“People ask you (O’ Muhammad) concerning the Hilal (phases of moon). Say: They are signs to determine time for the sake of people and for Hajj…” [Qur’an: 2, 189]
Moonsighting becomes a hot topic and a controversial one each year as the month of Ramadan approaches. While the Islamic centers engage in policy-making and figuring out who to follow and how to keep the community intact, emotions rise, debates flare-up between self-styled progressives and those who they consider ancient, the pre-disposed go insane muddling over any reasoning pursued, and the community gets divided, no matter what. Ironically, from a juristic point of view, a purely Islamic issue becomes a mockery contest for a few and the silent majority follows, for convenience, whoever prevails in controlling the show. The fallout may vary from community to community, but a day of most sacred worship in Islam turns into a day of disunity and fiasco.
It is important to understand the issue of moonsighting in the light of the Qur’an and Sunnah: “Whoever witnesses the crescent of the month must fast the month.” [Q, 2: 185] Thus, Islamic calendar is based on the lunar system with twelve months in a year (see Q, 9: 36); the beginning of each is determined by sighting the Hilal (crescent). The Arabic word Hilal used in the Qur’anic text for crescent refers to the phase of the new moon when it becomes visible and can be sighted by the human eye. While there is consensus on the lunar calendar, how to determine the beginning of an Islamic month is relatively a recent debate.
An actual sighting of the moon is an established method supported by evidence in the Qur’an and narrated and practiced by the Prophet Muhammad SAW: “A month is either 29 or 30 days long. So, if you see the Hilal then fast; and if you see it again (at the end of Ramadan) then break your fast. And when the sky is overcast, then complete the count – 30 days.” [Nisai] This Hadith and others like this clearly put forth the criterion used in determining the beginning of an Islamic month: A lunar month will end after 29 days only if the Hilalis physically sighted, and nothing else.
There is agreement among Muslim scholars, including the four major Imams, on this rule and they never entertained any other notions. Ibn Tamiyyah, for instance, states in no uncertain terms: “We know for sure that, in Islam, using calculations to determine the sighting of the Hilal concerning fasting, Hajj…is not allowed.” Muslims have contributed to and appreciated the scientific and technological advances, but never allowed such changes to interfere with the rules adopted by their noble leader whose wisdom and vision continue to unravel every day.
Not only the Prophet SAW has guided us on how to begin a month, but also how to proceed should there be a controversy. Once there was a disagreement among the companions regarding the moon. Some thought it was the moon of the 2nd, while others argued for the 3rd. The Prophet SAW decreed: “Count it when you sighted it the first time.” [Muslim]
The followers of Islam have not tampered with the prescribed rules because of their awareness that Allah SWT has declared: “This day I have perfected for you your religion (Islam)…” [Q, 5: 3] This verse unequivocally establishes the universality of Islam. This means, that for those aspects of life that need to be shaped in a certain way, complete guidance has been provided in absolute terms. Other areas, where human intelligence is sufficient to regulate life, have been left to individuals’ discretion to adapt with time. The given rules, designed divinely with the future projections of, among other things, science, technology, and human limitations in consideration, are universal. The impact of all evolutionary processes and man’s intellectual contributions, that could possibly influence the applicability of the Divine Laws to human functions is fully reflected and factored in.
For example, by using mechanical devices, the life of a patient may be prolonged today and terminated at will. Can this enhanced capability of man now refute Allah’s claim that everybody’s death time is pre-determined and His challenge that: “…Allah reprieves no soul when its time has arrived…?” [Q, 63: 11] Of course not; Allah SWT was aware before the pre-determination what man could and would do centuries later. After all, it is He Who has instilled these capabilities in him. Thus, any intrusions or amendments to the specified laws, for whatever justifications, would simply contradict the claimed universality of Islam, and the authenticity of the Qur’an, and may even discredit the mission of the Prophet SAW.
The astronomical calculations provide another method that is being promoted in total disregard to the injunctions of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. This is a new phenomenon advocated by those who are overwhelmed by the astronomical discoveries as if they have just seen the daylight. Unity, solidarity, progress, and certainty are the buzzwords they use to arouse the sentiments of people and rally support around their viewpoint. Tragically, the apathetic crowd is willing to innocently follow, as if it does not matter. This method recommends the commencement of the Islamic month based on the birth of the new moon, which can be determined with accuracy, as known to man for ages.
Of course, Islam does not ask us to divorce reasoning or inquisition for enlightenment. Given that, the Muslim scholars, as early as the 7th century, have used scientific and astronomical techniques to predict the new moon. The prediction of the lunar calendar is not a new advent of astronomy either, as some progressives naively seem to project. The early Arabs, who were traveling all over for trade and commerce, were using these techniques for their daily business activities. They used a calculation-based-lunar calendar for approximate projections and planning, which they would revise upon actual sighting of the moon for each month and for observing the Islamic events. Of course, these projections can be made much faster today with the aid of advanced techniques and instruments.
We must also be mindful of the fact that the advances in science and technology are only relative and are far from being complete, confirmed, or absolute. In the past, ranking Muslim scholars have been jailed and tortured for refusing to accept calculations over actual sightings. This has happened as late in the technological era as man’s walk on the moon. These scholars believed that using the calculations would be a step toward the pre-Islamic period of ignorance and would constitute a betrayal of the Prophet’s practice and directives.
Unlike the birth of the moon, its visibility (14+ hours after birth), however, cannot be pre-determined and pre-recorded, as it depends on the combination of numerous unpredictable factors and prevailing conditions. With the knowledge granted to Allah’s Messenger, he miraculously predicted the unpredictability of moonsighting when he made the statement: 
“We are an illiterate nation. We do not write or calculate months…” [Muslim 1806, Bukhari 1780, Nasai 2111, and Abu-Dauwd 1975] Given that the sighting is required, the Prophet SAW assured his followers that they would never be literate enough to predict with certainty the sighting of the moon and therefore must not engage in a worthless exercise. Obviously, this statement is specific only to the moonsighting and is not a reference to calculations or exploratory intellectual efforts in general. It is important to note that the text of the Prophet’s statement is not conditioned upon the level of literacy in this context either. No level of astronomical expertise can have any bearing on it. As to the literacy itself, nobody can dispute the enormous emphasis the Prophet SAW has placed on seeking knowledge of any kind beneficial to human development. To him, the ink of a scholar is holier than the blood of a martyr. Further, this Hadith reinforces the simplicity, universality, and sufficiency of Islam in running the day-to-day affairs of collective life.
It does not need any stipulations to understand the intent of the Islamic Shari’ah for discerning the beginning of a new month. Only an actual moonsighting determines the end of a month in 29 days and the beginning of the ensuing month. The Prophet himself has enunciated this principle: “Do not fast unless you see the moon, do not break your fast until you see the moon.” [Bukhari, Muslim, Nasai, Abu-Dauwd, and Muatta Malik] It is now an obligation of a Muslim community as ibadah (worship) – fard-e-kifaya, to make an effort to sight the moon after the sunset on the 29th day of the current month and to start another ibada, such as fasting. This is analogous to wadu (ablution) before salat (prayers); both are different forms of ibadah, yet related. Moonsighting is important for keeping track of the Islamic lunar calendar in a Muslim society. If some individuals discharge this duty, the obligation is fulfilled on behalf of the rest; otherwise, the whole community is accountable. Were it not a form of ibadah the Prophet SAW would not have made a special du’a after sighing the new moon every month that he passed down to his followers.
It is clear that determining the beginning of a new month through astronomical calculations is unfounded in the Shari’ah and is prohibited by the Hadith referred to earlier, as the birth of a new moon is not equivalent to the sighting. The use of such calculations, however, in some cases may be beneficial. The difference lies in how the information is used. There is no harm, for example, in rejecting a claimed sighting that cannot be scientifically authenticated. This is similar to rejecting a claim by someone having seen the Hilal on the 28th of Sha’ban.
Obviously, the adoption of astronomical calculations for observing the Islamic events has only one motive: The convenience of certainty, the rest is fluff. But certainty in everything is not necessarily to our benefit. Had it been so, Allah SWT would have commanded us to use the solar system, instead of the lunar. It is His mercy again that He has kept hidden the Lalatul Qadr (the Night of Power) so that we have the excitement and reward in seeking it over several nights. The uncertainty about our death keeps us functional, productive, and adventurous till the end. Certainty would have encouraged some to continue committing sins until the day before, while others would have become incapacitated prematurely. Clearly, uncertainty surrounding some events, including moonsighting, provides motivation to excel.
Where certainty is needed, Islam adopts other means. It uses, for example, the movement of the sun relative to earth for the salat timings, because it runs on a set path and we need to program our daily chores with relative confidence. It is not a coincidence that the Prophet SWT revealed the inability of a man to determine the sighting of the moon by using astronomical data and prohibited such efforts, but did not prohibit similar calculations to set the daily salat times based on the solar system.
Summing up, three cardinal principles must be understood clearly: First, the birth of the new moon and its visibility are two distinct occurrences in time, 14 hours or more apart. Allah SWT calls them His signs. Second, man has been able for a long time to pre-determine the birth of a new moon by using astronomical data; the visibility of the moon as Hilal, however, cannot be pre-determined by such calculations. And third, the evidence in the Qur’an and Sunnah is conclusive that an Islamic lunar month ends after 30 days unless the Hilal is sighted at the end of the 29th. It’s then logical that the astronomical calculations are not acceptable over actual moonsighting to begin a month.
It must be acknowledged that the advances in science and technology are overwhelming astonishing and consequential. They are generally beneficial in most sectors of life. In fact, for many, they are too irresistible to stick to the old rules prescribed centuries earlier. For others with deeper understanding, however, these advances are the manifestations of intellectual rigor of the human brain that Islam urges to exert to excel. Each new phenomenon deepens their conviction in the authenticity of Islam and the validity of its code of conduct. This partly explains the Prophet’s statement he made in his Final Sermon: ‘…convey it (my message) to others…; maybe the later generations will understand it better than the earlier ones.’ Divinely revealed, Islam is a dynamic system of life. As instituted, its fundamentals have the inherent capacity to sustain their currency and veracity through time.
The emerging new frontiers over time and their implications, nevertheless, may occasionally present issues not already addressed in the existing framework, for being beyond human comprehension at the time. Such scenarios offer opportunities for scholarly contemplations in pursuit of solutions to developing problems. Islam does provide flexibility to resolve these challenges methodically and thoughtfully. Such efforts are considered commendable and the collective Islamic scholarship is expected to take the lead. Yet, these contributions for adaptability must be supplementary and within the defined parameters without overriding any of the given injunctions or rendering obsolete any of the Prophet’s practices. It must be noted that no forum of the Islamic jurists or scholars can legitimately issue a ruling or pass a judgment concerning a matter already ruled upon by Allah SWT and His Last Messenger, as it is final.
Islamic Point of View 