Press Release
The Government of Pakistan Created Controversy over the Islamic Obligation of the Crescent Moon Sighting to Further its Secular Agenda

This year the Muslims of Pakistan expressed happiness over the celebration of Eid ul-Fitr on a single day throughout Pakistan. However, the issue of moon sighting remained controversial between conflicting limbs of the government itself. Undermining the government appointed Central Ruet-e-Hilal (Crescent Moon Sighting) Committee, the Federal Minister of Science and Technology, Fawad Chaudhry, asserted that the division amongst the Muslims with regard to the sighting of moon is because of rigid adherence to sighting by the naked eye, claiming that it can be resolved by adopting a scientific approach. However, that is far from the truth and reality. Authentic Shariah Ijtehad (Islamic Derivation of Rulings from Shariah Sources) make it clear that the sighting of the crescent moon (Hilal) by the eye is compulsory because RasulAllah (saw) commanded that clearly in his ahadeeth, whilst the use of glasses or binoculars is included in the definition of seeing by the eye.

Throughout the many centuries of the Khilafah, Muslims remained on the forefront of science and technology leaving other nations far behind. In the era of the Abbasid Khilafah, astronomical centers were established in Baghdad, Andalus, Samarkand, Bukhara, Cairo and Al-Iskandariya. However, despite these advancements in the field of astronomy, Muslims never adopted any other method to ascertain the starting of the Hilala, strictly adhering to sighting by the naked eye because RasulAllah (saw) said, «صُومُوا لِرُؤْيَتِهِ وَأَفْطِرُوا لِرُؤْيَتِهِ» “Fast when you see it (crescent) and stop fasting when you see it (crescent).” (Bukhari and Muslim). And RasulAllah (saw) said, «إِنَّا أُمَّةٌ أُمِّيَّةٌ لَا نَكْتُبُ وَلَا نَحْسُبُ الشَّهْرُ هَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا يَعْنِي مَرَّةً تِسْعَةً وَعِشْرِينَ وَمَرَّةً ثَلَاثِينَ» “We are an illiterate nation; we neither write, nor do calculations. The month is either like this or that, i.e. sometimes of twenty-nine days and sometimes of thirty days.” (Bukhari and Muslim). This is in the classical style of Arabic expression to highlight something, because the Messenger of Allah (saw) was the most enlightened. Since RasulAllah (saw) dictated to his Companions (ra) to write letters and Ayaat and Ahadith, whilst they calculated Zakah and Sadqah diligently, this specific hadith demands the rejection of calculation and astronomical estimations in the matter of the sighting of the crescent. Thus, historically, Muslim rulers were clear about the commands of Islam with regard to the sighting of the crescent moon by the eye and the Khilafah fulfilled its obligation without negligence or controversy for many centuries.

The role of successive Pakistani governments over the moon sighting issue has been that of the trouble maker. On the one hand, the regime rejects the testimony of sighting of the crescent by Muslims living outside of Pakistan, to strengthen the divisive borders amongst the Muslims. On the other hand, another despicable act is being added to its long list of criminal actions by striking at the Ibadah of the sighting of the crescent moon by the eye by raising the issue of astronomical calculation, an act clearly prohibited by RasulAllah (saw). Having already turned away from the Revelation of Allah (swt) in the fields of economy, foreign policy and ruling, these rulers are now bent upon striking at the Ibadah of the sighing of the crescent moon, disrupting their Fasting and their seeking of the Night of Power. The lowly rulers have no interest in the unity of the Ummah, instead, they are the actual guardians of the borders marked by the colonialist to divide and weaken the Ummah. Under the banner of the insidious colonialist project “progressive and moderate Islam,” these rulers want to incite the same conflict in the Muslim World, which was once the hallmark of Europe, centuries ago; a conflict between Christianity and science. It is this conflict which eventually led to Western societies separating religion from political affairs. This is the real long standing goal of these secular rulers for the society of Pakistan, which they are striving to achieve, using the issue of the sighting of the crescent as a smokescreen.

Islam does not reject science, instead, it restricts its use to the fields of medical and industrial research and increasing productivity. Science has no role in legislative affairs regarding the management of people affairs, except to aid in understanding the reality of law making. Islam does not need progressive legislative thinking, for the laws of Islam are universal and above the constraints of time and place. The laws of Islam can manage the affairs of every human society and these laws are not to be altered or reformed, because they are from Allah (swt), the Lord of All Creation, the All-Wise, Who revealed the Deen of Truth via RasulAllah (saw), who precisely conveyed to us without aberration.

The Islamic Ummah has reverted to Islam completely and will not let any pro-Western minister or hypocrite ruler to make mockery of the Deen of Allah (swt) and the Ibadah of Muslims. Certainly, like the other issues faced by the Ummah, the issue of unity over Eid and Ramadhan is only possible by the re-establishment of the Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of Prophethood, which will unify all the Muslims, and under whose shade the Muslims all over the world, will start Ramadhan in unison and celebrate Eid on the same day. It is this Khilafah which will guard the belief, Ibadah and Deen of Muslims, seizing those who make a mockery of the sanctities of our Deen.

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
in Wilayah Pakistan