Introduction
Allah, the Exalted, says:
﴿هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ يُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ﴾
“He is Allah who made the sun a shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for it phases that you may know the number of years and the account [of time]. Allah did not create these except in truth. He details the signs for a people who know.”
This noble verse serves as a fundamental principle and rule regarding the knowledge of times, history, calculation, and the determination of months and years. Allah, the Exalted, has endowed the sun with light and appointed stations for it so that the counting of days and weeks can be done, and He has endowed the moon with light and appointed stations for it so that the counting of months and years can be made easy. In this way, Allah has made the calculation of weeks and days so easy that city dwellers and villagers, the learned and the ignorant, can easily know it. That is, when the sun rises, the day begins, and when the sun sets, the day ends and night comes. When the count of days and nights reaches seven, a week is completed. Similarly, when the new moon is sighted at the western horizon, a new month begins, and when the count of twenty-nine or thirty days is completed and the moon appears again, one month is completed and the next month begins. In this way, when the count of months reaches twelve, a year is completed.
Allah, the Exalted, says:
﴿إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ﴾
“Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah from the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion.”
This calendar and timetable ordained by Allah, Lord of the Worlds, is the one appointed for all nations, through which people have been calculating their religious and worldly affairs. However, due to following Satan and dissatisfaction with the easiest method, people abandoned this natural and Shariah calendar and invented innovations such as Nasi, Kabisa, and Milmas. (The Arabs had invented two innovations regarding the month and year: The first innovation was Nasi, which means delay. Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, had declared four months as sacred and respected months, three of which were consecutive: Dhu al-Qi’dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, and Muharram. In these months, even the polytheists considered war, fighting, and plundering forbidden. But since refraining from war and revenge for three consecutive months was a long period beyond their patience, they used to consider one of these months permissible and commit killing and plundering in it, and in exchange, they would declare a permissible month as forbidden, thus completing the number of forbidden months. The second innovation was Kabisa, which is exactly what we call Kound and Silmas months, meaning that to align the lunar year with the solar year, every third year they would add an extra month to the lunar year so that Hajj would always fall in the same season, thus avoiding confusion of cold and heat during Hajj.)
The Arabs, especially the custodians of the Sacred Mosque, were not safe from this innovation, which caused the lunar months’ order, as established by Allah, to not remain in its original state. Therefore, when Allah completed this upright religion, He restored the order of the months to their original state and declared it the correct religion so that it would be clear that this order of months and the calculation of days and years is the true one, and it should be adopted, and religious and worldly affairs should be conducted based on these months and years.
(Some scholars believe that because of the innovation of “Nasi and Kabisa,” Hajj sometimes occurred in Muharram, sometimes in Dhu al-Qi’dah, and sometimes in another month. Therefore, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, delayed performing Hajj until the time of Hajj was fixed. For example, the Hajj of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, occurred in the month of Dhu al-Qi’dah. Hence, when Allah informed His Prophet, peace be upon him, through revelation that Hajj was in its proper time that year, he resolved to perform Hajj. This is the “Nasi” innovation which Allah declared forbidden and disbelief, and the Prophet, peace be upon him, announced in the Hajj sermon that the order of months had returned to its original state as it was created. On this occasion, the prophetic statement was:
إن الزمان قدستدار كهيئته يوم خلق السماوات والأرض ، السنة اثنا عشر شهرا منها أربعة حرم ، ثلاث متواليات ، ذو القعدة ، ذو الحجة، والمحرم ورجب مضر الذى بين جمادى وشعبان
“The time has come full circle to the state it was when Allah created the heavens; the year is twelve months, four of which are sacred, three of them consecutive: Dhu al-Qi’dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, and Muharram, and Rajab Mudhar which is between Jumada al-Akhirah and Sha’ban.”)
Considering this ease, Allah has set the daily and weekly affairs of His servants, whether religious or worldly, to be calculated by the rising and setting of the sun. Regarding prayer, Allah, the Exalted, says:
﴿أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَى غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِ وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا﴾
“Establish prayer at the decline of the sun [from its meridian] until the darkness of the night and [also] the Qur’an of dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed.”
On the other hand, monthly and yearly affairs are linked to the moon’s calculation. Regarding Hajj, Allah says:
﴿يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَهِلَّةِ قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ﴾
“They ask you about the new moons. Say, ‘They are measurements of time for the people and for Hajj.’”
Other acts can be analogized on this example.
In summary, in Islam, the lunar months are the fundamental basis. According to them, the months and years of Muslims’ worship and affairs will be determined, and the lunar calendar will be the basis for defining the Shariah months and years. Scholars have even declared reliance on non-Shariah months in their affairs impermissible and prohibited resembling other nations in history and calendars. This is why the Commander of the Faithful, the Rightly Guided Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, established the Hijri year based on the moon with the consultation of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.
Commenting on the verse ﴿إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا﴾, Allama Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, may Allah have mercy on him, writes: The scholars say that in light of this verse, it is obligatory upon Muslims to consider the Arabic year in their buying and selling, determining the duration of transactions, paying Zakat, and all other rulings. It is not permissible for them to consider the Roman or non-Arabic years.
The means of knowing the Islamic months:
Since all religious and worldly matters of Muslims are connected to lunar months, it is necessary to obtain information about their identification and the beginning and end of these months. For this, Shariah has provided a very easy method. Therefore, everywhere, at all times, and for all kinds of people, it is easy to know the beginning and end of the month. Just as everyone easily knows the coming and going of night and day, it is also natural that since history is a necessity for every person, every era, and society, and whatever is needed by all people must be easy to obtain and understand. Accordingly, the matter of the beginning and end of the month has also been made very easy by Allah Almighty, that is, after 29 days have passed, either the crescent is sighted or the count of thirty days is completed. Regarding Ramadan, Allah Almighty says:
﴿فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ﴾
“So whoever among you is present in the month, let him fast the entire month.”
And regarding Ramadan, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
إذا رأيتموه فصوموا وإذا رأيتموه فأفطروا، فإن غم عليكم فاقدروا له.
“When you see it (the moon), begin fasting, and when you see it, break your fast; and if it is cloudy for you, then complete the count of thirty.”
In this verse and hadith, Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) have made the sighting of the moon a condition for the beginning of the fast of Ramadan, which is a pillar of Islam. If the moon is sighted on the 29th of Sha’ban, then the next day, which will be the first day of Ramadan, fasting becomes obligatory. Similarly, if the moon is sighted on the evening of the 29th of Ramadan at sunset, then the next day, which will be the first day of Shawwal, fasting must be broken. But if for some reason the moon is not sighted on the 29th, then the month must be completed as thirty days. This is the Shariah ruling regarding the beginning and end of months, and it is obligatory to follow it. Decisions should not be based on the opinion of an accountant or an expert in astronomy.
In another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
إنا أمة أمية لا نكتب ولا نحسب والشهر هكذا وهكذا وهكذا، وعقد الإبهام فى الثالثة، والشهر هكذا وهكذا وهكذا يعني تمام الثلاثين.
“We are an unlettered nation; we neither write nor calculate. The month is so many days, so many days, and so many days.” While saying this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) opened the fingers of both his hands and pointed, and the third time he bent the thumb of one hand, as if indicating 29 days. Then he said, “The month is so many days, so many days, and so many days,” meaning a full thirty days.
That is, regarding the moon, we do not need to be literate or rely on any book or calculation. We are not required to know the movements of stars and planets for our fasting and worship. Rather, a clear matter has been ordained, which both the learned and the ignorant can equally understand, and that is the matter of crescent sighting: if the moon is seen on the evening after the 29th day, the month will be counted as 29 days; otherwise, the count of thirty days will be completed.
In another hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
صوموا لرؤيته وأفطروا لرؤيته فإن غبي عليكم فأكملوا عدة شعبان ثلاثين.
“Fast when you see the moon and break your fast when you see it, and if you do not see it, then complete the count of thirty days of Sha’ban.”
From these hadiths, the following benefits are derived:
① In the affairs of Muslims, especially in acts of worship, lunar months according to Shariah are valid.
② The only source of knowledge for the beginning and end of the month is the sighting of the crescent; reliance on astronomy and astronomical calculations is not permissible.
③ Shariah months are either 29 days or sometimes 30 days; they cannot be less or more than this.
The Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
الشهر يكون تسعة وعشرين ويكون ثلاثين فإذا رأيتموه فصوموا وإذا رأيتموه فأفطروا فإن غم عليكم فأكملوا العدة.
“Sometimes the month is 29 days and sometimes it is 30 days. So when you see the moon, fast, and when you see it, break your fast; and if it is cloudy for you, then complete the count of thirty.”
Astronomers say that in a lunar year of twelve months, not all months will be 29 days, nor will all be 30 days. Rather, in some years, six months will be 29 days and six months 30 days; in other years, five months will be 29 days and seven months 30 days. The months with 30 days will not exceed seven, nor will the months with 29 days be fewer than five.
④ Shariah has made crescent sighting a condition for the beginning and end of the month because:
a: This practice is very easy and suitable for the general public.
b: This calculation is certain and free from error.
c: Moreover, the method of astronomical calculation and astrology is complicated and prone to error. Therefore, scholars say that the term “ummi” (unlettered) used for this Ummah is a praise.
⑤ If astronomical calculations say the moon has appeared but it cannot be seen with the eyes, then the calculation is not to be trusted, and the days of fasting and Eid will not be decided based on astronomical calculations. Similarly, if calculations say the moon cannot be there but people have sighted it, provided the observers are trustworthy and reliable and their testimony can be trusted, then the sighting of the moon will be accepted, not the astronomical calculation. This is a matter on which the scholars of the Ummah have consensus.
⑥ Not only fasting and Eid but all matters of Muslims such as Zakat, women’s ‘iddah, the period of Ilaa, and the duration of loans, etc., will be determined according to crescent sighting and Shariah months.
The Beginning and End of the Islamic Months:
From the previous lines, it is understood that no Islamic month can be less than twenty-nine days or more than thirty days, and the only means to determine them is the sighting of the crescent moon, which clearly means that the beginning and end of Islamic months depend on the sighting of the crescent or the completion of thirty days. That is, as soon as the moon is sighted, the previous month ends and the new month begins. However, it should be noted that in this regard, the sighting that is considered valid is the one that occurs after sunset or immediately adjacent to it; all scholars agree on this. Therefore, if the moon is sighted before sunset, it will not be considered valid. For example, if on the thirtieth of Ramadan the moon is sighted before sunset, it will not be permissible to break the fast before sunset, nor will the beginning of the month of Shawwal be accepted, because in Shariah, the sighting that is valid is the one that occurs after the sun has set.
From this, it becomes clear that the hadith صوموا لرؤيته وافطروا لرؤيته is not to be taken at face value, but it means that the fast will be observed on the day following the evening when the moon is sighted, or the fast will be broken on the day following that evening.
Difference between the Islamic day and month and the days and months of astronomers:
It should be noted that a Shariah month is either twenty-nine or thirty days long, and each day of the month is twenty-four hours. Contrary to the astronomers, who consider the new month to begin from the moment the moon starts moving away from its conjunction or new moon point (in the terminology of astronomers, this moment is when the moon, sun, and earth are aligned on the same straight line), meaning they regard the birth of the moon as the start of the month whether or not the moon is visible on the western horizon, because at that time the moon is extremely thin.
Astronomers write that until at least thirty hours have passed since the moon started moving away from its conjunction point, it is not possible to see the new crescent on the western horizon, because this event can occur at any time within twenty-four hours. Therefore, according to astronomers, the beginning of the new month is entirely different from the Shariah new month, because the astronomical month can begin at midnight or noon, or at any part of the day or night. According to astronomers, it is not necessary for the moon to be visible on the western horizon. Hence, the astronomers’ month begins twenty-four hours or even earlier than the Shariah month. For example, if on the twenty-ninth day of a month near Asr time the moon enters its conjunction, then according to astronomers the new month has begun, whereas according to the Shariah month, more than twenty-four hours, and in some countries even more than forty-eight hours, remain before the new month begins. Thus, the difference between the astronomers’ month and the Shariah month can be one day or even more. Similarly, there is a clear difference between the number of days in the astronomers’ month and the Shariah month. As mentioned earlier, the Shariah month is either twenty-nine or thirty days long, meaning it cannot be less than twenty-nine days or more than thirty days, whereas according to astronomers, each month is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes, and some seconds.
Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, may Allah have mercy on him, writes: According to the current theory, it is established that the sun, moon, and earth align twice in a lunar month. These events occur when the moon, orbiting the earth, crosses the earth’s orbit. When the earth is between the sun and the moon, it is the occasion of the fourteenth night, and when the moon is between the sun and the earth, it is usually the 28th night of the lunar month, although it can also be on the 27th or 29th lunar date. A lunar eclipse occurs on the first or fourteenth night, and a solar eclipse occurs on the second occasion, but these events happen rarely due to other reasons.
New Moon:
In the other case, when the moon completely disappears from the sight of the people on earth, in lunar calculation it is understood that the previous lunar month has ended. This moment is called Ijtima-e-Nairain or Iqtiran, and in English, it is called CONJUNCTION. When the moon completely disappears, it is just a moment in time, after which the new moon begins according to the calendar. The average interval between one conjunction to the next is approximately 29 days, 12 hours, and 44 minutes. This interval can increase by five to six hours in some months, and similarly, it can be less by the same amount in other months. Therefore, there is no fixed time for it; it can occur at 9 in the morning or 11 at night. However, it is not necessary that the moon will be visible on the same night the conjunction occurs. The reason is that the moon is extremely thin, and secondly, the twilight redness on the western horizon, which lasts for about half an hour, is a significant obstacle to seeing such a moon. The thinness of a moon that is one day or twenty-four hours old can be estimated as follows: take a melon that has only eight to ten lines on its surface. If you cut this melon into 30 equal parts along the same direction, the thickness of one slice from the middle will be the thickness of a one-day-old moon, but its length will not be a full semicircle but much less.
For details, see: Abhath Hay’at Kibar al-Ulama Vol. 3 p. 10 and for connoisseurs, Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani’s masterpiece book Ma’rakat al-Ara’
is also very useful.
