Are We Worshipping Allah or the Moon!?

There are many sources from which one can understand how to apply the sunnah in beginning and ending Ramadhan. For example, Tajuddin Shuaib's book give an excellent explanation with evidence. This debate is becoming tiresome and it is high time we returned to the pure and simple Sunnah of the Prophet (sas) - a sunnah which can be applied by any people anywhere even if they are an illiterate folk with no astronomers and mathemeticians.

For a detailed discussion of Ramadhan and other Islamic issues and one of the best Islamic sites on the internet, visit http://www.islam-qa.com.

The following is a recent piece of e-mail correspondence. I would like you to contemplate very carefully my answer which is the topmost part:

As-salaamu alakum:

Judging the month by any number of people NOT seeing the hilal is surely an innovation (bid'a) in the religion and cannot be supported by ANYTHING from the Qur'an, the Sunnah or the practices of the first few generations.  If this is not so, then haatoo burhaanakum in kuntum saadiqeen (bring forth your proof if indeed you are truthful).

The Sunnah of the Prophet (sas) is that the testimony of a single non-discredited ('adil - wa al-asl fiy al-muslim al-'adaala) that they saw the crescent is sufficient to begin and end the month.  All this concern about "But, was it REALLY there?" and these huge efforts to avoid "false sightings" is unnecessaary effort (takalluf) in the din.  We will never arrive at a methodology superior to that of Allah's Messenger (sas).  The REALITY of Ramadhan is that it begins on the day arrived at by the methodology of the Sunnah - NOT the day of the astronomical reality of the crescent.  If a non-discredited Muslim is caused by Allah to imagine the crescent or even to lie about it and he testifies to the Muslims THEN IT IS RAMADHAN.  If you reject that testimony based on calculation or "scientific impossibility" - criteria not used or sanctioned by the sunnah - THEN YOU WILL FAST OTHER THAN RAMADHAN.

In Islam there are issues (masaalih) which are acknowledged (mu'tabara) and others which are disregarded (mulghaa).  If an issue is not NEW, then we can learn from the Sunnah if the issue at hand is valid or not.  The plague of "false sightings" is a disregarded issue.  There is no obligation nor any need to undertake worldwide efforts to stave off the "horror" of a false sighting.  The Prophet (sas) established no sunnah whatsoever to critique the testimony of a sighting or verify it from scientific knowledge (which existed at that time) other than to require 'adaala (being non-discredited) on the part of the witness.  Had a witness been mistaken or intentionally lying during the time of the Prophet (sas), HE (SAS) WOULD HAVE FOLLOWED THAT SIGHTING.

Please understand very clearly what this means:  if these heroes of our times in their valiant struggle against "false sightings" manage to uncover one, then we would fast and/or break fast ON A DAY OTHER THAN THE DAY THAT ALLAH'S MESSENGER WOULD HAVE FASTED IF HE WERE HERE.  I will continue to worship Allah on the Sunnah of the Prophet (sas) insha Allah.  Those who reject the testimony of a non-discredited Muslim will eat on a day of Ramadhan and/or fast on 'Eid and will be looking for lailatul-qadr on all the wrong nights.  When their practice diverges from what the Prophet's (sas) sunnah would have lead to, which one do you want to follow?

For you well-intentioned brothers on your crusade against these horrendous "false sightings", you have one and only one tool at your disposal if you want to stay within the bounds of the sunnah:  Form organizations in every Muslim country and start educational programs on how to sight the hilal, what it looks like, what time it is there, etc.  Then, when the "false" witness comes in, send in your task force, take him into a room and explain why what he saw couldn't have been the hilal.  If you convince him, get him to retract his testimony, and all will be happy and the sunnah will not be violated.  You will have accomplished nothing important, but you clearly feel that it is important.  On the other hand, if you continue to demand that Muslims depart from the sunnah of the Prophet (sas) by rejecting testimonies that he (sas) would not have rejected with no basis from the sunnah, the Ummah will never unite because there will always (insha Allah) be those who know better.

                                        -- Salim Morgan