Moon sighting for commencing Ramadan fast

IN the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Say: He is God, The One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, Nor is He begotten; And there is none Like unto Him (Qur’an 112: 1-4).

The sighting of the moon to herald the full month of Ramadan fast, as enjoined by God for Muslim believers, is crucial. Ramadan is the ninth lunar month of Islam, during which fasting is prescribed by God for all Muslims. “O ye who believe. Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may be mindful of God” (Qur’an 2: 183).

This demonstrates that fasting had been made compulsory for the continuous line of generations of 124,000 Prophets and Messengers since the creation of humanity, from Adam to Noah, Ibrahim, Moses, Isa (Jesus), and then Muhammad (SAW) (Qur’an 3: 33 – 34; 4: 163 – 165; 5: 19; 4: 84 – 90; 23: 23 – 50; 57: 26 – 27).

It is the injunction of Allah that the new moon should be sighted as a measure of time for the Islamic calendar, guiding daily activities, acts of worship, and Muslim festivals, including the Pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah.

“They ask thee concerning the new moons. Say: they are but signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men and for pilgrimage. It is no virtue if ye enter your houses from the back; it is virtue if ye fear God. Enter houses through the proper doors and fear God that ye may prosper” (Qur’an 2: 189).

Indeed, the subject of the new moon provides a good transition between the Ramadan fast, which begins and ends with the new moon (crescent); the Pilgrimage (Hajj), whose ten days in the 12th lunar month of Dhul-Hijjah commence with the new moon; and the defensive wars which Islam had to fight in self-defense against the pagans, who unleashed terror to kill, maim, and debar Muslims from the pilgrimage of Hajj after driving them out of Makkah.

“The number of months in the sight of God is twelve (in a year) so ordained by Him the day He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are sacred; that is the straight usage. So wrong not yourselves therein and fight the pagans all together as they fight you all together. But know that God is with those who restrain themselves. Verily the transposing (of a prohibited month) is an addition to unbelief: the unbelievers are led to wrong thereby: for they make it lawful one year and forbidden another year in order to adjust the number of months forbidden by God and make such forbidden ones lawful. The evil of their course seems pleasing to them. But God guideth not those who reject faith” (Qur’an Taubah 9: 36 – 37).

Since the creation of the universe some 10 to 15 billion years ago, the movement of the earth in relation to the moon has been used by the Almighty to determine dates, rather than the sun, which is used in the Chinese, Gregorian, and other calendars.

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Despite the digital technology now used to determine weather patterns and the appearance of the moon, it is amazing how Nigerian Muslims allow politics, power, creed, and ignorance to create confusion in the sighting of the moon to begin the Ramadan fast. From the South Pole, which has Antarctica as a land mass, the globe rotates around Australia, while the North Pole is located in the Arctic Ocean around Alaska in the USA.

Hence, countries around the South Pole area will sight the moon and commence fasting earlier, while the earth gradually rotates toward the North Pole for others to follow.

Beyond technology, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) advised us thus: Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said, “Fast after you have seen it [the new crescent] and end the fast [at the end of the month] when you see it. If it is hidden from you, then wait until the thirty days of Sha’baan have passed.” [Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim].

In a related hadith recorded by Imaams al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Messenger (SAW) said: “Do not fast until you see it (the moon), and do not breakfast until you see it (the moon), and if you could not see it, continue Sha’baan to thirty days.”

In another Hadith, the son of Umar related that the Prophet said: “The month is 29 days, so do not fast until you see it, and if you could not see it, complete the month; continue Sha’baan to thirty days’” [Recorded by Imaams Muslim and Ahmad].

Meanwhile, the wife of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), A’isha, related that the Prophet (SAW) was very watchful to sight the crescent of Sha’ban, more so than for other months. He used to fast Ramadan when he saw the crescent, and if he could not, he would count thirty days and then fast (Bukhari and Muslim).

The son of Umar said: “The people looked to see the crescent, so I told the Messenger of Allaah (SAW) that I had seen it. So the Prophet fasted and ordered the people to fast.” [This was recorded by Imaams Abu Dawood and Ibn Habbaan corrected it; Al-Haakim said: it is an authentic hadith according to Muslim’s condition].

In a related hadith, Ibn Abbaas said: “A Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allaah (SAW) and said, ‘I have seen the crescent of Ramadaan.’ So the Prophet said, ‘Do you witness that there is no God but Allaah?’ The Bedouin said, ‘Yes!’ The Prophet said, ‘Do you witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah?’ The Bedouin said, ‘Yes!’ Then the Prophet asked Bilaal to inform the people to fast the next day.” [Abu Dawood, Tirmedhi, Ibn Habbaan and Al-Haakim].

May Almighty Allah guide us aright in observing the Ramadan fast correctly. Ameen.