Eclipsing the Ramadan

Every year Muslims all over the world face the same problem: determining the beginning of Ramadan and Shawwal. Some insist on their own sighting of the moon, while others follow astronomical calculations, and still others follow the first sighting of the moon anywhere. This has lead to a wide gulf difference; Last year, some began their fasting on Wednesday, others on Thursday and yet others on Friday. This was the scenario of Ramadan '92.

Those who insist on their own sighting of the moon base their opinion on the adoption of "Ikhtilaf al-Matalea". This opinion means that different regions should sight their own moon. This opinion is what was reported by Imam Muslim that Kuraib said:

Um-Fadl sent me to Muawiyah in al-Sham. I accomplished the objective of my travel. Ramadan came while I was there and the moon was seen on Friday night. At the end of the month I returned back to Medina where Ibn Abbas asked me, ‘When did you see the moon?’ I answered, ‘Friday night,’ Ibn Abbas further inquired, ‘Did you see it with your eyes? ’ I replied, ‘Yes, and also the people saw it. Thus the people and Muawiyah fasted.’ Ibn Abbas said, ‘But we saw it on Saturday night and will keep fasting until we finish the 30 days or see the moon.’ I asked Ibn Abbas, ‘Don't we follow Muwiyah's sighting and fast?’ Ibn Abbas replied, ‘No, that is what Rasul Allah (saaws) ordered us.’ Reported Muslim.

Imam Shawkani said with regards to Ibn Abbas's Statement, "We are asked to follow what Ibn Abbas reported from Prophet (saaws), not his (Ibn Abbas) understanding of what the Prophet (saaws) said." The statement means that this was Ibn Abbas's understanding of the Prophet's order. Therefore, Ibn Abbas's statement has no authority.

In addition, since Ibn Abbas said, "No, that's what Rasul Allah ordered us" people adopting Ikhtilaf al-Matalea believe that every location has its own sighting. Many Imams have discussed this statement of Ibn Abbas and have concluded that the Muslims are asked to follow what the Prophet (saaws) has said and not the understanding of what the Prophet (saaws) said. In this incident it is the understanding of Ibn Abbas of what the Prophet (saaws) said.

Furthermore, the Prophet (saaws) said, "Don't fast until you sight the moon." (Bukhari & Muslim) In another Hadith reported by Muslim the Prophet (saaws) said, "Fast for its sighting" implying the fasting commences by the physical sighting of the moon. These two Hadiths address the Ummah as the global Ummah not individuals.

The words Sumu (in the plural form addressing all Muslims) li Ruyuatih and Ruyuatih denotes fasting and sighting of the moon to all the Muslims, without any restriction including geographic boundaries. Furthermore, the Prophet (saaws) ordered the Muslims to fast if the moon is sighted. These Hadiths are general and do not require a sighting for every location. Once, Rasul Allah (saaws)fasted upon a traveler coming and reporting (the traveler was a Bedouin) that he had sighted the moon. This action indicates that he (saaws) fasted without sighting the moon in Medina.

Technically speaking the moon is born at one time only, but it can't be sighted in all places. If the moon is born above India, Muslims in India can't see it, (because of the latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates of India in relation to the path of the moon.) However, Muslims in Morocco can see it. Thus, the Muslims in India don't have to wait another day to sight the moon, since it has been sighted, and the Prophet (saaws) ordered us to fast by its sighting.

Therefore, Ramadan begins on only one day for all Muslims all over the world, as it does for the beginning of Shawwal.

One would say that since the times of prayers are different around the earth, the time of fasting may be different. This is correct if we are talking about the beginning of fasting each day and ending the fast on each day, since the time of fajr and maghrib are fixed on the solar time table. It should be noted that the solar system is different than the lunar system. For example, if a brother breaks his fast in New York, this does not give us the reason to break our fast in California, as it is known that a fast can only be broken via sunset. In contrast to this example the beginning of the lunar month is the same for all localities. Therefore, one can easily see the contrast between the two systems.

Here in the US, saying that we are living in a unique situation, some Muslim organizations like ISNA are trying to conduct an independent sighting in concordance with ‘Ikhtilaf al-Matalea’. But at the same time they want to make their sighting and decision binding upon all Muslims in the US, and thus adopting ‘Ittihad Matalea’, a tactic that ISNA employs.

In 1992, one of the fiqh council members in ISNA said in a local newspaper that Thursday marked the beginning of Ramadan. This statement was issued despite the moon not being sighted on this continent. Since it was sighted in Egypt and Sudan, it was possible that the moon was in the sky. Later on it was announced by ICNA that even Thursday was an incorrect date and that Ramadan should have begun on Friday.

One would ask on which basis was it decided that Thursday was the initial day of Ramadan? If it was based on Ittihad Matalea then it should have begun on Wednesday. If it was based on Ikhtilaf al-Matalea, it should have begun on Friday. But we can't mix the two opinions together like ISNA did. Let us stick to the text and call Muslims to use the sighting by the eye that Allah (swt) gave in lieu of astronomical calculations, since the text is very clear.

Regarding astronomical calculations, it can't replace the sighting because the Hadith is very clear in its text. It cannot be interpreted in another way because any interpretation must have linguistic justification. It should be interpreted according to the rules of Usul al-Fiqh.

In the context of an object, the word ‘Ra'a’ means to actually visualize it through the sensory organs of sight. For example, in the Arabic language if one is using this word with regards to an object then it can only mean visualizing it through the eye, therefore in this context it can only mean the actual visualization through the eye. In the conceptual arena, it can also mean knowing via intellect if you are talking about abstract things such as thoughts. For example, the other possible meaning could be about a thought, such as a phrase used in English ‘I see your point.’ However, this Hadith is talking about the moon, which is something tangible.

Claiming that since Muslims use calculations for their prayer, they should use calculations for fasting is an absurdity because in ibadat we cannot exercise Qiyas (analogical reasoning). Also, our timings for prayers depend on the movement of the sun. The solar movement is fixed and does not change, unlike the lunar, so the prayer schedule is based on the schedule of the sun. This same timetable is applied in the opening and the breaking of the fast.

Muslims in the past were pioneers in astronomy but they never used its calculation properties in determining the beginning of each month in the Islamic calendar.

OH MUSLIMS! Let us be a part of the unified body of the Muslim Ummah. We cannot be divorced from each other and we should not give any group or individual the chance to disassociate ourselves from the rest of the global Ummah. The only rule which can unite the entire Ummah is Ittihad Matalea.

Let us work on implementing this rule and fast together and later on if any error was discovered in sighting the moon, it can be corrected but such an error is not a reason for us to abandon Ittihad Matalea.

The Prophet (saaws) states regarding the trial (fitna) that, "The knots of Islam will be broken one after another. This first knot to be broken is the knot of ruling; the last is the knot of prayer." The knot of ruling was broken in 1924 when the Khilafah was demolished. Let us work to prevent the knot of fasting from being broken by these practices.

Ar-Raya Magazine