How would you want to rate the arguments of in this article? For or Against? About Moon-sighting in Nigeria Luqmaan K. O. Babalola Saturday, 26 July, 2014, the President of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Sultan Muhammad Saad Abubakar announced the end of Ramadan, 1435 and consequently the following day, Sunday, 27 July as the 1st of Shawaal, the day of Eidul Fitr, 1435 in Nigeria. Majority Muslim population in the country were happy to witness the 1435 Eid, except a few individuals or communities, especially in the Southwest, who chose not to be satisfied with the announcement for their personal reasons! Many discussions and arguments trailed this not-unusual dissension, not because of the dissension itself but for the seeming internal disaccord within the Supreme Council because of the opposition of the Secretary-General to the Presidents declaration. To us, the Nigeria Muslims, a two-day phenomenon for Eidul Fitr is not strange! For well over three decades, the North/South dichotomy on the issue of moon-sighting has been stiff. However, while the North has consistently followed the Shariah-based laid-down procedure for the counting of the lunar months, the South regrettably has taken to a position, which has no basis at all, and in fact alien, in this religion. Reliable scholars of all ages have agreed (and have not disagreed) that the guidance of the prophet (sallaLlahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallama) is that: Fast when you see it (the crescent) and break when you see it. In case of cloud cover (which prevents seeing it), then count 30 days for the outgoing month. Here it is evident that the procedure for counting the lunar month is to first look out for the new moon in the evening of the 29th day of the outgoing month. If a new moon is sighted then, then counting of the new moon begins, otherwise the next day is the 30th of the outgoing month and the new month begins thereafter. The point here is the looking-out for the new moon – searching for it in the sky. This is exactly the occupation of our people in the North, while wild complacency (under-the-roof crescent fixing), unappealing criticism and blatant mistrust are our lot in the South. Or how do we classify arguments such as: Why Nigeria only? Hausas are afraid of fasting 30 days, Hausas are not trustworthy, is our moon manufactured in Nigeria? Sighting is not possible at so-so date; against clear evidences and testimonies that people saw it with their very eyes in not one, not two, not three, not even four distant-apart locations in the country! A few questions have been running through my mind after the Eid on Sunday. I have had opportunity to discuss them with people and I consider it pressing to use this occasion to make them public, perchance, those who may heed may heed, in shaa-a Allah. I do hope if we put down the toga of ego and approach the matters of our religion with the high sense of duty and obedience to our Lord, we would strike an accord in the end. Yes, the first question is: who is the leader of the Muslims in Nigeria? President of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Sultan Muhammad Saad Abubakar, without doubt. I assume no one will say otherwise. Not even non-Muslims. Next, did we hear his declaration (aired on NTA) that Ramadan ended 26 July and that Eid (1st of Shawaal) is 27 July? Yes, we do. Then, what is our obligation to the leader of the Muslims at all times? The prophet of Allah (sallaLlahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallama) said to us: Hear and obey. Did we obey? No! Why? Because we think it is not possible to sight it at the time! Now, what is it that disobeying the leader called? Rebellion! May we not be associated with it and may we not be so labeled. Not only by the people, but by Allah, the Most High, who appointed the Sultan as our leader. Next, since we claimed that the crescent was not sighted on Saturday, then was there any other sighting or announcement on Sunday when we only counted 29, that necessitated breaking the following day, Monday? As far as I know, no! In fact we stopped the taraweeh and didnt get up for sahuur even without any other announcement on the day we counted as 29th! Then wouldnt it have been correct if we continued and counted 30 on Monday and the break on Tuesday? Otherwise, will it not imply indirectly that we still worked with the sighting we rejected? Or there may be another theory: that since the binoculars have predicted that the moon will be born so and so time and travel so and so hours before sighting is possible, and those hours have passed even if not sighted by anyone, we can take it that it is already sighted, even if by birds of the sky! Then will this theory be good? The sweeter of the two is bitter as they say! The most likely is that we had followed the sighting we rejected, possibly unknowingly. It is important to mention here that this has been our culture down South in the past few decades. Sometimes we started together with the North at the beginning with their sighting, and refuse at the end because we love to fast 30 instead of 29. Now let us take a look at the binoculars theory. Isnt it based on human calculations? Is it error-free? Shouldnt we question the calculations first before rejecting practical seeing? After all, they say seeing is believing. It is not known scientifically that all calculations must be correct. As we have been doubting their sightings, shouldnt we have commissioned groups in those high-visibility areas to join their search teams? Doing this, wouldnt we have, possibly, been able to advance better arguments? Not doing so, wouldnt it mean we only like to sit down crescent-fixing and criticizing blindly, so to say? More so, we ourselves know that the meteorologists, many times based on similar calculations, predict rain and it is sunny daylong! Also, we all know that the age of technology is little compared to the age of revelation, and Muslims have been doing the fast long, long before the advent of moon-sighting technology. As far as I know, I have not read or heard any scholar mentioning texts (either of the Quran or hadith) which talk about moon birth (even mere mention), lest linking it with the actual sighting. Though moon birth as phenomenon may be accepted by science and everyone as a possibility, since textual evidences have not indicated such connection, we should believe firmly that Allah, the All-Knowing, is not forgetful. What if the Sultan was wrong? May Allah forbid! Even at that, has the prophet (sallaLlahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallama) not said: the mujtahid who misses it gets a single reward? What if he merely says the moon has been sighted without mentioning locations? Wouldnt it suffice for us from our leader? Would we not find peace by following instead of crying all the time? Let us reflect. Instead of disobeying, shouldnt we just continue to pray for Allahs guidance for him, believing that even if he makes mistakes after conscientious efforts, he also gets a reward for the efforts, in shaa-a Allah? And if there are two camps (as obvious) – the machine campaigners and the callers to the sunnah, with which should those who ascribe to Islamic scholarship align – the machiners among whom they do not have authority except hearsay or people of texts among whom they are at home? Some have sure chosen the wrong camp and it is the mother of ironies! May Allah, the Almighty, preserve our Sultan Muhammad Saad Abubakar, protect him, guard and guide him in the discharge of his duties to the ummah. May He preserve the sultanate and guide all of us to that which straight and overlook our shortcomings. And may He, the Most High, strengthen Islam and its leaders all over the world, protect them and guard and guide all aright. 5 Shawaal, 1435 (31 July, 2014)
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 06:05:27 +0000
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