Moonsighting (10)

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