Presently, world Muslim Ummah is following 2/3 Hijri Calendars and performing Ramadan/Eid in 2/3 days country wise. Whereas, order of Allah is existing in Qur’an to perform Ramadan/Eid worldwide on the same day. But we do not know it, understand it and as such do not obey it. We count a day by 24 hours and within this time perform salat five times. Allah instructed the mankind to count months on the basis of new moons. But we do not do it or knowingly avoid it. We are habituated to count a year by 365 days. As such, our solar year becomes 11 days more in comparison to the Hijri year of 12 lunar months. At present, we can prepare Unified Single World Hijri Calendar on the basis of Qur’an, Sunnah and Astronomical science. Only 4/5 countries including Bangladesh, India and Pakistan count 12 lunar months by naked-eye moon-sighting within their own territory. All other countries in the world follow Hijri Calendar by calculation on the basis of Astronomical science. It is quite possible to perform Ramadan/Eid on the same day, if Hijri Calendar is followed by the world Muslim Ummah. But we do not do this. As a result, our 2 out of 5 main religious functions i.e. Ramadan and Hajj together with many other Fard, Wajib, Sunna & Nafal prayers are getting spoiled.
Procedure for calculation of Lunar Month and Real Hijri Calendar :-
- Hijri year counting: There is no Hadith regarding number of months that will make a Hijri year. The reason is Qur’an, which has said about 1430 years before in Sura At-Tawba, Ayat 9:36 that, “From the day of creation of the skies and earth, the number of months are 12 in His law.” As such, we count a Hijri year with 12 lunar months.
- Lunar month counting : Hadith says that, “You start fasting by seeing new-moon and give up fasting by seeing new-moon.” This Hadith tells us how we shall keep fasting in the month of Ramadan. Rasul (Pbuh) did not give us any ‘sanad’ (permission) to count 12 lunar months with the help of this ‘Saom’s’ Hadith . Again no such Hadtih is said by Rasul (Pbuh) as to how 12 lunar months are to be counted. There is only one reason behind this. And that reason is Sura Baqara, Ayat 2:189 (part) which says, “They ask you about the (12) new-moons. Say, these are the starters (of 12 months) for the mankind and (fixing date) for Hajj”. As such, the mankind will have to start 12 lunar months with the help of 12 new-moons. In that case, we shall get a single lunar month worldwide whereby all of us will be able to start Ramadan or perform Eid on the same day. Qur’an do not tell us to see the new moon. But Saom’s Hadith tells us to see the new-moon, because at that time it was not possible to count lunar months as per instructions of Holy Qur’an. That is why Rasul (pbuh) has shown us the best possible way through Hadith at that time. In the same manner, it can be said that Hadiths for determining Salat timings with the help of shadow of stick were the best possible way at that time. Now, we almost have forgotten the Hadiths of Salat by getting watch. By this, no Hadith can be said to have been abandoned. Although no Hadith is available for using watch, we perform our ‘Salat’ & ‘Saom’ with the help of it. In the same way, by following a unified single lunar month, we can perform ‘Saom/Eid in one day. Both are the contributions of Modern Science.
- Counting of Days : Hadith says that, ‘29/30 days make a lunar month.’ For this reason, we need to count days. Again, we find in many Ayats of the Holy Qur’an that one night and one day make a complete day. Moreover, within a complete day of 24 hours, performing five times salat is made compulsory for us by Allah. Muslim Ummah counts a complete day from one sunset to another sunset. As such, presently, we count a day in second, minute and hour by watch, which is legalized by the Islamic world.
- Hijri Calendar : Allah has said in Sura Ar-Rahman, Ayat 55:5 that, “The sun and the moon move according to definitely fixed calculations.” As such, we count a day by sun, a lunar month by moon and a Hijri year by 12 months. This is, in fact, the system of Allah prescribed for the whole mankind of the world and is called Hijri Calendar. But we do not know it or even do not try to understand it. Allah is so great that He has given all of us such a unique natural process for our convenience. But we have accepted the first part of His Ayat (55:5) and kept in abeyance the second part of it. How come, it is possible. Scientists have prepared Hijri Calendar upto 4999 by calculation. But, we should remember that, a Real Hijri Calendar will coincide with the new-moon and full-moon stages and will ensure new-moon sighting from any place of the world. We should, therefore, follow this Real Hijri calendar of Allah and perform Ramadan/Eid etc. on the same day/date throughout the whole world.
Some related facts : –
- Seeing has got 3 meanings: i) Seeing by naked eye, ii) Seeing by the eye of knowledge and iii) Seeing through dream. An easy example of the first two meanings is Dhaka-London flight. The plane will be visible for some time by naked eye at the beginning and at the end of the flight. But at the middle, the plane will remain invisible to us. For this we are to blame our limited eye sight and not the plane itself. As such, we must have to see the plane by the eye of knowledge, during the unseen period, with the help of telescope or by gathering information through wireless communication.
- New-moon (Black-moon or Dark-moon) : During the first-half-day and last-half-day of any lunar month we shall never see the narrow moon by naked eye from any place on the earth which is 240 thousand miles away from the moon. During rest of the period, we shall see the increasing & decreasing moon by naked eye. But during the new-moon (i.e. black or dark-moon) stage the increasing new-moon and decreasing old-moon exists in the sky. At this time, we shall have to see the moon by the eye of knowledge with the help of telescope or by calculation as per Qur’an (2:189-part, 55:5). This unseen period of the thin moon is called new-moon (black or dark-moon) stage. But the real new moon or ‘Hilal’ starts at the middle of dark stage. It means that, the ‘Qur’anic Lunar month’ starts from the middle of the dark stage of the moon.
- Salat timings : Muslims perform all salats depending upon local position of the sun. Accordingly, Friday’s Jum’a Salat is performed on the same day & date within 24 hours by the world Muslim Ummah, at about 1pm as per local time of every place. In the same way all salats (including Eid salats) are to be performed by maintaining time differences word over. It proves that a Unified World Hijri Calendar is to be followed by us. In that case, Bangladesh will be able to start ‘Saom’ and perform Eid salats 3hours before Saudi Arabia on the same day & date. As a result 1or 2 days delay will be automatically abolished.
- Full-moon occurs at the middle of the month: – Full-moon generally occurs during sunset of the 14th day of every lunar month. But as per local Hijri calendar and local pocket calendar books of Bangladesh, full-moon occurs during sunset of the 12th day of the lunar month. A lunar month which do not match with the new-moon and full-moon stages, cannot be called a lunar month. For this reason 2/3 Hijri caledars are being used in different places of the world.
- Holy Hajj : Everybody in the present day world can see through TV that Holy Hajj is being held in the field of Arafa in Mecca on the 9th of Jilhajj every year. Due to 2/3 types of Hijri calendar, this date will vary in other countries. What they will do with the separate dates of 9th Jilhajj ? Hence, it can be said that Eidul Adha salat and ‘Qurbani’ of other two groups are definitely getting spoiled every year. The fate of their Ramadan and Eidul Fitr Salat must be the same. It proves that there will be only one Hijri Calendar in the world.
- Qiamat or Doom’s day : Everybody knows that Qiamat will occur at-a-time on Friday, 10th of Muharram i.e. ‘Ashura’ throughout the whole world. Due to 3 types of Hijri Calendars and starting/ending of Ramadan in 3 groups, it is not clear which calendar the doom’s day will follow. Since Bangaldesh, India & Pakistan always follow the third calendar, there is every possibility of doom’s day coming to these countries one or two days later. It will be a good luck for us, but there is no chance like this. It proves that, there will be only one Hijri calendar in the world.
- ‘Lailatil Q’dar : Sura Q’dar, Ayat 97:1 says, “Inna anjalnahu phi lailatil Q’dar.” It means, “Surely we have revealed this (Qur’an) in the night of power (honour).” This night of power can never be more than one in the world. This indicates that there will be only one Hijri calendar in the world.
- Hadith says; “When the month of Ramadan starts all the doors of the skies and heavens are opened and the hells are closed”-(Bukhari-Muslim). By all considerations, this cannot be a piecemeal job, rather single day affair.
- Hadith says; “On the 1st night of Ramadan Devil and bad Jinns are enchained” (Tirmizi-IbnMaja). It indicates starting of Ramadan on the same day throughout the whole world.
- Hadith says; “Ummat-e Mohammadi is pardoned on the last night of Ramadan (Eid)”-(Ahmad-Nasayee-Ibn-Maja). This night will also be only one throughout the world.
Many of our prayer’s (rituals) are getting spoiled due to wrong counting of our Lunar months. I refrain from quoting many more examples to shorten the write-up. Muslim Ummah should, therefore, follow a unified single World Hijri Calendar. Until we get a Unified Single World Hijri Calendar, we can blindly follow Saudi Arabia to bring down the level of our losses to a minimum. Let us follow the Islamic Sharia properly which is one & the same for all and does not vary from country to country.
Engr. Mohammad Enamul Huq
Ex-DG, Telecommunications Staff Collage, Bangladesh.
Member (Retd.), Bangladesh T&T Board, Dhaka.
Managing Trustee, Darul Ihsan Trust/University, Dhaka.
Co-ordinator, Real Hijri Calendar Implementation Council, Bangladesh.
Secretary, Majlisu Darsil Ilm, Kalabagan, Dhaka.
Phone : +88-02-8110810, 01819-237656, e-mail : mdehuq@gmail.com
