This excerpt is taken from the book of His Eminence Sheikh Maqsood al-Hassan Faizi Moon Sighting.
Introduction
Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, says:
﴿هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ يُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ﴾
Reference: (Yunus: 5)
"That is Allah, who made the sun shining and the moon a light, and determined for it phases, that you may know the number of years and the account [of time]. Allah did not create that except in truth. And He details the signs for a people who know."
This noble verse serves as a fundamental principle regarding the knowledge of times, the science of history and calculation, and the determination of months and years. Allah has endowed the sun with light and appointed phases for it so that the counting of days and weeks can be made, and He has endowed the moon with light and appointed phases for it as well so that the counting of months and years can be made easily. Thus, Allah has made the counting of weeks and days so simple that every person, whether urban or rural, learned or unlearned, can easily ascertain it. That is, when the sun rises, the day begins, and when the sun sets, the day ends and night comes. In this way, the number of days and nights reaches seven, completing one week. Similarly, when the new moon is sighted on the western horizon, a new month begins, and when the count of twenty-nine or thirty is completed and it appears again, one month is completed, and the second month begins. Thus, when the number of months reaches twelve, one year is completed.
The command of Allah, the Exalted, is:
﴿إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ﴾
Reference: (At-Tawbah: 36)
"The number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve months in the Book of Allah since the day He created the heavens and the earth. Of these, four are sacred. This is the correct religion."
This is the calendar and timetable established by Allah, the Lord of the worlds, which has been set for all nations, through which people have been calculating their religious and worldly affairs. However, due to following Satan and a lack of contentment with the simplest method, people abandoned this natural and legal calendar and invented the innovations of Nasi, Qabisa, and Mulmas. (The Arabs had invented two innovations regarding the month and year: the first innovation was Nasi, which means delay. It happened that Allah, the Exalted, had declared four months as sacred and respected, three of which were consecutive: Dhul-Qi'dah, Dhul-Hijjah, and Muharram. During these months, even the polytheists considered fighting and plundering to be forbidden. However, since refraining from fighting and seeking revenge for bloodshed for three consecutive months was a long duration beyond their patience, they would consider one of these months permissible and engage in killing and plundering, declaring a permissible month as forbidden to complete the count of sacred months. The second innovation was Qabisa, which is precisely what we refer to here as the month of Qond and Silmas, meaning that to align the lunar year with the solar year, they would add a month to the lunar year every third year so that Hajj would always fall in the same season, avoiding the complications of cold and heat during the time of Hajj.)
The Arabs, especially the guardians of the Sacred Sanctuary, were not spared from this innovation, which caused the arrangement of lunar months that Allah had established to not remain in its original state. Therefore, when Allah completed this pure religion, He restored the arrangement of the months to their original state and declared it the correct religion so that it would be clear that this arrangement of months and this calculation of days and years is true, and it should be adopted, and religious and worldly affairs should be conducted based on these months and years.
(Some scholars believe that due to the innovation of "Nasi and Qabisa," Hajj sometimes occurred in Muharram, sometimes in Dhul-Qi'dah, and sometimes in another month. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ delayed the performance of this obligation until the Hajj of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq رضي الله عنه occurred in the month of Dhul-Qi'dah. Thus, when Allah informed His Prophet ﷺ through revelation that this year's Hajj is at its original time, he ﷺ resolved to perform Hajj. This is the innovation of "Nasi" which Allah has declared forbidden and an act of disbelief, and the Prophet ﷺ announced in the Hajj sermon that the arrangement of the months has returned to its original state, as it was created. Thus, on this occasion, the Prophet ﷺ said: 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
Reference: (Sahih al-Bukhari: 4662, Tafsir, and Sahih Muslim: 1679, Qasamah, narrated by Abu Bakrah; see: Majmu' al-Fatawa, Vol. 25, p. 145)
"The time has returned to its original state as it was on the day Allah created the heavens; the year is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three are consecutive; Dhul-Qi'dah, Dhul-Hijjah, and Muharram, and the month of Rajab of Mudar, which is between Jumada al-Akhirah and Sha'ban."
In light of this convenience, Allah has set the daily and weekly affairs of His servants, whether religious or worldly, based on the sunset and sunrise. Regarding prayer, Allah says:
﴿أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَى غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِ وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا﴾
Reference: (Al-Isra: 78)
"Establish prayer from the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night and the Qur'an at dawn. Indeed, the recitation of the Qur'an at dawn is ever witnessed."
On the other hand, monthly and yearly affairs are linked to the moon. Concerning Hajj, He said:
﴿يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَهِلَّةِ قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ﴾
Reference: (Al-Hajj: 189)
"People ask you about the new moons. Say, 'They are for measuring time for people and for Hajj.'"
This example can be applied to other acts.
In conclusion, the lunar months are the fundamental basis in Islam, and based on them, the months and years of Muslims' worship and affairs will be determined, and the legal months and legal years will be established based on the moon. Scholars have deemed reliance on non-legal months in their affairs as impermissible and prohibited resemblance to non-Muslim nations in calendars and dates. This is why the Commander of the Faithful, the rightly guided Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه, established the Hijri year based on the moon with the consultation of the Companions رضي الله عنهم.
In interpreting the verse ﴿إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا﴾, Allama Fakhr al-Din al-Razi رحمه الله states: Scholars say that in light of this verse, it is obligatory for 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 and Persian years.
Reference: Tafsir al-Razi, Vol. 8, p. 55; also see: Ahkam al-Qur'an by al-Qurtubi, Vol. 8, p. 85. For details, see: the author's book: Wafa'dari ya Bizarri, pp. 314-317.
Means of Knowing the Islamic Months:
Since all religious and worldly matters of Muslims are linked to lunar months, obtaining information regarding their identification and beginning and end is a necessary matter, for which Shari'ah has provided a very easy method. Therefore, everywhere, at all times, and for all types of people, it is easy to ascertain the beginning and end of the month. Just as every person can easily determine the alternation of night and day, it is a natural thing that since history is a necessity for every person, for every era and society, and whatever is a necessity for all people, it is essential that its acquisition and knowledge be easy as well. Thus, the matter of the beginning and end of the month has also been made very easy by Allah, that is, after 29 days, to complete the sighting of the moon or the count of thirty. Regarding Ramadan, Allah says:
﴿فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ﴾
Reference: (Al-Baqarah: 185)
"So whoever among you witnesses the month, let him fast that month."
And regarding Ramadan, the Prophet ﷺ said:
إذا رأيتموه فصوموا وإذا رأيتموه فأفطروا، فإن غم عليكم فاقدروا له.
"When you see it (the moon), then start fasting, and when you see it, then break your fast. If it is obscured from you, then complete the count of thirty."
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari: 1900 Al-Sawm, Sahih Muslim: 1080 Al-Siyam, narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar رضي الله عنهما, the wording is from Sahih al-Bukhari.
In this verse and hadith, Allah and His Messenger ﷺ have made the sighting of the moon a condition for the commencement of fasting in 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 of Shawwal, it becomes obligatory to break the fast. However, if for some reason the moon is not sighted on the 29th, then thirty days of the month must be completed. This is the legal ruling regarding the beginning and end of the months, and it must be acted upon; decisions will not be based on the opinion of a mathematician or an expert in astronomy.
In another hadith, the Prophet ﷺ 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 do not write or calculate. The month is thus and thus and thus." Saying this, he ﷺ gestured with his fingers, opening them, and on the third time, he bent the thumb of one hand as if indicating 29 days. Then he said, "The month is thus and thus," meaning a full thirty days.
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari: 1903 Al-Sawm - Sahih Muslim: 1080 Al-Sawm - Musnad Ahmad vol. 3 p. 43 narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar رضي الله عنهما. These words are from Sahih Muslim and Musnad Ahmad.
This means that regarding the moon, we are not dependent on writing, reading, or any book or calculation; we have not been made responsible for knowing the movements of stars and planets in our fasting and acts of worship, but rather we have been commanded regarding a clear matter that both the learned and the unlearned can equally understand, which is the matter of sighting the moon. If the moon is seen on the evening after the 29th, then the month will be counted as 29; otherwise, the count of thirty will be completed.
In another hadith, the Prophet ﷺ 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 the moon, and if the moon is not visible, then complete the count of thirty."
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari: 1909 Al-Sawm - Sahih Muslim: 1081 Al-Siyam, narrated by Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه. This hadith is also narrated in a similar wording in Sunan Ibn Majah from Abdullah ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما and in Al-Mu'jam Al-Tabarani Al-Kabir from Bara' ibn Azib رضي الله عنه; see: Kanz al-'Ummal vol. 8 / p. 489.
From these hadiths, the following benefits are derived:
① In the affairs of Muslims, especially in worship, lunar months are the only ones considered valid according to Shari'ah.
② The only source of information regarding the beginning and end of the month is the sighting of the moon; reliance on astronomical knowledge and calculations is not permissible in this regard.
③ Legal months can be either 29 days or 30 days; they cannot be less than this or more than this.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
الشهر يكون تسعة وعشرين ويكون ثلاثين فإذا رأيتموه فصوموا وإذا رأيتموه فأفطروا فإن غم عليكم فأكملوا العدة.
Reference: Sunan al-Nasa'i: 2138 Al-Siyam vol. 3 p. 29 narrated by Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه. There are multiple hadiths in the six books with this meaning; for example, see: Sahih Muslim vol. 3 p. 148, 149.
"The month is sometimes 29 days and sometimes 30 days. So when you see the moon, fast, and when you see the moon, break your fast. If clouds obscure it from you, then complete the count of thirty."
Astronomers say that in a lunar year, the twelve months will never all be 29 days, nor will they all be 30 days; rather, in some years, six months will be 29 days and six months will be 30 days, and in some years, five months will be 29 days and seven months will be 30 days; there will not be more than seven months of 30 days, nor less than five months of 29 days.
Reference: (See: Al-'Ilm Al-Manshur by Al-Sabki p. 24)
④ Shari'ah has made the sighting of the moon a condition for the beginning and end of the month because:
a: This practice is very easy and suitable for the conditions of common people.
b: This calculation is certain, and there is no possibility of error in it.
c: In addition, the method of astronomical calculations is difficult and has the possibility of error; hence, scholars say that the term "unlettered" used for this Ummah regarding the sighting of the moon is a form of praise.
Reference: Majmu' Fatawa vol. 25 p. 199, 200.
⑤ If astronomical calculations indicate that the moon has appeared but it cannot be seen with the eyes, then the calculation will not be valid, and the days of fasting and Eid will not be determined based on astronomical calculations. Similarly, if the calculations say that the moon cannot appear, but people have sighted the moon, provided that the witnesses are trustworthy and reliable, then the sighting of the moon will be accepted, not the calculations of astronomy. This is a matter on which the scholars of the Ummah have consensus.
Reference: Majmu' Fatawa Ibn Taymiyyah vol. 25 p. 132, Al-'Ilm Al-Manshur by Al-Sabki p. 20 - Mir'at Al-Mafatih vol. 6 p. 435 - Fiqh Al-Nawazil vol. 3 p. 199, 200. The authoritative scholars' committee of Saudi Arabia has also unanimously passed this resolution; see: Abhath Hay'at Kibar Al-'Ulama vol. 3 p. 34.
⑥ Not only fasting and Eid but all matters of Muslims, such as Zakat, the waiting period for women, the duration of Ila, and the duration of loans, etc., will be determined according to the sighting of the moon and the legal months.
Reference: Majmu' Fatawa vol. 25 p. 133, 134, and 143 - Fatawa Al-Sabki vol. 1 p. 207.
Beginning and End of 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 of determining them is the sighting of the moon. This clearly means that the beginning and end of Islamic months depend on the sighting of the moon or the completion of thirty days. That is, as soon as the moon is sighted, the previous month is concluded and a new month begins. However, it should be noted that the sighting that is considered valid is the one that occurs after sunset or immediately after it. All scholars agree on this matter. Therefore, if the moon is sighted before sunset, it will not be considered valid. For example, if the moon is sighted before sunset on the thirtieth of Ramadan, it will not be permissible to break the fast before sunset, nor will the beginning of the month of Shawwal be acknowledged, because in Sharia, the sighting that is valid is the one that occurs after the sun has set.
Reference: See: Fath al-Bari, Vol. 4, p. 121. For details, refer to Allama Ibn Abidin's treatise Tanbih al-Ghafil wal-Wasnan and Allama Abdul Hai Lucknowi's treatise Al-Falak al-Dawar fi Ru'yat al-Hilal bil-Nahar.
It is clear from here that the hadith صوموا لرؤيته وافطروا لرؤيته is not to be taken literally; rather, it means that the day after the evening when the moon is sighted is the day to fast or to break the fast.
Reference: Fath al-Bari, Vol. 4, p. 131; Mir'at al-Mafatih, Vol. 6, p. 424.
Difference Between Islamic Days and Months and the Days and Months According to Astronomers:
It is clear that a Shari'ah month consists of either twenty-nine or thirty days, and each month has one day of twenty-four hours. Contrary to the scholars of astronomy, who believe that a new month begins when the moon starts to move away from its (conjunction point, which is the term used by astronomers when the moon is aligned in a straight line with the sun and the earth), the beginning of the month for them is based on the birth of the moon, whether it is visible to people on the western horizon or not, as at that time the moon is extremely thin.
The astronomers write that until at least thirty hours have passed since the moon began to move away from its conjunction point, it is not possible for the new crescent to be seen on the western horizon, because this situation can occur at any time within twenty-four hours. Therefore, according to the astronomers, the beginning of the new month is entirely different from the beginning of the Shari'ah month, as the astronomical month can begin at midnight or noon, or even at any part of the day or night. For astronomers, it is not necessary for the moon to be visible on the western horizon; thus, the month according to the scholars of astronomy begins twenty-four hours or even earlier than the Shari'ah month. For example, if on the twenty-ninth of a month, the moon enters its conjunction near the evening, then according to the astronomers, the new month has begun, while in terms of the Shari'ah month, more than twenty-four hours, and in some countries even more than forty-eight hours, will still remain. In this way, the gap between the months of the astronomers and the Shari'ah months can be one day or even more. Similarly, there is a clear difference in the number of days between the days counted by astronomers and those of the Shari'ah month, as has been mentioned earlier; the Shari'ah month will either be twenty-nine days or thirty days, meaning it cannot be less than twenty-nine days or more than thirty days, while according to the astronomers, each month consists of twenty-nine days, twelve hours, forty-four minutes, and some seconds.
Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani رحمه الله writes: According to the current theory, it is a known fact that the sun, moon, and earth align twice in a lunar month, and these events occur when the moon, while orbiting the earth, crosses the earth's orbit. When the earth is situated between the sun and the moon, it is the occasion of the fourteenth night, and when the moon is situated between the sun and the earth, it generally occurs on the twenty-eighth night of the lunar month, although it can also occur on the twenty-seventh and twenty-ninth lunar dates. A lunar eclipse occurs during the first situation or the fourteenth night, while a solar eclipse occurs in the second situation, but this occasion happens rarely, for reasons that are different.
New Moon:
In the second scenario, when the moon completely disappears from the sight of the people on earth, it is understood in lunar calculations that the previous lunar month has ended. This moment is referred to as the conjunction of the two lights or "CONJUNCTION" in English. When the moon completely disappears, it lasts only for a moment, after which, according to the calendar, the new moon begins. The average interval between one lunar month and the next is 29 days, 12 hours, and 44 minutes. This interval can extend by five to six hours in some months, and similarly, it can be shorter in others; therefore, there is no fixed time for it. It can occur at 9 AM or at 11 PM, but it is not necessary that the moon will be sighted on the night of the day this conjunction occurs. The reason is that the moon is extremely thin, and the redness of twilight on the western horizon, which lasts for about half an hour, poses a significant obstacle to the sighting of such a moon. The thinness of a moon that is one day or a full twenty-four hours old can be understood as follows: take a melon, and it has only eight to ten lines of slices on it. If you cut this melon into 30 equal parts in the same direction, the thickness of one slice will be the same as the thickness of a one-day-old moon, but its length will not be a complete semicircle; rather, it will be much less.
Reference: (الشمس والقمر بحسبان مختصراً، مجله الدعوة جلد 14 شمار 12 ص 40)
For further details, see: Abhath Hay'at Kibar al-Ulama, Vol. 3, p. 10, and for those with taste, Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani رحمه الله علیہ's book Ma'arikat al-Ara'
Reference: الشمس والقمر بحسبان
is also very useful.
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