignorance over-exaggerate in Deen.
They will certainly be destroyed
when the time comes. They put the
blame on the Prophet (saw) that he
has ordered them to observe Eidain
on different days. By their lying
about the Prophet (saw) all their
Amal will be cancelled and it will
not have any weight on the Day of
Judgment.
This point is explained by Ibn
Taymiyyah (Raimahu 'Llah):
Many people think that once the new
moon (Crescent) rises in the skies,
that night would be the first of the
month, regardless of whether people
see it or not. This is not correct!
It should appear to people and they
should see it to start a month. That
is why the Messenger (salla 'Llahu `alayhi
wa sallam) said: "[True] fasting
starts on the day that you start
fasting ..." Which means: this is
the day that you know it as being
the time to fast, etc. If you did
not know it, then it would carry no
value for you. [Al- Fatawa, volume
5, page 203]
Ibn Thaymiyyah would not have issued
such a Fatwa. Certainly he is not an
authority on the subject. To quote
him without understanding what he
has said is tantamount to
fabricating a lie. The Prophet said:
“Fasting is on the day people fast,
Eidul Fitre is on the day people
observe it and the sacrifice is on
the day people perform sacrifice.”
These occasions would fall on
particular days of the week and all
people in the world must do it on
the same day. Just as they perform
Jumu’ah on Youmul Jumu’a. Eid ul
Fitre must be performed on Youmul
Fitre which is only one day in a
year. If we do not understand the
clear words of the Prophet (saw) and
twist the meaning of the Hadees we
cannot escape Allah (swt).
This view is further clarified by
this narration. Abu al- Bukhturi
said: "We went to `Umrah and saw the
crescent of Ramadhan at Dthatu `Irq.
It seemed to have been two or three
nights old. Later, we met Ibn `Abbas
and mentioned this to him. Ibn `Abbas
(Radiya 'Llahu `anhuma) informed us
that Allah's Messenger (salla 'Llahu
`alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Allah has set crescent sighting as
indication of Ramadhan. Thus
Ramadhan starts on the night that
you see it. If it is obscure to you,
then complete the count". [Narrated
by Muslim]
The meaning of the Hadees is “Allah
has made it for observation. If it
became doubtful complete thirty.” In
the other hadees of Muslim, Ibn
Abbas asked which night they saw it.
Then they replied that they saw it
such and such night. Then he said
“Allah has arranged it for
observation, the hilal that you saw
is for the night you saw it.” This
does mean that the month begins
whenever we see the crescent. We
must judge the date by observing the
crescents.
The distorted meaning allows people
to begin the month whenever they see
the hilal for the first time. This
is ridiculous.
Hilal (Crescent) and New Moon
(conjunction)
Let us start from some basic facts
about the difference between a
crescent (Hilal) and the New Moon
(Conjunction), actual sighting (Ru'yah)
and a claim, as well as local:
universal time/date and
international dateline:
1.
A crescent (Hilal) cannot be seen
before the New Moon (Conjunction)
phase. (Quran: 36:39)
The conjunction occurs at a
particular moment of the day. For
calculations day of conjunction is
taken as the last day of the month.
On this day Hilal would appear
somewhere in the world. Some times
it can be visible also, but the
visibility is not the criterion.
Conjunction occurs straight to some
locality in the world at noon there.
By sun set at that place, the
separation of the sun and moon will
be about three degrees. The moon has
already crossed the sun. Therefore
the next day cannot be included in
the running month.
2.
A crescent seen in Arabia or Egypt
is visible to all who are to the
west of these places the same
evening.
The crescent becomes visible to the
naked eye on the first of the month.
This visibility does not mark the
beginning of the month according to
the Quran and sunnah.
3.
A crescent is always visible in the
evening of the 30th day of a lunar
month. (29/30 days Hadith)
This statement is wrong. The
crescent invisible on the 29th
is most often not seen on the 30th
also. In a month of 30 the crescent
does not appear on the 29th.
It appears only on the 30th
and this will be seldom visible,
just as on the 29th.
No Muslim disputes that a crescent (Hilal)
determines the beginning of an
Islamic month. However, some
countries have changed the
definition of Hilal. For example,
Saudi Arabia's Taqweem defines a
crescent as the conjunction date.
Egypt assumes that a crescent (Hilal)
is visible if the moon sets 1-5
minutes after the sunset. Many
other Muslim countries from
Indonesia to Turkey officially
‘assume’ moon's visibility
when it cannot be seen. Some Muslims
follow the news from their own
countries.
Those without knowledge in Quraan,
Sunnah and Science say that seeing a
crescent determines the beginning of
an Islamic month. The Quran says
that the Ahillah (phases) determine
the dates. Therefore months should
be determined based on the phases/Manaail.
(Depending on the view of the
crescents)
Can we solve this chaos by changing
from the ‘visible’ moon to the New
Moon?
Except a few contemporary Ulema like
Qaradawi and Shakir and a few Muslim
experts nobody has ever suggested
replacing the Qur'anic 'Visible'
crescent (Ahilla) by the invisible
New Moon (Conjunction). They argue
that relying on the witnesses (Zann)
creates a lot of dissension and is
the root cause of the confusion.
Hence the Muslim should switch to
the Conjunction which is 'accurate'
(Qata'i). They did not realise the
complications before proposing their
solution. The Islamic month begins
when a crescent moon first appears
after sunset. How a New Moon will
determine the Islamic day/date as it
occurs at all times of day and
night? If we disregard the
conjunction time and place and take
only the New Moon date still the
problems do not disappear. The
conjunction occurs at a different
place every month.
The meaning of Ahillah is
misunderstood. Ahillah does not mean
the new moons. It means the phases
of the moon that change every day
throughout the month. The dates can
be checked and the months of 29 and
30 can be easily distinguished by
observing them. The Hilal appears on
the evening of the day of
conjunction somewhere in the world.
So conjunction is the only basis for
calculating the appearing of the
Hilal. Conjunction occurs at noon of
the place of occurrence. The Hilal
appears there on that evening
because the moon lags 2 minutes per
hour and so the moon must set 12
minutes after the sun set at that
locality and the next day must be
the first of the month for them as
well as all people in the world. The
next day cannot be included in the
month because the moon has completed
the cycle at conjunction and new
cycle has begun. Thus a solar
eclipse marks the end of the lunar
month. Solar eclipse occurs only at
conjunction.
Hijra calendar was instituted in the
Caliphate of Omar R in the year of
Hijra 17. The Sahaba R fixed the
first date of the Hijra calendar as
Thursday after recollecting the day
on which Hijra occurred. The
equivalent date in the Christian
calendar is given as 15-7-622AD
Thursday. When we examine the
astronomical records we see that a
solar eclipse had occurred on
Wednesday the 14th of
July 622AD. This proves beyond doubt
that the day of eclipse is the last
day of the Islamic month. Alhamdu
lillah, Allah has guided us in
calculating the Islamic calendar
astronomically. Solar eclipse occurs
only at the conjunction and we
derive the rule from the first day
of Hijra calendar that a month ends
on the day of conjunction.
Now the news travels in seconds.
Human knowledge of the globe and of
the moon's visibility has
drastically changed. A confirmation
of a claimed sighting is easy to get
in minutes from areas west of the
initially claimed sighting. We can
find solutions in the broader
context of “VISIBILITY" guideline,
if we wish. Often Fiqh positions are
used to justify blatantly wrong
decisions about Ramadan, Eidain and
Hajj dates. Every group blames
others for disobeying the ‘Sunnah’,
‘a binding decision of a Qadi or a
legitimate government. Remember what
happened to SheikhTantawi a
decade ago when he wrote a note
saying that the authorities must
reject claims of sighting on a day
of solar eclipse or a day earlier.
"How could you hold in your lap a
baby that is not born yet?" he
explained. But he was asked to ‘shut
up’ by his political masters.
Sheikh Tantawi is wrong in his
statement. The solar eclipse occurs
when the sun, the moon and the earth
are in a line. The moon has ended
the cycle and the other cycle begins
the next minute. So this day is the
last day of the month. Next day
cannot be included in that month.
Next day is the first of next month
certainly. He has assumed that
seeing the crescent marks the
beginning of the month in the
Shariah where as it is not so.
Ramadan may begin after completing
30days for Shaban without seeing the
crescent. Perhaps he has not studied
the statement of Imam Shafi R that a
solar eclipse could coincide with
the Eid prayer.
Some Muslims believe RELIABLE
MUSLIMS SAW IT...(in Middle East).
They are willing to believe every
claim of moon sighting made
anywhere. Now we can accurately
calculate if a crescent is visible
where it is claimed. We can easily
check if the witnesses are true or
they mistook something else for a
crescent. If you don’t believe the
calculations then use your ‘eyes’.
Ask the Muslims west of them to
report their sighting. If they
confirm it then well and good. If a
moon is not visible then do what Ibn
Abbas (RA) did.
Ibn Abbas R was well versed in the
art of finding out dates by
observing the Ahillah of the moon.
He rejected the report of Kuraib
because it was unreliable to him
that Ramadan could begin on Friday.
He must have observed the phases of
the moon carefully for Shaban
following the Sunnah of the Prophet.
Shaban began on Friday. And Shaban
completes 29days on Friday. Thursday
was the 28th of Shaban.
How could Kuraib and others see the
Hilal at Sham on 28th
Thursday? This was impossible. Even
though many people came to Madeena
with Kuraib no one witnessed that
Ramadan began in Sham on Friday. So
in the absence of two witnesses he
rejected the report. Now we have all
facilities at our disposal to verify
a report. On what ground could we
reject a report unless it is wrong
according to the astronomical
calculations or people saw something
like Hilal on 28th?
Different Matla`s :
Ikhtilaf vs. Ittihad al-Matali
:
If a crescent is sighted in one town
but not at another place
Muhadditheen, on the authority of
the Kuraib's Hadith (Sahih Muslim,
Tirmidhi and 3 other Sihah) are
unanimous that every town must
follow their own sighting. Tirmidhi
quotes consensus (Ijma') on this
position. Early Hanafi, Maliki and
Hanbali Fuqaha say that all the
Muslims who come to know about it
must follow the earliest sighting
for Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. This
position was for towns in close
proximity from each other (usually,
for distances when one were not
considered a traveller i.e. up to 48
miles). For longer distances all
were unanimous that each town abides
by its sighting. Shafi'i and later
Ahnaf say that each town must follow
its sighting. Those who hold "the
whole world as one horizon" opinion
argue that the Ahadith: "Sumu
li-ru'yatih...", "La tasumu
hatta tara-wul-Hilal..." etc.
are a ‘general order’ for ‘all
Muslims’ and require that once a
crescent is seen anywhere in the
world all Muslims must fast or
celebrate Eid.
The earlier Imams are correct in
their verdict that all should follow
one date and one day. The later
decision of different dates for
different towns is certainly wrong
and contradictory to Quran, Sunnah
and common sense of people. Shafi R
has not said that each town must
follow its sighting. It is a blatant
lie.
The people who adopted different
dates for different towns are
ignorant and not aware of the earth
that we live in. Since the earth is
a globe there must be a boundary for
the east and west in the world. This
must be at a zone in the ocean which
is free of habitation. This was
demarcated between Russia and
America through the Pacific Ocean
in1886AD. This is the longitude 180
degrees. On either side of this line
there is the difference of the day
and date. This is the natural date
line. The lunar date lines,
suggested by Dr. Ilyas are neither
scientific nor religious. A date
line separates two Fridays and Two
Qiblas of the Muslim Ummah. Imam
Shafi R has laid down rules for it.
A large number of people
misinterpret the following narration
by Kurayb. Kurayb reported that Umm
al-Fadhl Bint Al-rith sent him on a
mission to Mu`awiyah (Radiya 'Llahu
`anhu) in Damascus. He accomplished
his mission and was still in
ash-Sham when Ramadhan started. He
saw the new moon on Friday evening.
He then returned to al-Madinah,
arriving therein near the end of the
month. He met Ibn `Abbas who asked
him when was the new moon of
Ramadhan sighted in ash-Sham. Kurayb
said, We saw it on the night of
Friday. Ibn Abbas inquired, Did you
see it yourself? Kurayb replied, Yes
I saw it; and People did too. Based
on that, they fasted and Mu`awiyah
fasted as well. Whereupon Ibn Abbas
said, But we saw it on the night of
Saturday; and we shall continue to
fast until we complete thirty days
or see it [the new moon of Shawwal].
Kurayb asked, Wouldn't you accept
Mu`awiyah's sighting and fasting.
Ibn Abbas answered: No! This is
how Allah's Messenger commanded us.
[Narrated by Muslim]
Both Ittihad and Ikhtilaf positions
are now obsolete because:
a.
The Ahadith "Sumu li ru'yatihi..."
cannot be interpreted for an
"instant, global" beginning of
Ramadan or Eid al-Fitr for several
reasons. They contain phrases like:
"Fa in Ghumma 'alaikum... (If
your horizon is cloudy/hazy...). The
horizon all over the globe will not
be cloudy exactly at sunset. These
phrases by themselves mean that the
Messenger (S) meant "local Matla' of
each town as the Kuraib's Hadith
explains.
Kuraib’s Hadees is totally
misinterpreted. I have explained
reason why Ibn Abbas rejected it. If
it was a question of distance Ibn
Abas R would not have entertained it
and he would not enquire about the
reliability on hearing the news. He
would have said “Sham is far away
and their seeing is not applicable
to us. Why should we bother about
it? The Messenger of Allah has
taught us like this.” But Ibn Abbas
R enquires the case, sees the
evidence and rejects it for want of
more evidence. Kuraib’s Hadees does
not contain even a trace of evidence
for allowing different dates for
different cities of the Islamic
world whether they are distant or
near. The meaning of “Fa’in gumma
alaikum..is if the month became
dubious..”
b.
The earth is not a flat field, but a
globe. It takes 24 hours for the
moon to be visible over most of
the earth. A moon first seen
at a place X (for example, Makka]
will not be visible immediately
everywhere, especially east of X
(for example, from Jakarta to Taif).
A town only a few miles east of X
(earliest sighting place) will see
it after 24 hours.
Seeing the crescent is not the
criterion for defining the months in
the Shariah. The phases of the moon
mark the dates for the people on the
earth as stated in the Quran 2:189.
The moon phase seen in Jakarta and
Taif on the same day is alike. On
the 7th of the month it
will be less than half at all places
in the world. This ingenious system
set by Allah (swt) to show people
their dates cannot be defective.
c.
If a moon is actually seen at any
place then it will be seen
everywhere west of it (within the
parabola, on a clear sky).
Then where is the limit of the west
in the globe earth? Time on a
longitude must be same from north to
south. What is this parabola that
you are talking about? Do you have
any evidence for this in Quran and
Hadees?
Kuraib’s Hadith
Kuraib’s Hadith, taken in the
context of the observational facts
makes it clear that:
1. In Syria Ramadan crescent was
seen on Friday, but in Medina it was
seen next day on Saturday. (Medina
is east of Syria, and was outside
the visibility parabola for that
evening. Hence the moon could not be
seen there on Friday, the day
everyone saw it in Syria)
In Syria Ramadan crescent was seen
in the evening of Thursday as
reported in the Hadees. It was not
on Friday. In Madeena it was on
Friday. Your statement contradicts
the Hadees and it does not make
sense. If the report of Kuraib is
correct the people of Sham had
mistaken some thing for the Hilal.
We have seen that this happens
often. Ibn Abbas R was well versed
in the art of finding out the dates
from the phases of the moon. Many
Ahaadees prove this. The idea of
your parabola allows different date
for different towns of the Islamic
world. This is mere humbug which
cannot be entertained in Islamic
Shariah
2.
Ibn Abbas (R) received the news (it
was also an eyewitness account, a
decision by theQadi/ruler,
etc.before the end of the month. But
he (or anybody else in Medina) did
not accept it as binding on them as
they did not see it on Friday on
a clear sky.
The people of Madeena looked for the
Hilal of Ramadan on the evening of
Friday because it was the 29th
of Shaban and they saw it according
to the Hadees. But you say that they
did not see it on Friday on a clear
sky. Your statements are
contradictory and confusing.
Madeena is the place where the
Prophet lived. It is impossible that
they would have made a mistake in
finding out Ramadan at a time when
Sahaba were present.
3.
On Ramadan 29 (which was 30 Ramadan
for Kuraib, and for Muslims in
Syria) Shawwal crescent WAS NOT
VISIBLE in Medina on a clear sky.
On 29th of Ramadan (Saturday
evening) at Madeena the people
searched for the Hilal. But the
Hilal was not there even though the
sky was very clear. That was because
the hilal had not yet appeared. That
Ramadan was a month of 30days and
Hilal would not appear on the 29th
if the month is of 30days. The
people of Madeena had judged the
month correctly and Kuraib’s
statement was proved to be
incorrect. That Ramadan was of 30
days from Saturday to Sunday.
4.
Ibn Abbas (R) and people in Medin
insisted on: "A VISIBLE CRESCENT ON
MEDINA HORIZON” because this is
what the Messenger (S) ordered them
to do.
The Messenger of Allah had ordered
them to observe the Ahillah of the
moon and they had done accordingly
and the absence of the Hilal on a
clear sky on the evening of the 30th
day according to Kuraib disproved
the statement of Kuraib that Ramadan
began at Sham on Friday.
5.
The Muslims in Medina did not
celebrate Eid the next day although
30 days of Ramadan were completed
according to a confirmed sighting in
Syria. Instead they kept on
fasting.
Kuraib’s statement was certainly
wrong. The first day of Ramadan for
that year was Saturday according to
Ibn Abbas and the people of Madeena.
They had scrupulously observed the
Ahillah of Shaban as taught by the
Prophet (saw). By the same
observation that Ramadan had 30days
from Saturday to Sunday and this was
for the people all over the world.
Monday was the Day of Eidul Fitre of
that year for all in the world.
6.
Ibn Abbas (R) asked Kuraib to fast
31st day. (It was 30th Ramadan in
Medina. (Subul as-Salaam)
And Kuraib fasted without any
objection because he had not seen
the Hilal with his own eyes on
Thursday evening while at Sham. If
he had seen he should have objected
to fast 31 days for Ramadan since
the Prophet has not assigned 31 days
for a month. Kuraib himself knew
that the people of Sham had mistaken
something for the Hilal.
7.
He rejected Friday's sighting in
Syria to be UNIVERSAL and/or BINDING
on all Muslims everywhere in
the world. Non-Sighting on a clear
sky in Medina meant Ramadan
continues.
If the sighting of Sham was proved
to be right according to the correct
observation of the Ahillah as taught
by the Prophet, Ibn Abbas would have
ordered the people of Madeena to
correct their wrong date because the
date must be universal. But Madeena
cannot make a mistake by deviating
from the moon phase which depicted
the dates for the people. The
fasting of Ramadan cannot continue
even for one day after the month is
over because the next day (Monday)
is the day of Eidul Fitr on which
fasting is universally forbidden for
that year.
8.
He also rejected that after
completing 30 days of Ramadan a
person can celebrate Eid even if
Shawwal crescent is NOT SEEN on a
clear sky where he is present.
This is a wrong interpretation of
the Hadees. One may commence fasting
one day before Ramadan by wrong
observation of the Ahillah. He
cannot stop fasting under the
pretext that he has already fasted
for thirty days. Allah (swt) has
ordered to fast in the Ayyaman
Ma’doodath of Ramadan which means a
period of one month from a
particular day to a particular day
which cannot be altered unless one
is a traveler or a patient. In this
case Ramadan was a period of 30 days
from Saturday to Sunday. Alteration
of the period is not allowed in the
Shariah.
9.
He affirmed that the Muslims should
begin fasting and celebrate Eid only
if a crescent is VISIBLE on a clear
sky. There is no justification to
celebrate Eid if a crescent is NOT
SEEN on the local horizon, even for
someone who had seen it somewhere
else at the beginning of the month
and completed 30 days of fasting.
This interpretation is totally wrong
and a fabrication of a lie on Ibn
Abbas R. This is not warranted by
any Ayath or a saying of the
Prophet. It contradicts the Sunnah
of the Prophet. Those who fabricate
such lies should beware of an
impending punishment from Allah (Azzeezun
Zunthiqam).
10.
He rejected the pleas:
a) The witness himself saw it;
b) Everybody at... saw it.
c) The Muslim ruler saw it and all
the Muslim in Syria fasted etc. as
at was against a fact (non-sighting
on a clear horizon).
Please read the Hadees hundred times
in the original Arabic. It will dawn
upon you that Kuraib has not seen
the Hilal on Thursday evening with
his own eyes while at Sham. Muawiaya
R too has not seen the Hilal. The
Rulers do not go and look for the
Hilal without praying the Magrib
prayer in the Jamath? Even today no
responsible person involves in such
activities. It was not a Sunnah of
the Prophet (saw). It was Annas who
saw it. In many places they see a
hilal of their imagination and all
the people together with the
dignitaries begin the fasting
depending on it. This is a proven
fact.
11.
Ibn Abbas (R) did this by asserting:
Fa la nazalu nasumu... "We will keep
on fasting until we complete 30 days
(by our sighting in Medina) or SEE
it...LA. Ha kadha amarana Rasulullah:
"BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT THE MESSENGER
(S) ORDERED US TO DO.
This interpretation is wrong and
misleading. Correct meaning is “We
will keep on fasting… because we
have begun Ramadan on the right day
and we will look whether the Hilal
appears on the 29th or
not. This is what the messenger of
Allah ordered us to do. Ibn Abbas R
had known from his observation of
the Ahillah of Ramadan that it was a
month of 30 days. That is why he
said:”We will keep on fasting till
we complete 30 or we see it.” He
knew that it will not be seen on the
29th.
Shaukani and others have argued to
reject this Hadith on the following
grounds:
1.
Ibn Abbas (R) did not quote the
actual words of the Messenger (S).
(Strange: There are several
versions of the Hadith "La tasumu”
as quoted and he refered to it.)
“La thasoomoo hattha tharawul hilala”
Ibn Abbas was well aware of this.
This means that you should not begin
the fasting without confirming the
Hilal. One has to observe it
properly. Not in a foolish way as
the people do now. All the versions
of the Hadees point to the proper
observation of the Hilals. Looking
for the invisible Hilal is a foolish
act. Calculating the day of
visibility and looking for the hilal
on that day, as it done by moon-sighting.com
is a bida’ , which should be
avoided.
2.
He required a testimony of at least
two witnesses.
Strange:
The question was not of the number
of witnesses. It was moon's
"Visibility".)
According to the observation of Ibn
Abbas and the people of Madeena,
Shaban began on a Friday. So the 29th
on which the Hilal for Ramadan is to
be ascertained is Friday. How can
they assume that the hilal would
appear on the 28th
Thursday? Kuraib has certainly made
a mistake or he has not kept the
count of Shaban correctly as per the
instructions and the Sunnah of the
Prophet (saw). Those who do not know
the method of observing the Hilal
get confused with the Hadees. Moon’s
visibility is not the criterion to
define the month. It is the
observation of the Ahillah of the
moon by which the dates and the
months are determined.
3.
It was his Ijtihad, and his Ijtihad
is not binding.(Strange: Why did he
use the words: "Amarana..." The
Messenger (S) ORDERED US..?
There is no ijthihad here in this
matter. Ha kaza amarana Rasoolullahi
means that The Messenger has ordered
to watch the moon carefully for
fixing the months which they did
properly.
4.
Kuraib was not a reliable witness.
(Strange: Ibn Abbas (R) did
not say anything about Kuraib being
unreliable.)
Kuraib was a reliable person to Ibn
Abbas. But there was some thing
wrong in his statement which Ibn
Abbas could not agree with. He knew
how to observe the Ahillah and he
knew that he was right in beginning
Ramadan on Saturday.
5.
Ibn Abbas (R) believed in Ikhtilaf
al-Matali.
(Strange: He said nothing
about it. He could say: "Li kulli
ahli baladin ru'yatuhum", etc.
It is wrong to say that Ibn Abbas
believed in Ikhthilaf al Matali. Did
Ibn Abbass say any thing
contradicting Quran and Sunnah? Such
a statement is fabricating a lie on
Ibn Abbas.R
6.
Kuraib's testimony was only NEWS,
and not a Shahadah (eyewitness
account).
(Strange: If Ibn Abbas (R)
took it as news only, then why did
he continue asking questions?)
Obviously, none of these arguments
is valid to disregard a Sahih Hadith
collectively reported in five Sihah.
The physical facts of a moon's
visibility confirm every aspect of
this Hadith.
The Hadees is good. But Kuraib’s
statement that Ramadan began on
Friday was not correct according to
the observation of the people of
Madeena and Ibn Abbas R. We must
study the matter properly. If it is
only the first visible crescent that
is to be relied upon why did Allah
assign different Manazil for the
moon till it returned like an old
Urjoon? Has Allah (swt) made this
without purpose?
After discussing this narration,
Shayk ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (Raimahu
'Llah) concluded:
To summarize: a person who learns
about the sighting of the moon in
good time to be able to utilize it
for fasting, for ending his fast, or
for sacrifice, he must definitely do
so. The texts [of Islam] and the
reports about the Salaf point to
this. To limit this to a certain
distance or country would contradict
both the reason and the Shar`
(Islamic law). [Al-Fatawa, volume 5,
page 111]
We must follow this statement of Ibn
Thaymiyyah and learn how to observe
the Ahillah and find out the dates
correctly by it without entering
into dangerous arguments and
decisions.
Imam Ash-Shawkani (Rahimahu 'Llah)
cited this narration by Kurayb and
mentioned the different conclusions
that the `ulama have reached based
on it. He then commented as follows:
You should know that the acceptable
evidence is in what Ibn Abbas (Radiya
'Llahu `anhu) reported explicitly
from the Messenger (salla 'Llahu `alayhi
wa sallam). It is not in his ijtihad
which people tried to interpret, and
to which he pointed by saying, This
is how Allah's Messenger commanded
us. His direct report from the
Prophet (salla 'Llahu `alayhi wa
sallam) is what Al-Bukhari, Muslim,
and others narrated as, Do not fast
until you see the crescent, and do
not end your fast until you see it
This does not apply to any
particular location, but is a
general address to all applicable
Muslims. Thus it is obviously an
evidence that a sighting in one
location is binding to people in
other locations. This is so because
when [Muslim] people in a particular
location see it, this means that all
Muslims have seen it. Thus what
applies to them [those who saw it]
would apply to others [in other
locations] Despite that ash-Sham was
not far enough from al-Madinah to
warrant different matlas (moon
rising positions), Ibn Abbas refused
to follow the sighting of its
people. This tells that his behavior
was based on his ijtihad, and is
not, therefore, an acceptable
evidence [in this case]". [Nayl ul-
Awtar, volume 4, page 268]
The meaning of Hattha tharawul
hilala is until you observe the
hilal, but not seeing it. It is
crystal clear from the Hadees that
Ibn Abbas did not accept Kurab’s
statement because it was incredible
that the Hilal would appear on the
28th. There is no
ijthihad in this. All know that
Hilal would not appear on the 28th.
Siddiq Hassan Khan, one of the
greatest ulam of the Indian Sub-
continent ever (Raimahu 'Llah),
said:
If the crescent is seen by people in
one location, people in other
locations must abide by their
sighting. This is based on the
hadiths that declare the beginning
and the end of fasting at the
sighting of the crescent. These
hadiths address the whole Muslim
Ummah: when one Muslim sees the
crescent anywhere, his sighting
would be a sighting for all Muslims.
It would not be correct to challenge
this with the hadith of Kurayb (in
sahih Muslim), because Ibn `Abbas
did not declare in it that the
Prophet (salla 'Llahu `alayhi wa
sallam) commanded them not to follow
sightings of other locations [ar-Rawdhat
un-Nadiyyah, volume 1, page 224]
This is a correct statement. All
people must follow a single date in
the world.
In this regard also, Muhammad Nasir
ud-Din al-Albani, one of the top
hadith specialists, said:
Matla`s are relative.
They have no definite boundaries
which people can distinguish and to
which they can refer. Most `ulama
give no weight to differences in
matlas. This is based on the general
meaning of the authentic hadith:Fast
upon seeing it; and break your fast
upon seeing it. This is the truth,
and none else can be accepted. One
may not dispute this with the hadith
of Ibn Abbas ... It may be even
better to say that the hadith of Ibn
Abbas concerns those who follow
their locality's sighting and later
during Ramadan learn that the
crescent was sighted elsewhere one
day earlier. In such case, they
would continue to fast with their
countrymen until they complete
thirty days or see their own
crescent. This removes the confusion
and leaves the above hadith
applicable in general to all those
who receive the news of seeing the
crescent from any location. It is
well known that this matter is very
easy to accomplish nowadays [Tamam
ul- Minnah, page 398]
When we receive information from
another place after some days and we
know that we have missed one or two
days of Ramadan we must follow the
correct date. We must look for the
Hilal on that basis, not according
to our wrong calculation as it is
done today. This is not warranted in
the Shariah. We must celebrate the
Eid with others and compensate for
the lost fast after the Eid. This is
the law of the Shariah.
The religious basis for calculation
The religious basis for calculation
is that all Muslims agree that the
most important and the authoritative
source and criteria for determining
the Islamic dates is to be found in
the Qur'an and Sunna, as elaborated
and defined in the Shari'ah. No
methodology for moon-sighting or
decisions about the beginnings of
Islamic months can be implemented
with out consulting the religious
sources.
A number of verses from the Qur'an
speak to this issue:
From Surah Baqarah:
"..... They ask thee (O Muhummed)
about the crescent moons. Say: They
are signs to mark fixed periods of
time for mankind and for the
pilgrimage....." (2:189)
The meaning given is not
appropriate. Correct meaning has
been explained above.
From Surah Yunus:
"..... It is He who made the sun a
radiance and the moon a light and
determined their stations that you
might know the number of years and
reckoning of time ....." (10:5)
“…. And He determined Manazil for
the moon so that you may know the
count of its ages and the
calculations.” would be more
appropriate.
From Surah Ya-Sin:
".... Neither the sun may reach the
moon -- nor night will precede the
day.... each in special orbit is
swimming around according to it's
law ...." (36:39)
“… Nor is the night the forerunner
of the day” should be the correct
rendering.
From Surah Rahman:
".... The sun and moon follow
courses exactly computed ..." (55:5)
Furthermore, the following hadith is
the basis for determining the
beginning of Ramadan: According to
Abu Hurayra, the Prophet (pbuh said:
"Fast to its sighting (the Hilal)
and break your fast to its sighting
..... and if it is obscured to you
by clouds, then count the month of
Sha'ban to thirty days." (Bukhari
and Muslim)
“Fast according to its view” “And
if it is dubious then count
………….”should be the correct
rendering.
The Qur'anic passages indicate to
us, the creations of Allah (swt),
that he has established for our
benefit a universe full of signs and
tools. Among these is the cosmic
clock, whose components include the
sun and the moon, which we are
instructed to use to reckon time and
mark the months and seasons. What is
also indicated is that the paths of
the sun and moon are precisely
determined, and follow courses
exactly computed, according to the
Divine Law.
"Wahdat al-Matali"
is a "Fiqhi" position that is
invalid for our earth --a "globe",
not a flat field. Similarly,
determining Ramadan and Eidain on
the basis of "Khabar" (news) from
another country clashes with the
Qur'an and the Sunnah. Ibn Abbas
(RA) rejected the "Khabar" (news)
and "Shahaadah" (eyewitness account)
because a crescent was not seen on a
clear Medina horizon saying: "This
is what the Messenger (S) had
ordered us." Their claim of "Ijma"
on discarding "Hisab" shows their
lack of knowledge.
Wahdath al Mathali is valid on the
earth. The ignorant people reject it
as impractical. How do we pray the
Jumua’ prayer all in one day
(Friday) at the time of Zuhar in the
globe earth? Eid prayer also must be
prayed on the Eid Day at the time of
Zuha in the world. There must be a
place where Jumua’ is prayed today
and tomorrow (two days). This is the
extreme ends of the East and West on
the earth. A line called a date line
must separate this place. This is
the place where the Matla’ of east
and west differ. If we understand
this clearly, the problem will be
solved, Insha Allah.
Tabi'in and Fuqaha on calculations
The Sunnah and Fiqh positions
related only to local sightings as
Imam Muslim, Imam Tirmidhi and many
Muhadditheen clearly stated: For
each town it’s own visibility. They
claim that there is a consensus of
the ‘knowledgeable on this position
("Li Kulli Baladin Ru'yatuhum...wa
Alaihi Ijma'-u Ahlal Ilm”).
This is a wrong statement because it
contradicts the Quran and Sunnah. | 