Friday, 5th of December, the Sultan of Sokoto (the acclaimed Ameer-ul-Mumineen [Leader of the Believer] in Nigeria), Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar III, declared Sunday, 7 December 2008 as Eid-al-Adha in Nigeria. The Sultan premised the decision on the sighting of the new moon on Dhul Hijjah on the of Thursday, 27 November, which makes Friday, 28 November the Ist day of Dhul Hijjah.
Incidentally, the day the Sultan declared as the day of Eid in Nigerian coincided with the day pilgrims were standing on Arafah as the climax of the hajj rites. According to a report, the Sultan had also relied on the advice of a committee headed by Professor Abubakar Aliyu Gwandu, former yice chancellor of the Usman Danfodio University and also former chairman of the National Hajj Committee.
The decision of the Sultan drew the ire of across section of Muslims both in Nigeria and abroad. Emotions ran very high and in the midst of outbursts of anger and disbelief, some have sworn never to rely on the Sultan again for any of the Muslim religious celebrations. Some of those who obeyed the Sultan’s directive did so reluctantly and only in deference to constituted authority. In the face of this unfortunate event, it is important to objectively scrutinise the Sultan's decision within the framework of the Shariah and educate the Muslims on the position that is most consistent with the Sharia'h.
So, beyond this din and emotional outburst, could the Sultan have been right? Has it ever occurred in Islamic history since the times of the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (sallalaahu alayhi wa sallam) that while some of the Muslims considered a day the of Arafah, others considered the same day the day of 'Eid?
So far, all the responses to the Sultan's Eid can be summarized into six objections:
I) The Muslims are united in following the sighting of Saudi Arabia for determination of Eid al-Adha
2) It is a well-known tradition that Eid al-Adha is connected to and comes after the Day of Arafah. So we should have discarded our own sighting and followed Saudi Arabia's at least for the Eid al- Adha.
3) It deprives the Nigerian Muslims (who are not on hajj) the opportunity of fasting on the day of Arafah.
4) It runs contrary to the spirit of world Muslim unity.
5) Why should Nigeria always be different?
6) The information management of the Sultan and NSCIA on that issue was very poor.
How should the dates of Islamic celebration be determined?
From the foundation of the difference of opinion which led to the reaction that followed the Sultan’s announcement is some misunderstanding regarding the method by which dates of Islamic celebrations are determined.
Thus, before we begin to evaluate the merit of each of these objections, it will be apt to examine the method by which dates of Islamic celebrations are determined.
The Qur'an affirms "Ahilla" (the crescent moons) as the "Mawaqeet" for all Islamic dates and for the Hajj. Allaah says:
"They ask you (O Muhammad SAW) about the new moons. Say: These are signs to mark fixed periods of time for mankind and for the pilgrimage." (Q2 [Baqarah]:189).
In determining the beginning and end of Ramadan fast, Allaah's Messenger (Salallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Observe fast when you see it (the new moon and break fast when you see it (the new moon of Shawwal), but when (the actual position of the month is) concealed from you (on account of cloudy sky), then count thirty days." (Bukhari).
With regard to the fasting of Ashura, Hakam b. al-'Araj reported: "I went to Ibn 'Abbas (RA) and he was reclining using his mantle as a pillow near the fountain of Zamzam. I said to him: Tell me about fasting Ashura. He said: the new of Muharram then count (days) and observe fast on the 9th. I said to him: ‘Is it how the Messenger of Allaah (Salallaahu alayhi wa sallam) observed the fast?’ He said: “Yes.” (Muslim).
As for the Eid al-Adha, the Prophet (Salallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Fast when you see it (the crescent) and stop fasting when you see it and slaughter your sacrifice by it (the sighting). When it is concealed from you complete it to be thirty. If two people bear witness to seeing it then fast and break your fast.” (Ahmad, Nasaai-saheeh).
In another wording of the hadeeth, the Ameer of Makkah, Haarith bin Hatib (RA) said:
“The Messenger of Allaah (Salallaahu alayhi wa sallam) ordered us to base our religious observances on the (moon) sighting. When we do not see it (i.e the crescent), but two just persons testify to (seeing) it, we should act based on their testimony”. (Aboo Dawood-Saheeh).
Based on the foregoing evidences, the standard in the Shari’ah for discerning the beginning of a new month, the end of the last month and for determining the dates of Islamic religious observances is the actual sighting of the moon!
As for those who clamour for astronomical calculations, this is clearly unfounded in the Qur’an and Sunnah. The Prophet (Salallaahu alayhi wa sallam) incessantly emphasized:
“Do not fast unless you see the moon.” (Bukhari).
Meaning that if you do not see the moon, then do not begin the month of Ramadan and likewise, do not celebrate the Eid until you sight the moon.
In another hadith the Peophet (Salallaahu alayhi wa sallam) clearly forbade the reliance on calculations. He said: “We are an illiterate nation. We do not write or calculate months.” He said: “it is like this, this, or this.” So saying, the Blessed Prophet lifted his hands three times with all fingers spread, the first two times and the thumb hidden the third time to indicate 29 days. Then he said “the month is like this, this, and this” and lifted his hands three times, this time all fingers spread out each time to indicate 30 days” (Muslim).
The Prophet (Salallaahu alayhi wa sallam) certainly didn’t mean to say that this is an ummah of illiterates, but rather he is emphasising the simplicity of our religious observances. The purpose behind this is to declare that we are not going to use calculation to determine our months. This is a universal religion. Anyone from anywhere can follow it wherever he may be, if the system was based on calculations, the decision of millions of people would be in the hands of the few who would decide when the month begins and when it ends.
Instead, Islaam based the lunar calendar on moon sighting so that even the Bedouins, who are out of touch with most modern sciences and technologies, could sight the moon and know when the month begins and ends.
Which Sighting should we follow?
After establishing the validity of moon-sighting as a determinant of Islaamic dates and the invalidity of astronomical calculations, the question of which sighting to be followed also begs for answer. Those who have tried to answer this question fall into four different opinions:
Follow Universal Moon-sighting?
The first opinion is that wherever the moon is sighted in the world, whether it be for the beginning (or end) of the new month. If we review the hadeeth, we find it certainly accepts the possibility of this opinion. For example, it says in the hadeeth:
“Upon seeing the moon, begin your fast and upon seeing the moon, end your fast (meaning, make your next day the day of Eid).” (Bukhari).
It could be said that this means that wherever the moon is sighted, Muslims all over the world will begin or end the month. Thus, many people with this opinion use this type of hadeeth to support their claim that wherever the moon is sighted, every Muslim around the world should begin the new month. But if we look at this practically and realistically we see that few actually act upon this opinion. Indeed, many of those who hold this opinion use it as back-up evidence to prove that we should only follow Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, when news of moon sighting reaches them from any other part of the world, they do not accept it!
Follow Saudi Arabia?
The second opinion is that we should follow Saudi Arabia. From the Shari'ah point of view, there is no evidence for this in the Qur'an and Sunnah. There is only the emotional argument put up by some people that: Since Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam or it is where the Blessed Prophet (salallaahu alayhi wa sallam) lived therefore it should be recognized as the prime decision maker in such important matters.
The former Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh Bin Baz (RAH) ruled:
"As for those who say that it is necessary to follow the sighting of Makkah, then let it be known to them, that there is no proof or basis for this in the Qur'aan and Hadith". (Al-Ba'ath ul Islaaami Zil Hijjah 1399 Hijri).
Aside from having no basis in Shari'ah, this opinion is problematic. What if the moon is sighted elsewhere before it is sighted in Saudi Arabia? What are the Muslims of that region supposed to do? If they wait for the announcement to come in from Saudi Arabia, they would be violating the directives of the hadeeth which dearly state that fasting and breaking the fast should begin from the moonsighting. Therefore to follow the moon sighting of Saudi Arabia is incorrect whether it is for Ramadan. Eid-ul- Fitr or Eid-ul-Adha.
Follow Saudi for Eid al-Adha only?
The third opinion is that we follow the sighting of Saudi Arabia to determine the month of Dhul-
Hijjah and follow our local moon sighting for the remaining eleven months. There is no evidence
(daleel) from the Qur'an and Sunnah that some months should start in a certain way while the remainder months start in a different way. (see box: Lesson . from America and the Fataawa Islamiyyah pages).
Should Arafah determine the Eid al-Adha?
This opinion is centered around the argument that the day of Arafah is followed by the day of Eid, therefore, all Muslims of the world should celebrate the Eid following the day of Arafah In Saudi Arabia. This argument is not only bereft of any evidence from the Qur'an and Sunnah but, in fact, runs contrary to the evidence from the Qur'an and Sunnah.
I) The more authentic and widely accepted report elucidates that the first Eid prayer was observed in the second year of the Hijrah. Imam Nawawi (RAH), Ibn Hajar (RAH) and many other known authorities have maintained this point of view. (Ibn Hajr, Talkhi’s al-Habi’r Kitab al-Siyer). This is based on the hadeeth of Anas ibn Malik who narrated: “When the Messenger of Allah came to Madeenah, the people had two days on which they engaged in games. He asked: ‘What are these two days (what is the significance)?’ They said:
‘We used to engage ourselves on them in the pre-islamic period.’ The Messenger of Allaah said:
‘Allaah has substituted for them something better than them, the day of sacrifice and the day of the breaking of fast.’ (Abu Dawud).
In Saheeh Muslim it is related that: “Opinions differ as to when Hajj became obligatory but the commonly accepted opinion is that it was in the eighth year of Hijra that Allaah declared it as one of the five fundamentals of Islam. In the ninth year of Hijra the Prophet sent Abubakr as the leader of the Hajj delegation but he himself did not go.”
Thus, the first Hajj in the Islamic calendar was performed in the 9th year of Hijra. This means that for nearly seven years the Sahabah celebrated Eid and slaughtered their animals even though the Hajj had not yet begun. If the day of Eid was associated with the day of Arafah the way some people assume it is, then both would have been brought into the Shari’ah at the same time.
2) There is a specific command if from the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) that we should slaughter based on the moon sighting. He said:
“Fast when you see it (the crescent) and stop fasting when you see it and slaughter your sacrifice by it (the sighting). When it is concealed from you complete it to be thirty. If two people bear witness to seeing it then fast and break your fast.” (Nasaai-saheeh).
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited