I don’t get it! Why the hell is the first of Ramadan different on different parts of the globe! (or is it Ramazan??!! Another dispute!) I just don’t get it! This year it was 4th Oct in some places like Maldives, the Saudis, North America, and today 5th Oct for Malaysia, and some others, and tomorrow for Pakistan, Nepal and some others! What the hell is wrong! Isn’t this supposed to be one “umma”?
All fingers point to the sighting of the moon! That’s what the Muslim calendar or rather the lunar calendar is based on. I had a look at the translations of the Holy Qur’an (is that how to spell it in English! Yet another dispute!) There clearly is mention of sighting of the moon, but I wonder if it strictly means sight as in with the naked eye. The holy book contains very many mathematical mysteries and I believe (many scholars too believe) the “sighting” can very well refer to scientific / mathematical sighting as well!
Apparently this is a dispute among the “dhannabeykalun,” the learned scholars of the religion! I read this, and many more stating so. They disagree on using the mathematical principle. They also disagree that sighting the moon in one area (either way; with eyes or from math) is binding on Muslims in other areas as well. What do they agree on? To disagree I guess. They haven’t found a solution. Well I know the saying “emeehakah emeehegge dheen” (each person’s religion for his own) but we are talking of the same religion here!
Absurd, isn’t it. The very calendar we Muslims follow is a disagreement! No wonder the Muslims are getting all sorts of names! Sad isn’t it. I know that in some places, like Pakistan, even the day of the Hajj can differ from the day millions of people together, in unison, in one place are performing and marking the day! By the way this differs from group to group in Pakistan itself! Now, how utterly ridiculous is that!
It is common logic and scientific fact that the moon sighting definitely differs from place to place on the globe. This is fact since the day we learnt the Earth isn’t flat (or is this in disagreement too, still!) Does this mean every latitude and longitude have their own Muslim calendars? There has to be some agreement on how to resolve this! The science is out there and the scientists who know this, the holy book is out there and the people who have mastered it, the Prophet’s way of life is there and the people who have become scholars of it. What the hell are doing? Why don’t they get together and burn some serious brain sugar and get it resolved!
I hope they at least are in agreement that the Day of Judgment is the one the same day for all! Or are they not?
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12 comments:
Yeah it's all a bit crazy isn't it? In fact, why not call Loony calendar from now on?
I fasted on the 5th cos Australia didn't sight the moon on the 3rd. I dunno what places like UK who didn't sight the moon are doing following Saudi and fasting on the 4th. For some places it ain't 'bout the moon anymore. It's all about following Saudi - the Maldives is bloody good at this. I personally think science complicated the moon issue. It was rather simple before - anyone who sees the moon, fast.
Human beings will fight over anything if you give them the chance to.
And oh uhm about Ramadan or Ramazan... the correct transliteration is 'Ramadan'.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_transliteration)
rxs. there are places where the roadhamas never comes. i know that you lived in a place like that for ages. did you ever think of the jugement day then? i'm sure not! it never gonna come there as well.
precisely! the muslim community is inconherent and "incoherent" atleast on this matter! madness! its like every country / community for it/themself while they follow the same belief (supposedly! duhh!)
check this
site
It is very much possible for the moon to be sighted on different days at different places.
faisal: that link in there in my post as well. hmm tells me my links arent that visible. Time to hit the template!
fake: Amen!
I know this is broken glass I am walking on, but here goes my legs anyway....
The earth is round (well we believe it to be anyway....hehe) and so it is possible for the moon to be visible from one land mass (or country) and be totally non-sightable in another. Faisal said so too!
We probably should be, but we really are not "one ummah" from most perspectives. But then again we were "separated into different nations so that we get introduced to (and learn from) each other".
The "looney" issues are old issues. If you read the same books I read, there is a story about a companion of the prophet SAW(after his passing away) travelling from syria to madina after having started fasting in syria. When he arrived in Madina people hadn't started fasting month there yet. He was told that the moon had to be sighted there itself for them to start fasting.
And there is this other piece from a Hadith book saying that if the moon was hidden by a cloudy sky and if it was not "sighted" then it WAS NOT SIGHTED! There goes the calculations.....
All that said, I believe that the "authorities" proably know more that what I have written here. They must have a reason for disagreeing with each other on this issue.
Niyaf brother: there must be more than we know. But these ppl (as i said in my post) are the learned and experts on this issue and its so far past the time that this should have been resolved. I had earlier read the Hadith that you had refered to as well. From those too, esp the cloud hiding the moon issue, I come to the conclusion that it points to not enough means being there at that time and to go by vision. But the ambiguity it left paves way for the religious experts to made a decision on that.
The glass are still broken. and its high time the authorities fixed a new window.
The Islamic Calendar began at the day and year (July 16, 622, by the Gregorian calendar) when the Prophet Muhammad emigrated from Mecca to Medina. There are 12 lunar months of alternate 30 and 29 days, making the year 354 days long.
To calculate when a new lunar month begins we need to know two facts, the first is the exact time of the birth of the new moon, and the second fact is the exact time of the sunset of the same day. The new lunar month begins theoretically at the birth of the new moon, but begins practically at the first sunset to follow the birth of the new moon. God already gave us enough knowledge to calculate the beginning of the first day of Ramadan for the next hundreds of years.
The Islamic calendar divides times into cycles 30 years long. During each cycle, 19 years have the regular 354 days, and 11 years have an extra day each.
As simple as that.
check the ayath 5:6 for the way we have to take ablution.why cant we do it the way given in quran.
we can be one ummah but if only we follow whats given?!!
"We have given in this Quran every kind of lesson for mankind.However,man is,
above all else,always given to contention"18.54
anonymous (the last one): i couldnt agree more.
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