Splitting
the Moon
By Zulfiqar Rana, MD,
MPH
Mobile, AL
Eid greetings from the US.
Every year Ramadan and Eid bring joy and excitement
to Muslims around the world. But confusion comes
along as well. That is the confusion associated
with the sighting of the Ramadan and Eid moons.
This year was no different from others. Actually
it was more confusing because the Islamic Society
of North America (ISNA) decided that it would
go by calculations instead of actual moon sighting.
However, they were sensible enough to put a disclaimer
along with their announcement. It read as follows:
"The Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA)
is encouraging all Muslims throughout North America
to consider using the methodology of calculations
for the sake of unity and to avoid the confusion
and disputes that have occurred in the past. However,
the Fiqh Council does not, and does not intend
to, force its decision on anyone or on any Muslim
community. You should follow the decision of your
Imam and your Masjid. Moreover, you should do
so with great respect and avoiding unnecessary
disputes and arguments."
I quote this statement to point out the inherent
dilemma. There seems to be a conflict between
unity and uniformity here. Unfortunately, moon
sighting has involved political maneuvering and
factional rivalries in the past. Given the political
sensitivities and schism between rival "factions"
involved it is not surprising that my local Masjid,
like so many in the US, always takes the easy
way out. It simply follows Saudi Arabia. However,
if you think about it, it becomes obvious that
this is not the correct approach. Eid is supposed
to be local. If we look at classic Islamic methodology
the whole matter is pretty simple and rests only
on the Shahada of adult Muslims. There is also
some room for error according to a narration by
Ibn Abbas. Without going into the full details,
that is the domain of Islamic Jurisprudence, suffice
it to say that the whole matter of moon sighting
is relatively simple or at least not as difficult
as it seems.
So we decided to swim against the current and
follow the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA)
– they still seemed to follow the old fashioned
and time-honored methodology of local moon sighting.
Ramadan started well – although we were
a little out of synch with our local friends.
However, on the night of moon sighting their website
stopped working! So we learned the hard way that
this approach, although ideal, is not for the
faint-hearted as it raises eyebrows in the local
community. Moreover, you also run the risk of
missing a chance to socialize and network during
Eid – a ritual only a few are willing to
forego.
The problem does not end here though. Seems like
I was in for another dilemma – this time
at an individual level. I was talking to one of
my friends the other day and the conversation
drifted to moon sighting in Ramadan. I told him
that we were not following our local Masjid as
it follows Saudi Arabia.
My reasoning was that it was not advisable to
follow Saudi Arabia in observing Eid and Ramadan
in the US but to follow the local Masjid for the
sake of unity. He made a reference to a Hadith
in which Muslims are advised to obey their leader
even if he is a Fasiq (with the proviso that you
do not have any means to remove him from office).
That obviously got us both thinking - what is
more important local unity or purity of religion
(assuming that local moon sighting is the correct
way to go). The discussion turned out to be a
little more sophisticated (or convoluted depending
on how you look at it). I felt that we needed
more evidence from the Qur’an and Hadith
to solve this riddle. I also realized that there
may not be any direct evidence but only derived
conclusions.
So there we have it. Like so many conflicts in
Islamic theology this one has a simple practical
solution - yet its implementation seems so elusive.
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