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February 7, 2005
THE HIJRA CALENDAR
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
[February 10th 2005 begins the new Hijra year 1426. This research article traces the history of the Hijra calendar as well as tackles the controversial issue of fixing the beginning of a new Islamic month.]
The Islamic calendar is reckoned from the time of migration (Hijra) of Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) from Mecca to Madina. This migration has a special significance in the history of Islam. It ended the Meccan period of humiliation and torture and began the era of success. Prophet Mohammad (pace be upon him) expired ten years after his migration to Madina but only in one decade he changed the course of human history. In view of this special significance of the Prophet's migration the consultative body advised the Second Islamic Caliph, Omar ben Khattab (592-644 C.E.), to start the Islamic year from the date of migration of the Prophet from Mecca to Madina.
QURANIC GUIDANCE: The guidance about the Islamic calendar is taken from the following verses from the Holy Quran:
"Lo the number of the months with God is twelve months." 9:36.
"They ask thee, of new moons. Say: They are fixed seasons for mankind and for the pilgrimage." 2:189.
"He it is who appointed the sun a splendor and the moon a light, and measured for her stages, that ye might know the number of the years, and the reckoning." 10:5
The Islamic Calendar of 12 Lunar Months is determined by observation of the new moon with no effort by intercalation (addition) or other means to synchronize the Lunar year with the Solar year.
LUNAR V. SOLAR CALENDAR: A Lunar month may vary from 29.26 to 29.80 days. The average Lunar month is 29.530588 days or slightly more than 29.5 days. Twelve average Lunar months are equal to 354.3670 days while the solar year is 365.2422 days. Therefore, the Islamic Calendar gains ground in relation to the Solar Calendar at the rate of about 11 days a year or about one-year in every 33 years.
Since no effort is made to link the Islamic Calendar with solar year the Islamic months do not correspond with particular season.
A Lunar month is not less than 29 days or more than 30 days. But in solar calendar the days of months vary from 28 to 31.
A Lunar year is not less than 354 days or more than 355 days. In fact, a Lunar year is equal to 354 days 8 hours and 34 seconds but for general calculation 34 seconds are omitted. Therefore the Islamic Calendar will gain one day in 2541 years.
UNIVERSAL HIJRA CALENDAR: The questions often asked by some people regarding the lunar months are: Why is it necessary to sight the moon for the commencement of a lunar month? In this modern age, why cannot the Muslims all over the world take advantage of the astronomical calculations and decide upon the dates of commencement of lunar months in advance, especially for months like Ramadan, Shawwal and Zil Hij?
Our traditional ulema insist on sighting of the moon by naked eye. That is why in most of the Muslim countries, a moon sighting committee receives witnesses for the crescent of Ramadan and Shawwal to announce the beginning of the month of Ramadan and end of the Ramadan. Sighting of the new moon to determine the start of a lunar month is mentioned in the following Hadith: The prophet said: Start fasting on seeing crescent (of Shawwal), and if the sky is overcast (and you cannot see it) complete 30 days of Shaban." [Bukhari/Kitabus Siyam] This Hadith enjoins a different method determining the lunar dates instead of the computation. The reason for this variance is clearly mentioned in another hadith: The Prophet said: "We are an illiterate people, we neither write nor know accounts. The month is like this i.e. some times 29 days and sometimes 30 days. [Bukhari]
Today, we know that the moon, earth and other planets follow a predetermined course in space and that their precise celestial positions can be predicted for any given time in future. It is also a known fact that the lunar phases are a function of only the relative spatial positions of the moon, earth and the sun. In astronomical parlance, the new moon phase occurs when the apparent longitudes of the moon and the sun differ by zero degree. Consequently, the appearance of the new moon can be predicted to the precise day, hour and the minute.
Some people have reservations about the above argument. However, they should draw an analogy with today's universal acceptance of the prayer and fasting time schedules. In this context, the Holy Quran states: "...Eat and drink until the white thread of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread, then complete your fast till the night appears; (2:187)
However, we do not actually scan the night sky every morning to detect the "white threat". Instead, we follow the scientifically predicted prayer and fasting time-schedule for the entire year without ever having to look at the sky, the sun, the hues and the shadows.
By the same token, when the Holy Quran states: "... So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting, but if any one is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (Should be made up) by days later. (2:185)
We should recognize that the Quran presents the same issue in a different context, and as such, there should be no hesitation whatsoever to follow the scientifically predicted lunations to establish, for instance, exactly when the month of Ramadan would commence.
Moreover, the original purpose of sighting of the new moon was, in any case to facilitate time-keeping and event-marking. In this context, the Holy Quran states: "They ask thee of the new moons. Say: these are periods set for mankind (to reckon) time, and for pilgrimage." (2:189)
ASTRONOMICAL CALCULATIONS: The question of sighting the moon for each lunar month was thoroughly discussed at a conference of Islamic scholars on International Islamic Calendar, held at Pulau Pinang, Malaysia in October 1991. The conference decided that astronomical calculations on the expected visibility of a new moon should be used as an aid to sighting of crescent. The conference also agreed that any report of sighting of the crescent should be rejected if it was not consistent with astronomical calculations.
The Saudi Higher Religious Council “Majlis al-Ifta’ al-A’ala” in 1420 AH (1999 AD) adopted astronomical calculations to determine the beginning of the Islamic months for the Saudi official (Islamic) calendar. Now the rule to determine the beginning of new month is as follows: On the 29th day of an Islamic month, the times when the sun and the moon set are compared. If the sun sets before the moon, the next day will be the first of a new month; but if the moon sets before the sun, the next day will be the last (30th) of the current month. The times for the setting of the sun and the moon are calculated for the coordinates of Mecca.
The Islamic Society of North America and Shura Council of North America have decided to use astronomical method of determining the Islamic calendar for North America. In North America most of the Mosques are now following lunar calendar dates announced by the two organizations while still some still follow Saudi Arabia for Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha celebrations with the objective of establishing a uniformity in the Islamic celebrations.
At the end I will add that the differences on the sighting of moon and celebrations of Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha should not be taken as a sign of disunity among Muslims. Unity does not mean that the entire Muslim Ummah throughout the world should perform their acts of worship at one and the same time, because it is physically not possible. It is evident that when people in Saudi Arabia are performing their Fajr prayers, those in North America may still have not completed their Isha prayers of the previous day. Similarly, when Muslims in San Francisco offer their Fajr prayers, those in India and Pakistan are offering their Maghrib or Isha prayer of the same day.
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