Their Disagreement with the Hadiths of the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallamLet it be known that the issuers of this strayed opinion have opposed many sayings of the Prophet of Allah.
If the Muslim just reads in the section on fasting in any of the famous books of hadith, one will find those people's opposition to the Prophet--clear and blunt. Also, one will be astonished and will question how those people will face the Prophet on the Day of Judgment when they claim to have followed him, and yet they contradict his hadith and reject it.
For you, the one who seeks the truth, following are some of these explicit sayings of the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam:
Al-Bukhariyy, Muslim, and others narrated from the route of ^Abdullah Ibn ^Umar, may Allah raise his rank, that the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said: which means: <> The Prophet made this clear statement, but those who oppose said: "We are going to fast whether or not we sight the crescent, whether or not it was cloudy--as long as the astronomer has instructed with that!!
Malik, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhiyy and an-Nasa'iyynarrated from the route of Ibn ^Abbas, that the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said: which means: <>
Those who oppose said: "Overlooking sighting is not detrimental"--even though mentioned by the Prophet"!! "Rather what is detrimental is overlooking the saying of the mathematician"--even though not mentioned by the Prophet!! 3. Al-Bukhariyy, Muslim, and others narrated that the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said: which means: <<We do not rely on writing or calculations to know the beginning or the end of the month.
The month is either twenty-nine (29) or thirty (30) days.>> In a narration by Ahmad, the Prophet said: which means: << We do not rely on writing or calculations to know the beginning or the end of the month.
The month is either twenty-nine (29) or thirty (30) days. Fast when the crescent is sighted and break your fast when it is sighted. If it is cloudy, complete thirty (30) days of Sha^ban.>> Al-Qadi ^Iyadsaid: (...by attributing them with `ummiyyah the Prophet did not mean that they are ignorant of which day was the twenty-ninth and which was the thirtieth.
The Prophet did not deny them the knowledge of such calculation, rather he gave them a rule about observing the moon to begin fasting and to end fasting. In giving the rule, the Prophet did not allow them to adopt the methodology of calculating relied upon by the non-Muslims. In Al-Ihkam. the great faqih, Ibn Daqiq al-^Id, said: "To confirm the obligation of fasting by calculation is contrary to the text. How would one rely on the saying of the one who calculates when the wise Rule-setter said: <>? Had calculation and the one who calculates been part of religious criterion for fasting and breaking fast, the Rule-setter would not have ignored this.
However, the Rule-setter guided us to something contrary to that when he said: <>"
In explaining this hadith, al-Hafidh Ibn Hajar al-^Asqalaniyy said: "The ruling for fasting and other related actions is contingent upon sighting. This is so to relieve the Muslims from the burden of calculations pertaining to the positions of the moon. The ruling for fasting continued as such even though some who knew about calculations appeared after this.
Emphatically, the meaning fundamentally negates making the ruling contingent upon calculation. This is clarified by the saying of the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, stated in the previous hadith: <>. The Prophet did not say, `Ask those involved in calculation.'"
Al-Qastalaniyy explained this hadith in his Irshad as-Sari. He said: "We were not obligated in determining the timing of our worship to be in need of knowing calculation or writing. Instead, our worship was linked to clear signs and apparent matters which can be equally known to those who calculate and to others."Look attentively at how those fabricators have neglected the hadith of the Prophet and how they follow one way and the Muslim scholars and hafidhs followanother. May Allah guide us always to the righteous path.4. Al-Bukhariyy and others narrated that the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said:which means: <>
May Allah endow His mercy on you, observe how the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, forbade fasting (like to fast relying on calculations) without sighting or completing thirty days of Sha^ban when sighting cannot be achieved. Also, observe the Prophet considered the fasting without sighting or completing thirty days of Sha^banas fasting before the time of Ramadan and prohibited it. Alas, would one who knows that the Prophet forbade a matter, yet dares to consider it lawful, have a touch of piety or knowledge?Al-Hafidh Ibn Hajar in explaining this same hadith said: "Fasting is linked to sighting, hence there is no need for undertaking a hardship (meaning calculations)." Al-Qastalaniyy copied his saying and confirmed it.
- The Prophet stressed the issue of sighting. When some of the followers of the companions said the moon was two nights old and others said it was three, Ibn ^Abbas, asked them: "Which night did you see it?" They replied: "On such and such a night." Then Ibn ^Abbas said: "The Messenger of Allah,sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said: which means: <> Malik, may Allah raise his rank, said: "The sayings of all of us are subject to rejection and correction except the occupant of this grave, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam."Every one of us rejects statements and his statements are rejected except the occupant of this grave, i.e., the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam.
This is why ash-Shafi^iyy did not rely on the statements of the astronomers and those who watch the positions of the moon to determine religious judgments and did not consider their sayings as proofs in such cases. In Al-Fath, al-Hafidh Ibn Hajar, when talking about why and when the moon eclipses and the prayer related to it, said: ".... it includes refuting those who observe the positions of the moon because they claim it does not fall except in the mentioned times.
Ash-Shafi^iyy established that the eclipse and the feast may occur together. Some of those who adopt the saying of those who observe the positions of the moon objected to ash-Shafi^iyy.
The followers of ash-Shafi^iyy refuted the person who objected and they discredited him." Also in Al-Fathhe said: "...His saying in the hadith (to frighten) refutes the claim of those who observe the position of the moon that eclipse is a standard matter and does not delay or come after. For had the case been as they claimed, it would be a frightening matter--rather it would be similar to the case of the ebb and rising tide at sea. Ibn al-^Arabiyy and more then one among the scholars refuted them by the following hadith of Abu Musawhen he said: "He stood up frightened fearing it was the Day of Judgment.
They said had the occurrence of the eclipse been by calculation, there would not have been fear... etc." It is clear ash-Shafi^iyy did not rely on the sayings of astronomers (and the like) to deduce such religious judgments because the Prophet did not consider their statements as proofs in deducing these judgments (as is clear from the aforementioned hadith). Hence, the one who follows the People of Knowledge and Merit drinks fresh water, pure from all inert materials--free from harm. Let the one who sips from the turbid water blame only himself. Section: Refuting Another MisconceptionAmong the arguments those people follow to justify their actions and convince the weak-minded ones is their talk about unity.
They said: "Abiding by calculations of astronomers in the matter of fasting and determining the beginning and ending of the month unites the Muslims, strengthens them, and prevents their disunity." Such a saying deceives the ignorant but not the intelligent, experienced Muslims. It is known beyond the slightest doubt that at the time of the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, the Muslims of the different countries of the Arabian peninsula did not begin fasting on the same day. Also, this was the case at the time of the righteous caliphs when the Muslim state expanded widely. Likewise was the case at the time of the Umayyad,^Abbasad, and Ottoman dynasties when Islam spread eastward, westward, northward and southward.
Moreover, in his sahih hadith, the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, praised the one who would open Constantinople. He said: which means: <> Constantinople (today's Istanbul) was opened during the time of the Ottoman Sultan Muhammad al-Fatih. Would one then dare to say they were dissipated, weakened, and their unity was crippled since they did not fast on the same day?
Had the Prophet and those after him wanted, they would have ignited fires on the top of mountains or followed other methods to inform the Muslims on the same night throughout the different cities about the beginning of the month. They could have made it incumbent on all to fast on the same day. However, neither the Prophet nor the Muslim caliphs did so even though they had the ability to do so. They did not restrict the Muslims to such practices, and such policy did not weaken the Muslims or drive them backward. The Muslims became disunited and fragmented when ignorance about the laws of the Religion prevailed among them. This took place when the scholars became rare and the Muslims' adherence to practicing the rules of the Religion weakened. As related by at-Tirmidhiyythe Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said: which means: <<Allah does not take the knowledge away by ordering it pulled away from the people. But Allah takes the knowledge away by making the scholars die. When no scholar remains, people take ignorant leaders for themselves from whom they seek religious answers.
Those leaders will answer them out of ignorance, thus straying themselves and others.>>
O you who are concerned about the good endings, note that Muslims used to pray to one direction in North America and that was to the Southeast (Muslims' old graves are proofs for that.) Then, some of those who did not have knowledge about the Religion (although they may be knowledgeable about geometry and the like) claimed that the right direction as due Northeast based on innovated rules and principles. They did not follow the sayings of the Imams nor their schools.
Those who did not have knowledge among the party known as Hizb al-'Ikhwan and those who reject at-tawassultook their false saying and followed it. They spread this opinion among the people and consequently the became divided into two groups: One is deceived by this innovated opinion and another adheres to the old truth. As a result, Muslims became divided and in disagreement.As if those people were not satisfied by that sedition, today they are trying to pervert the Islamic laws on the issue of determining the beginning and ending of the month of Ramadan.
They are planting new seeds for disagreement and encourage abandoning adherence to the Qur'an the Sunnah, the Ijma^,the Athar, and the Ijtihad of the Muslim scholars. Instead, they encourage following mere opinion in an effort to pull out the strongholds of Islamone after the other in a systematic attempt to destroy the Religion. In reality, their actions are indeed what fragment the Muslims and dissipate their effort. In Lebanon in 1984, the people were ordered to begin fasting on Thursday having relied on a Lebanese astronomer.
Another astronomer ruled the beginning of Ramadan to be Wednesday according to his findings, and a third determined Friday as the day to begin fasting. Is this considered uniting the Muslims? Had they known the truth, they would have realized that what they adopt is what really disunites the nation of Muhammad. Those people do not know what they are talking about. To them it is as if for fourteen (14) centuries the nation of Muhammad--both scholars and laymen--did not know the true direction of Qiblah or the true beginning of fasting Ramadan.
This is enough disgrace and misguidance on their part. Had they been sincere, they would have let the Muslims remain on the rightful track which is in accordance to the actions of the Muslims all over the earth. Let the Muslims follow their Religion without imposing hardships them like basing their fasting on calculations that most do not understand.Instead of doing that we wish those people would have turned their efforts toward teaching the fundamentals of the correct belief, the integrals of ablution, the conditions of prayers, and what is similar to that among what every Muslim needs. Let them turn their efforts toward ordering Muslims to quit drinking alcohol, refrain from committing adultery and fornication, and to stop selling pig meat and intoxicants.
Let them warn the Muslims against the sins of the eyes, the ears, the hands, and the feet. However, the one who does not posses something cannot offer it to others. The one who did not sit humbly before the scholars is not fit to guide others--even if he wanted to.Muslim related the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, praised the issue of purification highly by saying: Those people are short of knowing the purification as required and also short of knowing most of the religious rules, because their leader and example, Sayyid Qutb,made them turn away from learning the Knowledge of the Religion when he said in his Tafsir: "To work with al-fiqh at this time is wasting ones life." They followed him in that and thus destroyed themselves.
Verily to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return. In ConclusionIt is clear to every mindful person that worthless sayings are passed around by those who are against the four Islamic schools. These sayings are only a group of words with no content. It is a mirage that the thirsty may think of as water, but upon reaching it finds nothing more than an illusion. Our advice to every Muslim is to abide by the sayings mentioned by the faqihsof the four schools. The Muslim nation unanimously agreed on the high rank and integrity of those scholars.
Let the Muslim learn the rules of fasting before the month ofRamadan comes in by studying under someone who possesses both knowledge and trustworthiness and is someone who himself has acquired the knowledge from someone trustworthy and knowledgeable, and so on with a continuous chain that reaches to the Prophet.Our advice to Muslims in every city is to dispatch a group to watch for the crescent after the sunset of the twenty-ninth (29th) day of Sha^ban. If the crescent is sighted, then the next day will be Ramadan. If the crescent is not sighted, and one did not hear of a trustworthy man of a neighboring city who sighted it, then let them complete thirty (30) days of Sha^ban and fast the day after that.Furthermore, if sighting the crescent was confirmed as per religious laws in a country far away from another, (i.e., the sun's rising and setting times differ between these two countries,) the scholars applied two methods. Some of them said the Muslims of the country in question cannot fast and must complete thirty days of Sha^ban because the people of each country must sight on their own. This is the school of Imam ash-Shafi^iyy. Other scholars said they fast with those who sighted the crescent and this is the school of AbuHanifah and others.
The Muslim is not blamed if he followed the first method or the second. On the other hand, the saying that relies on the opinion of the astrologers, mathematicians, schedulers, astronomers, and the like is not considered. The one who renders such a saying a basis for judgment has committed a grievous mistake. Truthful is the Prophet, who as narrated by al-Bukhariyy, said: which means: <>
Finally brothers and sisters, blessed be those who abide by the Muslim Jama^ah, their masses of scholars, and the sayings of the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam. On the Day of Judgment regret shall be to those who follow a way other than that of the believers and stray away from the believers' methodology. Praise be to Allah who is clear of all non-befitting attributes.
And Allah knows best.
[This message has been edited by Ahmad G (edited November 30, 2000).]