MOON CONFUSION Let’s have a Unified World Islamic Calendar

MOON CONFUSION


Let’s have a Unified World Islamic Calendar, writes Faiz Fazili



Out of all the symbols that Muslims could have chosen to symbolize the unity of community, it is indeed ironic that they chose the appearance of Hilal (crescent) which for many signifies the greatest manifestation of division amongst Muslims. Some intentionally provocative questions are: Why are the Islamic dates in such a mess? Which convention should Muslims use to determine the beginning and ending of Islamic months? Why Muslims can’t have a unified World Islamic calendar?
Like so many other years, Muslims once again were confused as to when to celebrate the Eid. The Prophet (PBUH) had fixed the date for Eidul-fitr on the first of Shawwal. Eid ul Fitr was actually observed on three days. Can the First of Shawwal 1429H be 30th September (UAE and Saudi Arabia); 1st October (Egypt, Pakistan) and 2nd October 2008 (India) .Yes, it’s that time of the Islamic festivals again when Muslims frantically call each other, asking: “What did the TV announce?”, “Did they see the moon yet?”, “Has moon been sighted….where ,” and the single most effective question that seals the fate of one’s own fast, “What are YOU going to do?”
“It is extremely unfortunate, not to say utterly-embarrassing, that the Muslim people, who led the world for a millennium in every scientific discipline, developed the scientific method itself and taught science and rationality to the West, are still in a state of chaos over a relatively simple matter of science and Shari’ah, i.e. the lunar calendar.”, says Dr Hasan, a Planetarium Lecturer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich. Our common sense demands that the prayer times in USA and Saudi Arabia must be different in the earth which is a globe; America has night when India has day. So the times must be different everywhere. In an age when we can measure the properties of sub-atomic particles of moon sighting on the 29th of each month. No Muslim disputes that a crescent (Hilal) determines the beginning of an Islamic month. The Islamic Law states if one person (two for Eid) sees the new moon moon/crescent i.e. the visible new moon, then begin the new month. This is the Sunnah and this is practiced by the mass majority of Muslims all over the world and has been the practice since 1400 years, from when The Prophet (PBUH) himself established the new month in this way. Allah the exalted commands: “So he who from amongst you should witness
the month should fast it” (Qur’an 2;185).The term witnessed is used meaning we must sight the moon. This convention is universally applicable and accessible at all times to all Muslims throughout the world. From the Fiqhi standpoint, one may begin the Islamic month on “local” sighting (Ikhtilaf al-Matali-when each locality is to insure that they cite the moon themselves and decide according to that the beginning of month) or Ittihad al-Matale’ based on sighting anywhere in the Muslim World (the case when crescent is sighted in one Islamic locality, then all localities are to follow it, so long as they share part of night). Although different, both of these positions are valid Islamic Fiqhi positions. Muslims scholars have adopted different juristic positions as astronomically 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), but 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. Even though scholars have stated that the judge (Mufti/Qazi) does have legal jurisdiction when it comes to deciding whether or not to accept and or to deny claims of moon sighting.
There are three main groups: 1.Those who ‘blindly’ follow Saudi Arabia, 2.Those who follow the concept of the birth of the new moon and 3.Those who follow the concept of the sighting, visibility of the new moon. Those who follow the Saudi / Egyptian dates are unwilling to accept that the Saudi dates cannot be based on a ‘sighted’ moon there, though they cannot see the same moon in North America 8-11 hours later. Most people who call for a global sighting do not understand moon phases. People in the Western hemisphere can usually see the moon first. And since it is already the NEXT day in the Middle East, then it is impossible to start. If the Muslims in the Polynesian Islands see the moon first, will you be willing to accept it? How about if we see it in America? Do you think the Middle East will start when we see it? The answers are of course--NO.
During many Islamic conferences and seminars, Muslim scholars and astronomers have tried to redress this issue and problems associated with sighting the crescent and possibility of a unified World Islamic calendar. Due to lack of agreement on unified global moon sighting authority, this system cannot be adopted yet, but it can be adopted if there is an authority who will take on this task to gather such information and compile it. Astronomical calculations are not to be simply discarded, just as they cannot be simply imposed either. They may be used – as an ancillary - to facilitate moon sighting but not as an obligation on any community. It cannot be made a primary convention since a primary convention must be universally accessible for all Muslims who wish to begin and end their fast. By doing this, we will leave what is universal accessible to all .Lastly, we ourselves should know why scholars decide to follow moon sighting instead of universal Muslim calendar. Once we are educated enough, then we can at least ask the decision makers why they are not willing to compromise so that we can all celebrate Eid on the same day in Muslim community. Unity itself is a dimension of Faith. The first obligation after Imān is Knowledge