Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong your nafs during them. ... [Al-Quran 9:36]
... He has commanded that you worship not except Him. ... [Al-Quran 12:40]
... No change should there be in the creation of Allah ... [Al-Quran 30:30]
Purpose
To understand the debate whether to follow local moon sightings, or to follow the scientifically calculated dates for religious rituals.
Full Text
يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْأَهِلَّةِ قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ وَلَيْسَ الْبِرُّ بِأَن تَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِن ظُهُورِهَا وَلَٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنِ اتَّقَىٰ وَأْتُوا الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
They ask you about the new moons. Say, "They (are) indicators of periods for the people, and (for) the Hajj And it is not [the] righteousness that you come (to) the houses from their backs, [and] but [the] righteous (is one) who consciously reveres (Allah). And come (to) the houses from their doors. And consciously revere Allah so that you may (be) successful.
A few ayaat earlier in the same surah, regarding the month of Ramadhan, we read:
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
Month (of) Ramadhaan (is) that was revealed therein the Quran, a Guidance for mankind and clear proofs of [the] Guidance and the Criterion. So whoever witnesses among you the month, then he should fast in it, and whoever is sick or on a journey then prescribed number (should from days other. Intends Allah for you [the] ease and not intends for you [the] hardship, so that you complete the prescribed period and that you magnify Allah for [what] He guided you so that you may (be) grateful.
Q2:189 states that the new moons are indicators of time for people and for the calculation of the pilgrimage dates. Q2:185 emphasises the witnessing of the month.
Many people complain about the non-standardising and non-scheduling of the religious calendar, as it leads to uncertainty in official and holiday schedules. There must be a very good reason why Allah wants us to follow the lunar calendar, as uncertain as it may seem.
Time
Nobody quite knows what time is. It is a measure, and seems to vary locally, depending on several variables. As yet, no scientist and no philosopher has a proper understanding of the fundamental nature of time. There may be many surprises in future as our understanding of time refines.
The Months in The Calendar
Historically, there have been many calendars, but the earliest were probably the lunar calendar. Also, there have been variations in the number of months, some following a twelve month calendar year and some using a thirteen month calendar year.
In Surah at-Taubah, the correct number of months is clearly stated:
إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِندَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ فَلَا تَظْلِمُوا فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَقَاتِلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ كَافَّةً كَمَا يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ كَافَّةً وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الْمُتَّقِينَ
Indeed, (the) number (of) the months with Allah (is) twelve months in (the) ordinance (of) Allah (from the) Day He created the heavens and the earth; of them, four (are) sacred. That (is) the religion the upright, so (do) not wrong therein yourselves nafs. And fight the polytheists all together, as they fight you all together. And know that Allah (is) with the righteous.
[Al-Quran
9:36; edited in italics to retain the word
nafs]
Creation & Command
Allah has created everything perfectly with great precision and attention to every detail. Even a cursory glance at the cosmos, the macro or the micro, reveals that everything is perfectly created and is functioning with great precision. The galaxies, the stars, the planets, the precision of the day and night, the pathways in and between the cellular structures of living things, everything is so detailed and so well-made, that it is an evidence, a testament to the perfection, and attention to detail, of its Creator.
In Surah al-Fussilat (Explained in Detail), ayat number 12, we read that Allah decreed the set of commands to each sky (كُلِّ سَمَاءٍ أَمْرَهَا), by which it functions, when he separated them into seven skies:
فَقَضَاهُنَّ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ وَأَوْحَىٰ فِي كُلِّ سَمَاءٍ أَمْرَهَا وَزَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَابِيحَ وَحِفْظًا ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ
So He completed them as seven firmaments in two Days, and He assigned to each heaven its duty and command. And We adorned the lower heaven with lights, and (provided it) with guard. Such is the Decree of (Him) the Exalted in Might, Full of Knowledge.
[Al-Quran
41:12; Translation: Yusuf Ali]
In Surah at-Talaq (The Divorce), ayat number 12, we read that Allah governs and comprehends all things in His Knowledge:
اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ وَمِنَ الْأَرْضِ مِثْلَهُنَّ يَتَنَزَّلُ الْأَمْرُ بَيْنَهُنَّ لِتَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَحَاطَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عِلْمًا
Allah is He Who created seven Firmaments and of the earth a similar number. Through the midst of them (all) descends His Command: that ye may know that Allah has power over all things, and that Allah comprehends, all things in (His) Knowledge.
[Al-Quran
65:12; Translation: Yusuf Ali]
The Sun & The Moon
The Quran is quite clear that the Sun and the Moon move along very precise paths:
الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍ
The sun and the moon by (precise) calculation,
Surah Yasin describes it in some detail:
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَزْوَاجَ كُلَّهَا مِمَّا تُنبِتُ الْأَرْضُ وَمِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَمِمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
وَآيَةٌ لَّهُمُ اللَّيْلُ نَسْلَخُ مِنْهُ النَّهَارَ فَإِذَا هُم مُّظْلِمُونَ
وَالشَّمْسُ تَجْرِي لِمُسْتَقَرٍّ لَّهَا ذَٰلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ
وَالْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَاهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّىٰ عَادَ كَالْعُرْجُونِ الْقَدِيمِ
لَا الشَّمْسُ يَنبَغِي لَهَا أَن تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ وَلَا اللَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ
Glory be (to) the One Who created (in) pairs all of what grows the earth and of themselves, and of what not they know.
And a Sign for them (is) the night. We withdraw from it the day. Then behold! They (are) those in darkness.
And the sun runs to a term appointed for it. That (is the) Decree (of) the All-Mighty, the All-Knowing.
And the moon - We have ordained for it phases until, it returns like the date stalk, the old.
Not the sun is permitted for it - that it overtakes the moon, and not the night (can) outstrip the day, but all in an orbit they are floating.
The Moon (الْقَمَرَ) is mentioned
27 times in The Quran. Interestingly, the Moon takes around 27 days to orbit the Earth, and it also takes around 27 days to spin on its own axis.
The Sun (الشَّمْسُ) is mentioned
33 times in The Quran. A lunar year is shorter than a solar year. Interestingly, 33 lunar years is the time it takes for lunar-solar cycle to re-align or re-synchronise.
Solar & Lunar Calendar
وَلَبِثُوا فِي كَهْفِهِمْ ثَلَاثَ مِائَةٍ سِنِينَ وَازْدَادُوا تِسْعًا
And they remained in their cave (for) three hundred years and add nine.
In Surah al-Kahf, ayat 25, the amount of time the people slept in the cave is mentioned according to two calendar system. Assuming that the calendar systems referred to in the ayat are the solar and lunar calendars, this most probably indicates that primarily the calendar being used then also was the solar calendar; however that count needs to be adjusted to the lunar year count to get the correct number. This is to be achieved by adding the difference between the solar and lunar year count (9) to get the number in lunar years:
300 years * 365 days in a year = 109,500 days
(300 + 9) years * 354 days in a lunar year = 109,386 days
300 years * 365.242 days in a solar year = 109,602.6 days
(300 + 9) years * 354.367 days in a lunar year = 109,499.403 days
In fact, Q18:12 mentions that the reason they were raised up was to see which of the two parties could best calculate the time elapsed:
ثُمَّ بَعَثْنَاهُمْ لِنَعْلَمَ أَيُّ الْحِزْبَيْنِ أَحْصَىٰ لِمَا لَبِثُوا أَمَدًا
Then We raised them up that We make evident which (of) the two parties best calculated for what (they had) remained (in) time.
Follow the Lunar Calendar & Moon Sightings
The fact that the Sun and the Moon follow very precise paths is the reason why their positions can be calculated in advance. However, the Creator who decreed these precise calculated movements also knows what is the correct measure of time. Allah has decreed the crescent sightings of the lunar year to be a measure of calendar years for us.
Since Allah has already declared that the number of months are twelve in Q9:36, then we must adhere to the twelve month calendar as is, as well as follow the local lunar sightings, as guided in The Quran (Q2:185, Q2:189), so as to be able to perform our rituals on the correct dates.
Changing the calendar to conform to global standards or adjust to meet specific needs is a mistake and an increase in disbelief:
إِنَّمَا النَّسِيءُ زِيَادَةٌ فِي الْكُفْرِ يُضَلُّ بِهِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يُحِلُّونَهُ عَامًا وَيُحَرِّمُونَهُ عَامًا لِّيُوَاطِئُوا عِدَّةَ مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ فَيُحِلُّوا مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ زُيِّنَ لَهُمْ سُوءُ أَعْمَالِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ
Indeed, the postponing (is) an increase in the disbelief, are led astray by it those who disbelieve. They make it lawful one year and make it unlawful (another) year, to adjust the number which Allah has made unlawful and making lawful what Allah has made unlawful. Is made fair-seeming to them (the) evil (of) their deeds. And Allah (does) not guide the people - the disbelievers.
To quote from
Wikipedia as on June 13, 2020 || Shawwal 22, 1441:
Lunisolar calendars[edit]
Most calendars referred to as "lunar" calendars are in fact
lunisolar calendars. Their months are based on observations of the lunar cycle, with
intercalation being used to bring them into general agreement with the solar year. The solar "
civic calendar" that was used in
ancient Egypt showed traces of its origin in the earlier lunar calendar, which continued to be used alongside it for religious and agricultural purposes. Present-day lunisolar calendars include the
Chinese,
Vietnamese,
Hindu, and
Thai calendars.
Synodic months are 29 or 30 days in length, making a
lunar year of 12 months about 11 days shorter than a
solar year. Some lunar calendars do not use intercalation, such as most
Islamic calendars. For those that do, such as the
Hebrew calendar, the most common form of intercalation is to add an additional month every second or third year. Some lunisolar calendars are also calibrated by annual natural events which are affected by lunar cycles as well as the solar cycle. An example of this is the lunar calendar of the
Banks Islands, which includes three months in which the edible
palolo worms mass on the beaches. These events occur at the last quarter of the lunar month, as the reproductive cycle of the palolos is synchronized with the moon.
[6]
Start of the lunar month[edit]
Lunar and lunisolar calendars differ as to which day is the first day of the month. In some lunisolar calendars, such as the
Chinese calendar, the first day of a month is the day when an astronomical
new moon occurs in a particular time zone. In others, such as some
Hindu calendars, each month begins on the day after the full moon or the new moon. Others were based in the past on the first sighting of a
lunar crescent, such as the
Hebrew calendar and the
Hijri calendar.
And Allah knows best!
Some other ways to think about religion, time, and space (in this blog):
References & Links:
Kindly search online for: nature of time or physics of time or simply what is time for several links attempting to understand or describe time.
Last updated on: June 19, 2020
