LESSON TWO

SIGHTING OF THE MOON

In fixing the time, day or period of a particular rite, religious ceremony or worship, the Shariah has seen to it that no instrument or acquired ability is needed to know or determine it. Even a layman and an illiterate village-dweller can make it out by simple observation. The hours of salaat and fasting have thus, been set in accordance with the movement of the sun. For example, the time of Fajr has been prescribed as from dawn till the rising of the sun, of Zuhr from the declining of the sun after midday till the shadow of an object extends, by one or two lengths of it, of Asr from after it till sunset, of Maghrib from after sunset till the twilight remains and Esha after the disappearance of the twilight. Similarly, the time of fasting has been laid down as from sunrise to sunset. Obviously, no special skill is required for knowing these hours. Anyone can do so. Just as the rising or setting of the sun and its ascent or decline have been made the signs or standards of the hours of salaat and fasting, keeping in mind the convenience of the people, the moon has been made the standard where duties like zakaat, fasting and hajj that are related to months or years are concerned. Reliance has been placed upon the lunar year and months instead of the solar year and months, because the layman can distinguish only the lunar months by observation, while no visible signs appear on the sky or the earth at the beginning of the solar month on seeing which one can know that the old month has ended and the new one has begun.

Anyhow, the convenience of the common man has been a major consideration behind the arrangement of months and years by Shariah, on the basis of the lunar system. When Rasulullah SalAllaahu Alayhi Wasallam proclaimed the obligation of fasting in Ramadaan, he also explained the order and regulation of its commencement and end. He told the Muslims to begin the fasts if the moon was sighted after the completion of 29 days of the month of Sha’baan, and if it was not sighted on the 29th, then after the completion of 30 days. They were, in the same way, to keep 29 or 30 fasts in Ramadaan. He gave further instructions regarding the sighting of the moon on different occasions.

WHEN TO BEGIN AND END THE FASTS OF RAMADAAN

عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ النَّبِىِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اَنَّهُ ذَكَرَ رَمَضَانَ فَقَالَ لَا تَصُوْمُوْا حَتَّى تَرَوُ الْهِلَالَ وَلَا تُفْطِرُوْا حَتَى تَرَوْهُ فَاِنْ اُغْمِىَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَاقْدِرُوْ لَهُ رواه البخارى ومسلم)

Abdullah ibn Umar RadhiyAllaahu Anhu narrated that Nabi SalAllaahu Alayhi Wasallam once whilst speaking about Ramadaan said, “Do not fast until you have sighted the new moon, and do not end the month of fasting until you have sighted [the moon of] the month of Shawwal. If the moon is not visible [on the 29th of Ramadaan], then complete it [i.e. presume the month to be thirty days].” (Bukhari and Muslim)

عَنْ اَبِىْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ صُوْمُوْا لِرُؤْيَتِهِ وَاَفْطِرُوْا لِرُؤْيَتِهِ فَاِنْ غُمَّ عَلَيْكُمْ فَاَكْمِلُوْا عِدَّةَ شَعْبَانَ ثَلَاثِيْنَ (رواه البخارى ومسلم)

Abu Hurairah RadhiyAllaahu Anhu narrated that Rasulullah SalAllaahu Alayhi Wasallam said, “Begin your fasting on seeing the new moon, and end your fasting on seeing the new moon. If the moon cannot be sighted [on the 29th], complete the 30 days of Sha’baan.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

COMMENTARY:  What this hadith signifies is that the commencement or conclusion of the month of Ramadaan depends upon the visibility of the moon. It cannot be determined simply by calculation or speculation. Moreover, one form of the visibility of the moon is that we see it with our own eyes and another is that someone else sees it, and then informs us, and we consider him to be a reliable person. Sometimes, it happened during the lifetime of Rasulullah SalAllaahu Alayhi Wasallam too, that he accepted the visibility of the moon at the report or testimony of someone who had seen it, and he SalAllaahu Alayhi Wasallam gave the order for keeping the fast or observing Eid, as the case was, as we will see in the following narrations.

عَنْ اَبِىْ هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اَحْصُوْا هِلَالَ شَعْبَانَ لِرَمَضَانَ (رواه الترمذى)

Abu Hurairah RadhiyAllaahu Anhu narrated that Rasulullah SalAllaahu Alayhi Wasallam said, “Count the moon of Sha’baan carefully for the purpose of Ramadaan.” (Tirmidhi)

COMMENTARY: This hadith means that, on account of Ramadaan, special care should be taken to view the moon of Sha’baan, and its dates remembered with care. When 29 days of Sha’baan are completed, effort should be made to sight the moon of Ramadaan.

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ كَانَ رَسُوْلُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَتَحَفَّظُ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ مَالَا يَتَحَفَّظُ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ ثُمَّ يَصُوْمُ لِرُؤْيَةِ رَمَضَانَ فَاِنَّ غُمَّ عَلَيْهِ عَدَّ ثَلَاثِيْنَ يَوْمًا ثُمَّ صَامَ (رواه ابو داؤد)

Sayyidah Ayeshah J narrated, “Rasulullah SalAllaahu Alayhi Wasallam did not remember the days and dates of any other month with such care as the days and dates of Sha’baan. He then kept the fasts after seeing the moon of Ramadaan, and if the moon was not visible [on the 29th of Sha’baan], he fasted after completing the count of thirty days.”  (Abu Dawood)