“It’s political, it’s always been. So rather than attributing it to matters of faith, one has to look at these fights among the clerics over the moon sightings as something concerning their own narrow political considerations, and also their convenience!”
Many may find this statement very disconcerting as it is targeted at the people who are somehow placed beyond the pale of any worldly criticism. Their white robes and brown cloaks seem to give them absolute immunity from even the very reasonable evaluations and assessments their claims and beliefs may OTHERWISE attract.
So, end the argument; leave it as it is. Or else, let’s see how the available scientific knowledge and technology could be harnessed to put an end to the controversies which primarily arise because in certain matters we conveniently turn our backs on what even rudimentary scientific knowledge has to offer.
Cut to the chaos on the night of March 22 this year. While people were waiting for the formal announcement on the commencement of the holy month of Ramzan, our own “grand mufti” Nasir-ul-Islam announced that the new moon was not sighted anywhere in Kashmir. He asked people to observe fasting from Friday, March 24, 2023. However, the Anjuman-e-Sharian Shian, another religious body, said it received confirmation of the moon sightings, and asked people to fast from Thursday, March 23, 2023.
Capping the matters came in the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee in Pakistan, which late in the night of March 22 announced that they had got the requisite evidence of a moon sighting and so the fasting month of Ramzan was to start Thursday, March 23. Following this announcement, people in the Valley, in defiance of their “grand mufti”, headed to mosques and made announcements that Ramzan had begun, and arranged special Ramzan prayers (Tarawih) on Thursday night itself.
Ideally, this should have put the matter to rest; but this is not how Nasir-ul-Islam wanted it to be. “I stand by my decision as no credible witness is on record from any territory in J&K (on moon sighting) and as such the holy month of Ramzan here will begin on Friday,” the “grand mufti” announced on Thursday night even as Tarawih prayers were going on across Kashmir, including in dozens of mosques in the immediate vicinity of his Soura residence.
Interestingly, a couple of days later, Islam conceded that Ramzan, as per his announcement, had started late by a day and that those who had followed his orders should observe a day of fasting (Qaza) after Eid in the month of Shawaal!
Now this is not the first time (nor last) that Kashmir has seen such confusion over the sighting of the crescent moon. Nor is Kashmir the only place that has seen contradictions and controversies over the issue. However, what is distinct here is that the abrasive and often antagonistic politics between India and Pakistan also get automatically drawn into it.
Now it cannot be mere coincidence that the people of Kashmir, almost always, tend to go with the announcements of Pakistan’s Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee over moon sightings instead of following India’s Hyderabad-based Markazi Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, or New Delhi’s Shahi Imam, or even Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband. This year too, while the fasting month of Ramzan started in Kashmir on March 23 (Thursday), in the rest of India, it started on March 24 (Friday).
Embarrassed by the controversy, BJP leader Darakshan Andrabi, who heads the J&K Waqf Board, said J&K would have its own Ruet-e-Hilal Committee in the future. “We will put an end to such chaos by next year. It is an era of technology, and everything is available, we will take measures to end such chaos by next Eid,” Andrabi said.
Now whether the Waqf Board follows up on her commitment over the issue or not remains to be seen; however, it goes without saying that matters as important as the calendar (Islamic lunar calendar in this case) cannot and should not be left to the discretion and decision of a few clerics, whose knowledge of the scientific phenomena and mathematical calculations is often depressingly very limited. One may appreciate their knowledge of the religious texts and their acumen to interpret them, and as such always turn to them in matters concerning the sacred text; but when it comes to anything scientific, there are obviously experts in this domain who could, and should be roped in.
It is time when we should seriously think of, and actually put to rest any controversies and confusions with regard to the sighting of the moon to decide on the complexion and character of various months of the lunar calendar followed by the Muslims for observance of religious rituals and festivities, such as commencement of the month-long fasting, the Ramzan and two Eids – Eid-ul-Fitr, the end of Ramzan festival and Eid-ul- Azha, the Eid following the annual Hajj, the pilgrimage in Mecca.
The case as of now is that determination of exact dates for each of these events has never been easy, or without controversy. This is why there has been an ongoing debate among Islamic scholars about the sighting or positioning of the new moon and its implications for the commencement of a major activity such as Ramzan and/or celebrations of two Eids.
Some scholars, using ‘positional astronomy’, rely on the ‘scientific method’ to determine the exact position of the new moon without physically sighting the same and yet there are many who rely on bare eyes to physically sight the new moon (‘observation method’) before commencing the fasting month or celebrating the Eid. From a broader Islamic juristic perspective, some believe it is not easy to draw a conclusion on this matter, so they say that the issue warrants thoughtful and constructive deliberations to resolve the controversy and confusion once and for all.
According to Imam Bukhari, the author of the largest collection of authentic Sahi Hadith, or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad –PBUH), the Hadith concerning the subject says: “Do not begin the fast until you see the new moon and do not break the fast (at the end of Ramzan) until you see the new moon. If the new moon is obscured from you, then enumerate it (i.e. work out when it should be).’ {Al-Mutwatta, Al Bukhari 18.1.1}.”
The last sentence of this Hadith is significant in the sense that it insists if the new moon is not be sighted with bare eyes because of clouds, sandstorms, haze, or any other obstacles, the faithful should be ‘enumerating’ or ‘work(ing) out’ (i.e. calculating) the best and the most scientific way possible to determine the moon’s position. If for some reason it is still not possible to work it out, it is advisable to wait for an additional day before celebrating Eid and/or commencing the month of Ramzan. This is the most authentic and important Hadith that clearly advises how best to determine the new moon’s position/appearance.
In essence, the Hadith requires Muslims to ‘work out’ (or calculate) the time of the appearance of the new moon. That means, if we are sure enough that the new moon has already been born and has gained enough maturity, we may start fasting or celebrate Eid, whichever is the case.
Common sense has it that during the early days of Islam, there was no other way but to sight the new moon with bare eyes. As a result, if the moon could not be sighted with bare eyes on an overcast evening, they had to wait for an extra day to make sure that the new moon was already in the sky. Please note, on the 30th day, there is no requirement even to sight the new moon. That means, the emphasis is not on the mere sighting of the moon, but the confirmation of the moon being in the sky in a certain position (even if it is still hidden under the clouds)!
Today, with the help of science, it is possible to know the exact position and time of the appearance/sighting of the new moon long before the actual day of such sighting. Therefore, with the help of science, ‘working out’ (calculating) or determining the actual position of the new moon is possible without even looking at the sky which, in turn, could serve as the basis for starting fast or celebrating Eid. It does not contradict the above-mentioned Hadith or the instruction by the Prophet (PBUH).
Pertinently, the United Nations Headquarters in New York determines Eid days (both Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha) based on astronomical data and includes them in its official holiday calendar at the beginning of the year!
For sighting the new moon, nations like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia have already embraced technology and astronomical calculations.
For the purpose of sighting the new moon, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has established standardized procedures and standards. These standards are based on mathematical calculations and take into account both the observer’s location on Earth and how close the moon is to the sun. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are two Muslim nations that have embraced these scientific techniques for moon sightings.
The use of technology for moon sightings is widely accepted in Malaysia and Indonesia. The “Governmental Observatory of the Republic of Indonesia” is an organization that the Indonesian government set up to track and report the sighting of the new moon. The organisation employs telescopes and scientific computations to determine the crescent moon’s sighting.
Similarly, the Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM) in Malaysia employs astronomical calculations and technology for determining the new moon’s sighting. JAKIM also works with ANGKASA, Malaysia’s national space agency, to use technology to establish the new moon’s appearance.
One member of Qada (scholar/justice department), one from KACST/Astronomer, one from Amarah (governing council of the city), and other local volunteers make up Saudi Arabia’s numerous Hilal sighting committees. The committee determines the sighting of the crescent moon using sophisticated telescopes and astronomical calculations.
Science, it must be understood, is an aid and not an adversary to our religious belief system (with few exceptions). Science has allowed us to unlock and understand a lot of religious mysteries. Moreover, if we observe carefully, we will see that we rely heavily on science to perform many of our daily religious rituals. For example, we use watches to perform daily prayers and even to start and break the fast during the month of Ramzan. The use of high-powered binoculars and telescopes is fairly common among the followers of the ‘observation method’, who are, in essence, utilizing scientific means to maintain many of the Islamic rituals including the sighting of the new moon. Hence, science is already in use in many aspects of observance of our religious practices including observing the moon and celebrating other religious and cultural festivities.
But as we have seen, sometimes the religious leaders are adamant about the need to witness the new crescent with bare eyes. On the one hand, they advocate this old practice of moon sighting while on the other they adopt scientific calculations where they find it convenient (go to the statement at the beginning of this write-up).
For instance, as per the scriptures, the daily prayer timings were determined by the position of the sun and the length of shadows. The time of breaking and opening of the fast was also required to be determined by observing threads of light and darkness. But nowhere on the globe do we see these leaders observing shadows and light to ascertain prayer timings. Rather, they rely on watches and clocks created through science. They rely on the annual prayer timing calendar created by scientists by observing the movement of the sun over time. If such a calendar — Meekat-us-Salat – can be adopted by the religious clergy, why can’t the same be done in the case of a lunar calendar?
Unfortunately, Muslim religious leaders have always been on the wrong side of history whenever it comes to the adoption of scientific inventions. Islamic civilization has seen catastrophic consequences of their opposition to the use of the printing press! Initially, the inventions like television and loudspeaker were also opposed by religious leaders, but today they have adopted them because they know that without the use of science and technology, they cannot even call faithful for prayers to the mosque (say Azan), not to speak of being able to arrange and manage the annual Hajj pilgrimage when some 4-5 million Muslims from across the world congregate in the holy cities of Mecca and Madinah (Saudi Arabia) to perform identical and simultaneous rituals.
The good thing about relying on science for sighting the crescent moon is that it would allow the global Islamic community to perform Eid and commence the fasting in a uniform, systematic, timely, and uncontroversial manner. It will also eliminate within a country any differences and/or confusions among the Muslims in choosing the day to commence fasting or celebrate Eid, especially in countries where Muslims are a minority and where confusion with moon sighting prevent the Muslims to observe their most important ritual such as Ramzan and celebrate Eids together on the same day.
Bangladesh, for instance, has made a beginning; they have vested the responsibility of announcing the moon sighting with the National Moon Sighting Committee, headed by the minister in charge of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The 18-member committee, however, among others also has the chairman of Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Institute, and the director of Bangladesh Meteorological Department as its members. The committee makes use of scientific equipment, including an optical theodolite device, and a high-powered telescope to watch and locate the new moon. The final decision of moon sighting, however, is still based on the ‘observation method’.
In the present era of scientific and technological advancement, those who are still avoiding the use of scientific knowledge for making an Islamic calendar and getting over the feuds and having to wait till midnight for a confirmation of a moon sighting, are doing so for their own convenience and vested interests, including their unwillingness to let go of the leverage they have in matters of faith, and which certainly is the source of great political and economic power they enjoy.
However, it goes without saying, they are doing no good to anyone. Today, people, including Muslims have expertise and access to technology to understand the calculations of when and where the sighting occurs. Recorded data shows how the science of moon sightings is compared with the actual observations. The results show that calculations of sightings and observations have matched every month since 1993. Calculations of moon sightings and actual sightings are not two different things for an Islamic calendar as it has been found that they both match.
With today’s technology, calculations are far more accurate than the claims of sightings. Experience suggests that people often mistake other objects for the crescent moon. Calculations for sighting are surety (Haqqul-Yaqeen), while claims of sighting may be suspicion (Zann) or mistake!
Allah has given us knowledge about the motions of the earth and moon, and an Islamic calendar based on calculations that has proven to match with actual sighting would enable us to plan ahead of time, while actual sighting will prove to be confirmatory. This only meets the intent of the Qur’an and Sunnah and its benefits greatly surpass the consequences faced by false claims of sighting and waiting for a decision until midnight.
So let Jammu and Kashmir take a lead in initiating this scientific way of ascertaining the position and size of the new moon. The Government of India could initiate this project from its only Muslim-majority area of the country as a gift to the entire Muslim population in India and elsewhere. Mind it, this won’t cost much in terms of money, but its political dividends by way of goodwill make it a highly worthwhile investment.
Tailpiece: Some of you may have noticed in the text above that we have placed “grand mufti” within a pair of quotes (commas). Well, with due respect to Nasir-ul-Islam as a person, we are not very comfortable with the term Grand Mufti, and there are reasons for it. If his father, the late Mufti Bashir-ud-din could so easily pass on this heritage to his son and make him the “grand mufti” of Kashmir (some claim the entire J&K), then by the same token, every judge in any and every court of the country, or at least J&K, must also be given the privilege of appointing their sons and daughters as their successors in the judicial positions and institutions headed by them. Remember the office of the Mufti is a quasi-judicial forum in Muslim societies!
We are also not sure if there is anything like a “grand mufti” elsewhere in other Islamic or Muslim countries in West Asia (say Saudi Arabia or Iran), Africa (say Egypt), or even South East Asia (say Indonesia or Malaysia)!
We are also not sure if in J&K itself, this institution of the “grand mufti” has been created by an act of legislation. If yes, then only the “grand mufti” has some legal sanctity and relevance; otherwise, it is no more (or less) important than countless other similar groups which despite existing on the ground have no legal existence; and hence are redundant. By the way, even if there was a legal sanction to it previously, what is the case now — after the reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019?
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