In this
blog, we will continue on the arguments on “sharing the night” (aka unity of
horizons).
In
addition to the narrations directly on the topic discussed in the previous blog,
there are several narrations on how to pray Eid prayers, in which there is a
statement: "...I have made this day as an Eid for Muslims" - implying
one day of Eid; and for all Muslims not just some. Furthermore, the verse in
Surah Qadr that the one Laylat al-Qadr is better than 1000 months also implies
one day.
These all
imply (according to the scholars who hold this view) that there is one day of
Eid and first Ramadan - with the only restriction being the sharing of the
night (and this is based on the idea that if the moon is seen in the Polynesian
Islands, it would mean the next day is Eid so those who share the night should
not start fasting the next day).
This is the view of the late Ayatullahs Khui and
Fadlallah; and the view of the majority of earlier scholars e.g. Allamah Hilli
in al-Muntaha; al-Kashani in al-Wafi; and Bahrani in al-Hada`iq; Shahid
al-Awwal in al-Durus; Najafi in Jawahir; Naraqi in al-Mustanad; …etc.*
Now one
might argue that according to Fadlallah, why do you need a sharing of the night
rule, given modern communications, we are able to have a single day of Eid, and
announce it in advance based on the astronomical calculations. His office
responded to me saying that: “the condition of sharing a part of the night is a
natural condition based on the difference in night and day in various parts of
the world; and it is not based on the fact that the lunar month is the same
throughout the world. Rather we say that the earth is one place from the angle
of the beginning of the lunar month, other than in countries where the day and
night are different…”
The main
counter-argument against this, is that this still results in two Eids / first
of the month, which shows the fact that the first of the month is not absolute
but is relative based on your position on the Earth and that this narration, is
talking about there be only one type of day like Eid!
Furthermore,
based on this theory of sharing nights, it is one month (e.g. Shaban) up to the
moment where the moon is sighted in another country; after which the month
changes suddenly (e.g. Ramadan) – OR the night is split such that it is one
month until the moon is possible to be seen somewhere in the earth; after which
the month changes. However, this does not sit well with the ‘urf’s
understanding of how a month works.
There is
also one relevant narration from Muhammad bin Isa (1) – he said Abu Umar wrote
to him the following: “Tell me O master, we have a doubt about the crescent of Ramadan.
We do not see the moon, just the sky and no reason [e.g. clouds] so the people
eat and we eat with them (i.e. not fast). And one of the astronomers said in
front of us that the moon would be seen on that very night in Egypt, Africa and
Spain. Is it possible, O master that this is correct that even if that means
that the obligation of fasting in Egypt is different to when we fast? The Imam
(AS) replied: Do not fast based on a doubt – rather you should fast and stop
fasting based on sighting” Now given that this individual did not even ask
about whether that sighting affected his country, implies that it does not,
supporting the idea that only sharing of the horizon matters.
In the
next blog, we will look at the other two theories (that do not have that much
support in the Shi’i world).
*Note - Ayatullah Wahid Khurasani believes it
should be sharing most the night (unsure of rationale); note also that this
idea of sharing of the night (rather than whole world) seems to not be required
if you use astronomical calculations throughout but this is not the view of any
Shi'i scholar
(1) Tahdhib al-Ahkam, vol 4: 159
