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Every
nation has its own calendar through which it calculates time,
special events and occasions peculiar to its history and
civilization. Hence, nations with different civilizations and
religions would hardly adopt the same system of calendar. It was the
highly-ranked religious men of each nation who calculated the months
and dates of its calendar year. This was the case with the Roman
calendar, the Jewish and the Persian one.
It
was the members of the Sanhedrin [The highest judicial and
ecclesiastical council of the ancient Jewish nation] who calculated
the months and days of the Jewish calendar. The pontiffs in the
Roman civilization calculated their calendar, and the Magis
calculated theirs. Pope Gregory XIII instituted the Gregorian
Calendar as a revision of the Julian one in order to correct the
dates of significant religious occasions (primarily Easter) and to
prevent further drifts taking place in the dates.
Muslims
also have their own calendar. The Muslim calendar, based purely on
lunar cycles, was first introduced by the second Caliph, `Umar ibn
Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). He (may Allah be pleased
with him) refused to adopt a system of dating, which was peculiar to
any other nation and wanted to introduce a system specifically for
the Muslim nation. Hence, he decided to take the great event of
Hijra as the starting point for the Muslim calendar. Hence, the
beginning of the Muslim calendar is indicated by faith, and was
pure, and free of the contamination afflicting other systems where
the months took on the names of idols they worshipped.
Taking
the cycles of the moon as signs of the beginning of the months of
the Muslim calendar was a product of divine guidance. No one was [or
still is] to interfere in the number or names of the months of that
calendar or decide when leap years occur and so on. Allah, the
Almighty says: "He it is Who made the sun a shining brightness
and the moon a light, and ordained for it mansions that you might
know the computation of years and the reckoning. Allah did not
create it but with truth; He makes the signs manifest for a people
who have knowledge." (Yunus: 5)
According
to this verse, the article 'it' in 'ordained for it mansions' refers
to the moon ['mansions here refers to the stages or cycles of the
moon]. This indicates that it is Allah, the Almighty Who designated
the cycles of the moon to be the criterion upon which people can
calculate time. Allah, the Almighty has also designated how many
months there are in the year. He, the Almighty, says: "The
number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve (in a year)- so
ordained by Him the day He created the heavens and the earth; of
them four are sacred: that is the straight usage. So wrong not
yourselves therein, and fight the Pagans all together as they fight
you all together. But know that Allah is with those who restrain
themselves." (At-Tawbah: 36)
Moreover,
there is reference in the Qur'an to some months and days, such as
Ramadan, Friday and Saturday. The names of the rest of the months
were referred to in the Sunnah.
The
Muslim calendar remained in use (on the political level) throughout
the Muslim world until the Muslim countries were occupied by foreign
colonial countries and the Muslims began to lose their identity. The
Muslim caliphate then collapsed at the hands of Mustafa Kemal
Ataturk, who issued a decision to the effect that the Gregorian
calendar was to replace the Muslim one. Henceforth, the Gregorian
calendar has been in use (on the political level) throughout the
Muslim world.
In
conclusion, it is high time to take the Islamic calendar into
consideration and be unified in determining the beginnings and ends
of lunar months in order to keep the unity of the Muslim Ummah. As
all acts of worship are based on this calendar such as the beginning
of the month of Ramadan, the day of `Arafah, etc. Likewise, Islamic
events are based on the Islamic calendar such as the two `Eids (Al-Fitr
and Al-Adha).
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