A brief note on the size of crescent when first sighted

*A brief note on the size of crescent when first sighted.*

Assalamu Alaikum,

Islam is a simple religion yet it is also a religion of knowledge, wisdom, guidance and practice.  Nothing is left for people to guess or decide simply based on personal opinions. 

From time immemorial and every now and then, the issue of the size of the crescent on the first day of the lunar month keeps on coming up again and again.  Many people in the Muslim communities raise objections that the crescent appears too big to be counted as 1st of the month, and that it must be more than one day old.  Here in Nigeria, such people often argue that the National Moon Sighting Committee or the Sultanate Council was in error by counting such a big crescent as the first day of the lunar month.

This problem is not new and has in fact existed for centuries and right back to the time of the companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.  Fortunately the matter has been settled since then from religious point of view and it is usually those who are not educated on the subject matter that continue raising such objections. Furthermore recent advances in the scientific knowledge of astronomy, has the matter even easier.

First, regarding moon sighting in general, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has given two very simple formulas namely:

i). The lunar month is either 29 or 30 days. 

ii). At sunset of the 29th day of every lunar month, Muslims should look for the new crescent of the following month. If the crescent is sighted the evening of 29th, then that marks the end of the current month and the next month begins the following day. If however, for reasons such as haze, dust, clouds, or rain the crescent is not sighted, then the following day completes 30th of current month and then the day after becomes the first day of the subsequent month.  

Anyone that follows these simple rules and is regular in crescent sighting at the end of each lunar month will not have problem.

Secondly,  the subject of the size of crescent on the first day has been explained in Sahih Muslim. (Published more than 600 years ago).  

From Sahih Muslim  كتاب الصيام Book of Fasting.

Chapter 6 Hadith 1088

‎باب بَيَانِ أَنَّهُ لَا اعْتِبَارَ بِكُبْرِ الْهِلَالِ وَصِغَرِهِ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَمَدَّهُ لِلرُّؤْيَةِ فَإِنْ غُمَّ فَلْيُكْمَلْ ثَلَاثُونَ

Chapter Title: Clarifying that it does not matter whether the crescent is large or small, for Allah, the Most High, causes it to appear for long enough that people can see it, and if it is cloudy then thirty days should be completed

Hadith no. 1088

‎حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ فُضَيْلٍ، عَنْ حُصَيْنٍ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ، مُرَّةَ عَنْ أَبِي الْبَخْتَرِيِّ، قَالَ خَرَجْنَا لِلْعُمْرَةِ فَلَمَّا نَزَلْنَا بِبَطْنِ نَخْلَةَ - قَالَ - تَرَاءَيْنَا الْهِلاَلَ فَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْقَوْمِ هُوَ ابْنُ ثَلاَثٍ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْقَوْمِ هُوَ ابْنُ لَيْلَتَيْنِ قَالَ فَلَقِينَا ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ فَقُلْنَا إِنَّا رَأَيْنَا الْهِلاَلَ فَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْقَوْمِ هُوَ ابْنُ ثَلاَثٍ وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْقَوْمِ هُوَ ابْنُ لَيْلَتَيْنِ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ أَىَّ لَيْلَةٍ رَأَيْتُمُوهُ قَالَ فَقُلْنَا لَيْلَةَ كَذَا وَكَذَا ‏.‏ فَقَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَدَّهُ لِلرُّؤْيَةِ فَهُوَ لِلَيْلَةِ رَأَيْتُمُوهُ ‏"‏ 

Abu'l-Bakhtari reported:

We went out to perform Umra and when we encamped in the valley of Nakhla, we tried to see the new moon. Some of the people said: It was three nights old, and others (said) that it was two nights old. We then met Ibn 'Abbas and told him we had seen the new moon, but that some of the people said it was three nights old and others that it was two nights old. He asked on which night we had seen it; and when we told him we had seen it on such and such night, he said the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) had said: Verily Allah deferred it till the time it is seen, so it is to be reckoned from the night you saw it.

This clearly shows that the night the crescent is first sighted should be counted as such.  However this is as long as your counting is regular and accurate. 

Thirdly, from astronomical point of view, the size of the new crescent simply depends on the age of the crescent (usually in hours) from the time of conjunction. So the crescent that is 30hours old will certainly be bigger than a 20hours old crescent.

For this particular month of Rabiul-Thani, here in Nigeria, the crescent yesterday was approximately 12hours old, and it was not seen yesterday. Typically the age of the crescent should be about 18hours or older for it to be easily visible to the naked human eye.  Today however (24hours later), the crescent will be about 36hours old, which will certainly make it easily visible and look bigger.

Finally please note that the evening the crescent is sighted, is not the first day of the month.  For example when it is sighted today, the counting begins tomorrow.  Remember for Ramadan?  When the crescent of Ramadan is sighted on 29th or 30th of Sha’baan it is the following day you start fasting and count it as first of Ramadan.  Similarly when the crescent Shawwal is sighted on 29th or 30th of Ramadan it is the following day you celebrate Eid as first day of Shawwal.  So the crescent you see on the first day of the lunar month was actually sighted  previous evening.  Quite often people confuse the first day of the month with the first day the crescent is sighted.  That is not the case.  

In summary therefore, follow the guidance of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, and be regular in moonsighting and In Sha Allah you will not have problem with your counting.

May Allah increase us in knowledge and unite us on what is right. Amin.

Wassalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah.

Usman A. El-Nafaty