3 etiquettes of the recitation of the Holy Quran
Fasting: An effective tool to build psychosocial health
Page 6
Page 3
A
100 years ago...
Revelation of the Quran in Ramadan
‘Everyone here should have embraced Islam’: The impact of Islamic teachings on the West
Three meanings explained by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud Page 8
Page 7
THE WEEKLY
www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 28 March 2025 | Issue CCCLXVII Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL, UK info@alhakam.org | ISSN 2754-7396
The moon sighting paradox: Navigating the lunar calendar conundrum As Eid approaches, Muslims worldwide eagerly await the lunar sighting, a key astronomical event that signifies the commencement of the new Islamic month. This sighting marks the conclusion of Ramadan and the beginning of Shawwal, the 10th month in the Islamic calendar, with Eid-ul-Fitr celebrating the end of fasting and the start of a new month of gratitude and reflection. The date for the beginning of Ramadan often sparks disagreement among Muslims, stemming from differing interpretations of Quranic verses and Prophetic traditions regarding moon sighting. The central question is whether a confirmed sighting in one location obligates all Muslims, or if each community is bound by its own visible horizon. Classical Islamic legal discourse frames this moon sighting paradox as a “unity of horizons” (ittihad al-matali‘) vs. “difference of horizons” (ikhtilaf almatali‘) – essentially, whether a single sighting zone applies to all or if each region relies on its own observation. Matla‘ (plural: matali‘) refers to the area where the new crescent moon is likely to be seen. This article demonstrates that the Ahmadi Muslim position – prioritising local moon sightings (ikhtilaf almatali‘) – is firmly grounded in the practice of the Prophet Muhammadsa and his Companionsra, Islamic jurisprudence and textual and astronomical evidence. It clarifies that when Ahmadi Muslims begin Ramadan on a different day than some non-Ahmadi Muslims in the same area, this difference reflects a valid application of the principle of ikhtilaf al-matali‘ within Islamic jurisprudence, not a deviation from established tradition. The article also addresses calls for a
Hadith-e-Rasul – Sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
Reward for congregational prayers
ََ ُ ّٰ َ ّٰ َ َ أ ّن َر ُﺳﻮل ا�� ِ� ﺻﻠﻰ،�َ �َ ﻋ ْﻦ ﻋ ْﺒ ِﺪ ا�� ِ� ﺑْ ِﻦ ﻋ ْ َُ َ َ ُ ُ َْ َ ّٰ َﺻ��ة ا��َ َﻤﺎﻋ ِﺔ ﺗﻔﻀﻞ: ا��� �ﻠﻴﻪ وﺳﻠﻢ ﻗﺎل ً َ ��ْ َﺻ��َ َة اﻟ ْ َﻔ ّﺬ � َﺴ ْﺒ� َوﻋ .ﻳﻦ َد َر َﺟﺔ ِ ِ ٍ ِِ Hazrat Abdullah ibn Umarra narrated that Allah’s Messengersa said: “A congregational prayer is superior to a solitary prayer by twenty-seven degrees.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-adhan, Bab fadli salati l-jama‘ah, Hadith 645)
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, In His Own Words
unified Islamic calendar based on a global sighting (tawhid al-ahilla wa-l-a‘yad), showing its lack of foundation in classical Islamic legal tradition. It clarifies that astronomical calculations aid, but do not replace, actual crescent moon sighting. A distinction exists between calculations based on established facts (hisab qat‘i) and predictive models (hisab zanni). The former can invalidate impossible sighting claims, while the latter can only assist them.
The lunar foundation of Islamic timekeeping The Islamic calendar is lunar, with months beginning at the sighting of the new crescent moon (hilal). This is divinely ordained. The Quran states:
ُ� َ َ َ َ� ٰ َ َ َ ۡ َ� َ ََ ﻨَّد الّٰل ِِہ اِثﻨا ََع� َ� َش ِۡه ُٗرا �ِي ْكِ َِت ُِب الّٰل ِِہ َيَوۡ َم ﺧَل َﻖ ِِإ �ْن َِع �َّدَة اِلَّش ُِهوَرِ َِع ٰ َ� َ َ ِلُس َُم ٰوَ ِت َواَلۡ� َۡرض ا
“The reckoning of months with Allah has been twelve months by Allah’s ordinance since the day when He created the heavens
and the earth.” (Surah at-Taubah, Ch.9: V.36) And:
َ� ُ ٰ َ ۡ ُ َ� َ ۡ َ َ َ ُ َ ۡ َ � ۡ اس َواِل َْح ِﺞ ِ َيُسـَٔلوَنﻚ َع ِۡن اَل� َِهَل ٌِة � َقْل ِ��َ ُموََقِْيُت ِل َِلﻨ
“They ask thee about the new moons. Say, ‘They are means for measuring time for [the general good of] mankind and for the Pilgrimage.’” (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.190) These mawaqit mark time for general use and religious observances. Knowledge of this calendar is a religious obligation – a shared responsibility (fard kifaya) for the community and a personal one (fard ‘ayn) for travellers. The Quran establishes the principle that the month of fasting is determined by witnessing the month:
ۡ َ َ� ُ َ َ ْف َُمۡن َش ِِه ََّد ُِمﻨُك َُّم اِلَّش ِۡهُرَ ْفَل َْي ُُص ُۡم ُِه
“Therefore, whosoever of you is present [at home] in this month, let him fast therein.” Continued on page 4
The Necessary Aspects of Prophethood Thousands and thousands of people may well claim to be the recipients of revela- tion from God, and in actuality, this is necessary to establish the truthfulness of prophethood and furnish evidence in favour of the fact that God speaks. How- ever, there is another fundamental objective at the heart of prophethood which is specific to Prophets. It is a general rule that all things come with their relevant essentials— they are never separated from their necessaries. For example, when food is presented, it is accompanied by its essentials: various pieces of crockery, water, and even tooth- picks. In the same way, prophethood is also accompanied by its relevant essentials, and from among them, one is that ‘converse with the inner self ’ comes to Continued on page 3