A Case for Global Eid?

Read this. This is what happens when technology meets traditions.

For Muslims, time keeping was important, the moon wasn’t. While the world fought battles over calendars and the dates on which to base their rituals and festivals, Muslims celebrated Eid in serenity, content with themselves and the God that sustains our world. That is how 1400 years went by. Review the Hijri Calendar here. 

The Fiqhi Issues

Qur’an

Unlike many other religions of the world, Islam does not attach any religious significance to the moon, the sun, or in fact, to the time itself. They are all considered the tools for human comfort and progress.

It is he who made the sun to be a shining glory, and the moon to be a light and measured out stages for her; that you might know the number of years and the count. nowise did Allah create this but in truth and righteousness.  He does explain his signs in detail, for those who understand. Surah Yunus (10: aayah 5).

Ahadeeth

And ahadeeth needs to be seen in context; otherwise, they seem inconsistent:

– Whenever you sight the new moon observe fast, and when you sight it break it, and if the sky is cloudy for you, then observe fast for thirty days (Sahih Muslim, 2378).

– Do not begin the fast until you see the new moon, and do not break the fast until you see it. If the new moon is obscured from you, then work out‘ (al-Muwatta, 18.1.1).

– Abu Umayr: Some men came riding to the Prophet and testified that they had sighted the new moon the previous day. He, therefore, commanded the people to break the fast and to go out to their place of prayer in the morning (Abu Dawud, 1153).

Context

We know that Qur’anic commands are principles and ahadeeth are contextual. It is now up to us to figure out the intended hikmah of Allah. If the early Muhadiththoon had not worked out the Sahih Ahadeeth, we would have never agreed which is true and which is a fabricated hadeeth today.

Why Moon-Sighting is a Controversy Today?

Internet

The urge to celebrate Eid on one day is driven by globalisation of world, through the internet and social media. Now, one can constantly relate to events happening on the other side of the world in real time. These events become acutely significant when family or friends live far away, yet are very close to heart.

Mass migration

The appeal of the internet would not have been significant if related people had not settled in widely different parts of the world. Today, it is not uncommon for families and friends to live and work at extremes of the world and still be connected. It is understandable they want to celebrate Eid together, connected by media like Facebook, Skype or Facetime.

Speaking the global language

After opposing European languages in the 19th century (which were the only means to learn the modern sciences), the ulema warmed up to the modern world in the later 20th century. Now all Muslims have an easy access to Arabic traditions and Modern Sciences, simultaneously.

Sources of Conflict

While globalisation, the internet and mass migrations brought new understanding of the celebration of Eid, the development of Fiqh has lagged behind.

Problems with Astro-Eid

The Turks and their kin were the first to use the astronomical data to celebrate Eid.

That is because of their historical baggage: in the early 20th century, the socialists of Modern Turkey had accepted the astronomical data as a good evidence. Many continue to follow the same tradition into the 21st century.

With internet around, the new generation is impatient to be global citizens. They will have to find a link between the tradition of sighting new-crescent and establishing the credibility of the astronomical data.

Problems with Local-Eid

What is ‘local’?

The celebration of the Eid by sighting the Hilaal (the new crescent) is the Sunnah. Modernity has introduced the word ‘local’ or ‘national’ hilaal. However, the Ulema could never define what local means.

Australia, more than twice the size of India, is considered as ‘local’. Being an island this concept is still OK. But how can one demarcate the vast continents like Asia, or a group of Islands? Why should a person living in Darwin accept a Hilaal in Sydney (~ 4,000 km south) and not East Timor (~700 km north)?

Ever widening ‘local’

In the remote past, ‘local’ meant few kilometres covered by the human foot or animal transport. In the 20th century, mechanised transport brought the news of the sighting of the Hilaal to the cities from few hundred kilometres away. When telephonic and telegraphic communication arrived, the meaning of ‘local’ was further widened to mean the whole country – usually under the influence of colonial empires.

During this dawning of new realities, the ulema rightly agreed to widen the definition of ‘local’ to a geographic land ruled by a sovereign government. This was the age when trans-national trade or mixing of the population was banned. That meant the information on the new-moon was limited to the national boundaries.

Today we live in a global village, in the age of the internet. Today, the borders are meant to keep only the people out. Ideas move around easily.

‘Local’ in non-Muslim lands

Sighting the Hilaal is an issue for people living in the extreme northern regions of the earth where the lunar month is shorter and has less than 28 days (northern Canada, Greenland, United Kingdom, Scandinavia, northern Russia, etc).

After the mass migration to non-Muslim societies, the Eid was celebrated after local sightings. In the event of the overcast, these celebrations were based on the sightings from the nearest Muslim nation. To the early, mostly unskilled or semi-skilled, migrants this was a non-issue.

However, their generation is raised in an environment run by enquiry. Also, with the dismantling of the 200-year old mantra of racism (the absolute superiority of the white race), the relieved Muslims explored this enquiry without fears of persecution or loss of faith.

Problems with Global-Eid

With the Hilaal, there are some significant, but not insurmountable, fiqhi problems:

• Unlike the sun, the crescent does not follow the east-west path consistently. People in the eastern regions, from Japan to India, will have to wait until deep nights or early mornings for Eid celebrations. Do we wait till Fajr for Eid to be declared?
• To add complexity, Sufis believe that Global-Eid is Salafi-inspired, though these Sufis would not want to follow the Astro-Eid of Turkish Sufis either.

Our Choices …

‘Sightment Area’

In the 20th century, a political boundary was accepted as the ‘Sighting Area’. In the Age of Internet that definition is outdated, and in our globalised world ulema need to respond to the changing perceptions and needs of the people.

Reliability of Sighting of Crescent

It must be insisted that the visual sighting of the Hilaal is accompanied by real-time video evidence (with time, date and region). Two or more of such evidence can be used to make sure no confusion is left in the minds of the people.

Accept the Current Confusion as ‘Permissible’

It will be very difficult to accept such a contradictory scenario. Islam came to banish such positions and contradictions in life.

The practice of the Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم was quite clear: no scope of permissibility for celebrating eid on two different days in the same city (Hadeeth of Abu Dawud, 1153).

Conclusion

One Eid around the world, based on Hilaal sightings anywhere in the world, will be a welcome legacy in ridding confusion and contradictions at so many levels – both religious (deen) and secular (dunya).

Or, we might have to just settle on Astro-Eid as our guide for future Eids.