Happy New Hijra Year 1433
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
CA
November 27 th marks the first day of Muharram and the beginning of the New Hijra Year 1443, according to the Hijra calendar adopted by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) in 2006 when it announced a 20-year fixed calendar based on the moon sighting in Makka.
Hijra calendar is a lunar calendar. It is the only lunar calendar where no effort is made to synchronize it with the solar calendar. Besides Muslims, lunar calendar is used by many nations, such as Chinese, Indian, Jews but their calendars are synchronized with the solar calendar, hence they are all lunisolar calendars.
A lunar month may vary from 29.26 to 29.80 days. The average lunar month is 29.530588 days or slightly more than 29.5 days. Twelve average lunar months are equal to 354.3670 days while the solar year is 365.2422 days. Therefore, the Islamic calendar gains ground in relation to the Solar Calendar at the rate of about 11 days a year or about one-year in every 33 years.
Since no effort is made to link the Islamic calendar with the solar year the Islamic months do not correspond to a particular season. A lunar month is not less than 29 days or more than 30 days. But in solar calendar the days of months vary from 28 to 31.
Luni-solar calendars
Like Muslims, Jews followed a calendar based upon naked-eye observation of new moons for more than a thousand years. However, persecution of the Jews under the Roman Emperor Constantius (337-361) in the name of Christianity prevented communication among the Jews about the observed calendar, and forced them to switch over to an entirely computed calendar. This forced Rabbi Hillel II to promulgate the fixed computed calendar in 358. Its computations were designed to simulate the practical constraints of the observed calendar (including postponements and intercalations) as closely as possible. The Jews never returned to their original tradition of following a purely lunar calendar determined by eyewitnesses; instead, they continue to determine the new moon calculation.
Two other major world calendars which used lunar dates for religious and cultural festivals are the Chinese and Hindu calendars but both are now lunisolar like the Jewish calendar, i.e. synchronized with the solar calendar.
Now reverting to the ISNA universal calendar; in August 2006, ISNA announced a 20-year universal Islamic calendar based on astronomical calculation. ISNA’s criterion for beginning the new month is moon birth before 12:00 Noon GMT. In response to my query, Syed Khalid Shaukat, national coordinator and moon sighting consultant to ISNA, explained that the moon born before 12:00 Noon GMT (say on a Friday) means it is born in every town of the world before Friday begins. It will be about 18 to 30 hours old near International Date Line on the evening of Friday. So, it would be visible somewhere on earth on Friday. In some months, it will be visible in California and Hawaii (Muharram 1428). In some months it will be visible in Alaska (Rabi2 1428). In some months it will be visible in the whole of North America (Rabi1 1428, Jumada2 1428, Safar 1429, Rabi2 1429). In some months, it will be visible in Hawaii (Rajab 1428). In some months it will only be visible in South America or Polynesian Islands (Dhul-Hijja 1427, Shawwal 1428).
So the practical implication for Muslims in North America is that the new moon for the months of Ramadan, Shawwal and Zel Hijja will not be SEEN in N. America by the calculated ISNA dates for 2006-2011.
ISNA calendar did not attract much attention in the Muslim countries but many mosques and Islamic centers in Europe and North America adopted it. However, ISNA did not succeed in its primary objective of promoting unity in the Muslim community at least outside the Islamic World. According to my research most of the Islamic centers and mosques have ignored the ISNA calendar for beginning the month of Ramdan and Eidul Fitr and Eidul Adha.
Attempt to unify Hijra calendar
Probably this is the second time in 1400 years of Islamic history that an attempt is being made to abandon actual moon sighting for the beginning of the new Islamic months. In the 10 th century AD a calendar based on astronomical calculations was instituted by the sixth Fatimid caliph Abu Ali Al-Mansur Al-Hakim (985–1021). It is therefore sometimes referred to as the Fatimid or Misr (Egyptian) calendar. The calendar was rejected by the scholars of the time as an unacceptable innovation. According to some historical accounts of the Fatimids in Libya, the Qadi of Barqa was put to death in 953 for observing the fast of Ramadan by sighting the new moon instead of following the astronomical calculations.
It is believed that the Fatimid practice in using astronomical conjunction as the starting point for Ramadan was not due to the complexity of calculating physical sighting but rather to their belief that their doctrines were scientific. Other than the Fatimid practice, there is no evidence that Muslims have ever advocated calculation in lieu of sighting until the 21st century.
Probably, with the exception of Saudi Arabia, Islamic calendar is not followed by the 1.3 billion or so Muslims for their day-to-day routine. They follow the Gregorian calendar in mundane affairs while the Islamic calendar is used in religious matters such as the beginning of the month of Ramadan and Eidul Fitr and Eidul Adha.
Saudi & ISNA Hijra Calendars
Saudi lunar dates are not calculated from the earliest visual sighting of a crescent moon in Makka. Before 1420AH, the Saudi calendar was fixed by the astronomical conjunction date based on the meridian of Greenwich. Since 1999 (1420AH) Saudi lunar month begins at sunset of the 29 th day if: (1) The geocentric conjunction occurs before sunset; and (2) The moon sets after the sun (in Makka). If the two conditions are not met, then the current lunar month lasts 30 days. Of course, the moon’s actual visibility in Makka on the conjunction date or at the next sunset is not assured.
Apparently, ISNA consultant, Khalid Shaukat in 2006 did nothing but rehash the Saudi rule into: “Islamic month begins at sunset of the day when the conjunction occurs BEFORE 12:00Noon GMT” (3:00pm Makka time). Obviously, the two are almost identical and a crescent will not be visible on the dates calculated by either Saudi or ISNA criteria.
Early Islamic scholars based their position on the saying of Imam Tirmidhi and many other scholars of Hadith that for each town its own visibility. There was a consensus of the ‘knowledgeable on this position ("Li Kulli Baladin Ru'yatuhum...wa Alaihi Ijma'-u Ahlal Ilm”). All these positions were apparently in accordance with the means of communication available in that age and were meant for people of their era.
This ruling is cumbersome for the Muslims in North America as they have to apply for leave for Eid festivities from work or school in advance. It affects different type of planning in all the Muslim communities.
While explaining its position on the fixed Hijra calendar in 2006, the Fiqh Council of North America said among other things: (1) Announcement of Islamic dates will help Muslims to plan their activities in advance, facilitating their ability to take off from work or school. (2) Muslim of America will become more united in their celebrations. (3) Muslims of America can also work to have their Islamic holidays officially recognized. (4) The Muslim community of North America will lead the way towards the development of a unified global Islamic calendar for the whole Muslim world.
However, five years after its adoption of fixed Hijra calendar, ISNA has failed in its objective as many Islamic centers and mosques have ignored ISNA calendar and followed the traditional method of moon sighting.
Interestingly, the 56-member states Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) in 1997 passed a resolution on a unified Hijra calendar for the beginning of lunar month and the unification of Islamic holidays. However, no Islamic country dared to ignore the tradition of announcing the beginning of the Islamic months through moon sighting committees. Even Saudi Arabia which relies on astronomical calculations for its official lunar calendar relies on the decision of the moon sighting committee for religious events.
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