New Moons Determine Islamic Dates
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]
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
sahabah (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. And break
your fast when you see the crescent. If it is obscure to you,
then fast thirty days.
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
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]
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]
Many ulam 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]
Astronomical Evidence
Some people suggest using astronomical computations either
exclusively or partially for determining the visibility and
preciseness of crescent sightings. This is not a new suggestion,
as it was raised at the earliest times of Islam and the Prophet
salla 'Llahu `alayhi wa sallam) rejected it. Ibn `Umar (Radiya
'Llahu `anhuma) reported that the Messenger (salla 'Llahu `alayhi wa
sallam) said:
We are an illiterate nation. We do not use astronomical writing
or computation [in our fasting]. A month is so and so and so (and
he pointed with his hands three times, folding the thumb on the
third time, meaning twenty nine days) or so and so and so (and he
pointed with his hands three times, meaning thirty days).
[Al-
Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud and An-Nassa'i]
Abu Dawud's narration adds further:
Thus Ibn `Umar used to end
his fasting with the rest of people without relying on those
computations.
This shows that the Messenger (salla 'Llahu `alayhi wa
sallam) wanted to keep this worship simple and at the level of
common people, away from the influence or control of specialized
scientific knowledge (whether sound or doubtful). This shows as
well, as Ibn Taymiyyah (Raimahu 'Llah) said, that the description
of this nation here as being illiterate is a praise to it in that
it is independent of any complicated means in performing its
basic worships.
Anyone who rejects this would indeed overstep the ijma`
(consensus) of the worthy `ulama, would be attempting to spoil the
beauty and simplicity of this Din, and, worst of all, would be
bluntly disobeying the Messenger (salla 'Llahu `alayhi wa sallam).
Misconception: the True Beginning of a Month
A very common misconception and a great concern for many people
is that if we do not make our utmost best to confirm the
testimonies of those who claim moon sighting (by astronomical
evidence and other means) then we might be risking nullifying
some of our worship by fasting on wrong days. This approach is
rejected in Islam on several accounts.
a. It involves casting doubts about the truthfulness of just
Muslims (`udul). This is forbidden in the texts of the Qur'an and
the Sunnah.
b. It conflicts with the practice of the Messenger (salla 'Llahu
`alayhi wa sallam) who accepted the sighting of people without
delay and without comparing it with astronomical evidence.
c. It resembles the behavior of the Jews who tightened the Laws
on themselves; and Allah punished them by making them even tighter.
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]
d. It shows ignorance of when an Islamic month really begins. This
point is explained by Ibn Taymiyyah (Raimahu 'Llah):
Many people think that once the new moon 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]
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]
But what if those who claimed sighting of the new moon were lying
or mistaken? As long as they are apparently acceptable and
trustworthy Muslims then we must follow their testimony and fast
(or end the fasting). We have absolutely no right to reject that
without a definite proof (applying means which conform with the
Sunnah, as outlined above.) If they happen to be indeed lying
then the sin will be theirs only, and we would still be (in sha'a
'Llah) rewarded for sticking to the Sunnah.
Unification of Sighting Locations
The above hadiths carry a general command to all Muslims to abide
by crescent sighting. In the same spirit, Abu Hurayrah, `Aishah
and others (Radiya 'Llahu `anhum) reported that the
Messenger (salla 'Llahu `alayhi wa sallam) said:
[True] fasting starts on the day that you start fasting; [true]
Fitr [`Id] is on the day that you end your fasting; [true] Adha
[`Id] is on the day that you offer your sacrifice.
[Authentic;
narrated by Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidthi and others]
Thus when the moon is sighted anywhere on earth, by at least
one trustworthy Muslim, this means that the whole Ummah has
sighted it. Based on this, as the above hadiths indicate, all
members of the Ummah are required to observe the new month as
long as the information reaches them in a reasonable amount of
time to be able to act upon it.
Misconception: Different Matla`s
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]
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]
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]
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]
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 Ramadhan 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]
Summary
The above discussion may be summarized in the following points:
a. The beginning of an Islamic month may be determined (for
purposes of fasting, Hajj, and other Islamic occasions) only
through naked-eye sighting of the new crescents.
b. Astronomical evidence may not be used to establish moon
sighting or to verify or revoke the sighting of trustworthy
Muslims.
c. Once the new moon is sighted anywhere on earth, people in all
other places who learn about the sighting in a reasonable amount
of time to be able to use it must do so.
d. A month starts when the new moon is seen regardless of
whether this occurred before, after or at the actual
possible sighting.
We ask Allah to show us the truth, and to enable us to follow the
Sunnah always. And let our final call be: Al-hamdu li 'Llahi
rabbil 'alamin.
Sha`ban 1413 (February 1993)
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