One Ru'ya for One Earth
Towards a Unified Hijri Calendar
On 1 Muharram, I was not initially suspicious. A friend posted a ‘Happy Islamic New Year’ story a day after I did. I thought, ‘Maybe they just remembered, or simply delayed it.’ But what shocked me was on 10 Muharram, the Day of Ashura. They posted their Ashura fasting story on 11 Muharram. How could it shift by a day? From there, I became worried. If Muharram can differ, what about Ramadan? Shawwal? Eid al-Adha? It is possible we and Saudi Arabia will differ again. Yet we share one Qibla, one Qur’an, one Prophet. Why does the determination of the month often differ?
This is a recurring annual problem. Every time Ramadan and Shawwal approach, the same anxiety arises. The Muslim community splits into two camps. Various debates flow online and offline; some are still fasting while others are already chanting the takbir. It turns out the Prophet explained this issue 1,400 years ago.
The Day of Fasting and the Day of Eid al-Fitr are Mentioned Together
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: ‘The day of fasting is the day when you all fast, the day of breaking the fast is the day when you all break your fast, and the day of sacrifice is the day when you all offer your sacrifice.’ (Narrated by Tirmidhi, no. 697, hasan sahih). From this hadith, it appears as if the Prophet knew that Islam would one day spread across the valleys and deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, reaching distant lands. Therefore, the day of fasting and the day of Eid al-Fitr are meant to be the same single day for the entire world. An unlettered man, unable to read or write, was able to speak of a fact relevant today. Back then, the disbelievers accused him of fabrication. Allah says about them: ‘Then he said: This is nothing but magic, imitated. This is nothing but the word of a human being.’ (Qur’an, Al-Muddatstsir: 24-25). This shows that the Prophet’s words about a single day of celebration, spoken 1,400 years ago, are proven true today. The statement of an unlettered man is evidence that the Qur’an, accused by disbelievers of being mere magic, is indeed a miracle. The Qur’an as a miracle refutes that accusation with an astonishing fact: a single day of celebration can be realised today.
This hadith indicates that determining the start of Ramadan, Shawwal, and Dhul-Hijjah is a collective matter for the Ummah. The Messenger of Allah mentioned all three in a single phrase. This is proof that Islam desires unity in the day of celebration. Allah also explicitly forbids division in religion: ‘And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favour of Allah upon you - when you were enemies…’ (Qur’an, Ali ’Imran: 103). If we are divided in the greatest acts of worship like fasting and Eid, how can we unite in other matters? Yet Allah commands us to unite upon the truth.
A Witness: The Sun That Never Disagrees
Let us observe this creation of Allah. Today, when the sun sets in East Luwu, South Sulawesi, the muezzin calls the Maghrib adhan. An hour later, the sun sets in Jakarta, and the Maghrib adhan is called again. One to two hours later, the sun sets in Aceh, and the adhan follows. Four to five hours after that, it is time for Maghrib in Mecca Al-Mukarramah. The Kaaba faces our Qibla, and the adhan is called there. A few hours later, it is the turn of Morocco, Algeria, and then America to enter Maghrib time. The question is: can contradicting the sighting of the hilal in Mecca be justified? The answer is no.
Why? Because the sun in all countries is never ‘a day different’ from Mecca. The sun only ‘recedes’ a few hours according to longitude, but the day remains the same. Monday in East Luwu is also Monday in Mecca and other countries. The same applies to Friday; only the prayer times differ. Being a day behind Mecca means we have a different day of celebration, whereas the hadith desires the same single day. The moon’s phases are made as signs of time for Hajj, and the Prophet mentioned the day of fasting and breaking the fast together with the day of sacrifice, which is linked to the Hajj pilgrimage. It is impossible for the moon to ‘jump’ by a full day. Allah says: ‘They ask you about the new moons. Say: They are signs of time for the people and for Hajj.’ (Qur’an, Al-Baqarah: 189). If the hilal is a sign of time for Hajj, centred in Mecca, then it is logical that the determination of the new month also refers to a single point. Allah has made this universal system one. If the Maghrib adhan can proceed sequentially from East Luwu to Mecca without anyone ‘missing a day’, then the takbir of Eid al-Fitr should also be able to be proclaimed on the same single day, not the day after, because we and Mecca are only four hours apart, not a day apart. We should follow the sun created by Allah, which never disagrees.