Ramadan Mubarak!
As-salam Alaykum wa Rahmatullah!
Insha'Allah you are all doing well and are in an ever increasing state of iman and taqwa, especially in this blessed month of Ramadan! Today is my family's first day of Ramadan as we are following Zaytuna... please refer to the website for a GREAT article Shaykh Hamza wrote. The following link is the abstract of the article; http://www.zaytuna.org/articleDetails.asp?articleID=100 but please read the whole article (it's about 40 pages but inshaAllah if you're intention is to read for the sake of sincerely learning and understanding, then the 40 pages is nothing!) I am including the abstract below...
Sorry it's been awhile since I have written. Alhamdulillah life has been busy.
Insha'Allah may we take advantage of this blessed month of Ramadan and use it as a great spiritual training ground in which we set goals for ourselves, realize the true weaknesses of our own soul, and inshaAllah try to go about curing our diseases of the heart. Ramadan is a month that Allah has graciously bestowed us with to improve ourselves immensely and be greatly rewarded for that inshaAllah, such that we continute to build upon that foundation for the rest of the Islamic year, so that the next Ramadan is even greater inshaAllah!
Since I've already included pictures from Madina, I will be posting up my reflections from the bus trip from Jeddah to Madina as well.
First is the abstract:
CESAREAN MOON BIRTHSBy Hamza Yusuf
Article Abstract:This paper will examine the issue of Muslims physically sighting the crescent moon as the basis for beginning the months that constitute their lunar calendar. The argument posed here is especially relevant in the United States and Canada where the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and its allied Fiqh Council of North America are attempting to establish a norm of using calculations as the basis for determining the beginning of the lunar calendar, and the timing of associated devotional acts such as the Fast of Ramadan and the Hajj. This paper advances several arguments and rebuts others in an effort to prove that the only acceptable basis for determining the lunar month is the actual sighting of the dawning crescent. At the root of the problem is a failure to recognize that the crescent moon’s appearance is a legal cause (sabab) determined by God in the Qur’an and through His Prophet’s words. That being the case, no scholar in the history of Islam has ever permitted calculation in lieu of sighting until the modern era. Moreover, predicting the new moon’s visibility with absolute certainty is impossible, even by modern scientific calculations, as opposed to the degree of certainty that has been attained in predicting the astronomical new moon, which is invisible to the naked-eye. Furthermore, the ability to predict the new moon’s probable appearance has not increased greatly from premodern times. For these reasons, and others discussed in this paper, actual sighting poses difficulties in terms of the scheduling requisites created by a modern industrial or postindustrial society.I argue that the actual naked-eye sighting is the standard demarcator for establishing the entrance of the Islamic lunar month based on the fact that the Qur’anic verse, They ask you about the crescent moons; say they are a means to measure your specific times and are also for the commencement of the Hajj (2:189), can only be interpreted literally. This conclusion ensues because the verse is decisive in its evidentiary nature and unequivocal in meaning. As far as the fast of Ramadan, it is only validly begun on the basis of affirming the entrance of the month by sighting the crescent moon. I will present the textual and linguistic evidence to substantiate this position. In the eventuality of an obscure horizon on the twenty-ninth day of the month, the overwhelming majority of scholars argue that the month should be completed by fasting a thirtieth day. There are a few divergent opinions from this ruling. However, they do not establish the basis for standardizing a lunar calendar based on calculations, as I will show. I will also establish that observational astronomy has advanced little during the last 2000 years. Premodern people had extensive knowledge of the calculations needed to make advanced calendars, predict eclipses, and ascertain with certainty the births of new moons based upon separation after the point of lunisolar conjunction. The Arabs in the pre-Islamic period, during the prophetic epoch, and thereafter made both lunar and solar calendars. The Arabs were using a sometimes calculated and intercalated lunar calendar in the pre-Islamic period, until its abolition by the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, who replaced it with a calendar based on actual sighting. Hence, I argue that, far from being an advancement, moving to a calculated lunar calendar is a reversion to pre-Islamic (jahili) custom. Similarly, I will show how the Jews also used a lunar calendar based on actual sighting until political developments forced its abandonment.In addition to advancing proofs showing that none of our scholars advocated standardizing the determination of the beginning of the lunar months based on calculations, I will show how the opinion of Ibn Daqiq al-‘Id has been misrepresented by the advocates of such calculations. This section of the paper will also present the brilliant explanation of Imam al-Qarafi for the divergent methodologies in establishing prayer times by calculations and the beginning of the lunar months by actual naked-eye sighting. In this section of the paper, I will advance the methodological proofs that demonstrate the flaws in Ahmad Shakir’s argument, which posits that the end of widespread illiteracy and innumeracy in the Muslim community lead to ending a reliance on actual crescent sighting to establish the entrance of the lunar months. I conclude my argument by presenting the opinion of the four Sunni schools and the Ja’fari Shia school that the norm for establishing the beginning of the lunar month is the actual naked-eye sighting. I have endeavored in this paper to adhere to the highest standards of Islamic scholarly discourse. Although my conclusion on the issue under discussion differs from that of the scholars whose works and opinions have informed ISNA’s decision, I retain my respect for them and their accomplishments. I also recognize their sincere efforts in facilitating acts of worship for the Muslims, which is a noble endeavor. We should understand that a lack of uniformity in our opinions around this issue should not affect our overall unity. At the end of this paper, I present a series of policy prescriptions that should help us to move forward constructively.
My reflections from the trip from Jeddah to Madina:
Tuesday, August 8th: On The Road to Madina
Two nights ago, we ended classes early and some sisters were going shopping with one of the sisters’ husband at a place called Balad. I decided to tag along to finally go buy the niqab I wanted. This was my second time venturing out into Saudi society, and I realized that practically all taxi drivers are Bangladeshi. Who would have thought that we needed to brush up on our Urdu instead of Arabic to come to Saudi! Although we went to Balad pretty late in the evening, it was very hot—like unbearably hot. I don’t think I’ve ever sweated so much in my life while shopping. I was so excited when we actually went to a store and there was AC. Now, if you’ve ever been to Saudi, you know that most of the shops are all open; it’s not like a mall where it’s enclosed. There were a lot of people out and the center was comprised of various alleys with shops and booths along with people sitting on the floor with their merchandise spread out. I noticed that the poor people who were there carried boxes around so instead of begging, they offered to carry our purchases in these boxes for money. I felt sorry for them, and how could this be a Muslim country if 2.5% of peoples’ wealth is donated to charity.
Khayr, I bought some abayas, scarves, and the niqab I wanted—and I ended up wearing it on my way back too! It wasn’t so bad, and I felt a lot more protected; although just a tad claustrophobic. I did bargain a little with the store owners using my broken Arabic skills (or lack thereof I should say) although their prices are so cheap compared to how much we get things for in America! I realized how even in Saudi, you think you’re getting an abaya for less than $4 (10 riyals), and you find out the abaya was made in India!
With my interactions with the Saudi shop owners, I realized the men are pretty gross. It’s such a different environment where they’re not used to women talking back, being assertive (or are these my assumptions?), and smiling! Although we don’t mean it in any flirtatious way, we don’t know what they’re thinking. I’ve even felt this way at the hotel where a friend and I used the business center for like 15 minutes and we didn’t have to pay!
Last night, some of the sisters had the opportunity to perform `umrah in case they wouldn’t be able to do it at the end. Many tried coercing me to go, but I didn’t feel ready. In my heart, I knew that I wanted to go to Madina and visit the blessed Rasul before going to the house of Allah! Instead, some of us sisters had a once in a lifetime opportunity! Alhamdulillah some sisters were getting together to go to Shaykh Abdullah bin Bayyah’s house. A small group of approximately 15 loaded in a small bus and were taken to his house—about a 30 minute ride from Jeddah on the outskirts of Jeddah’s border to Mecca. We were invited by his daughter in law Habiba, who is of Irish descent from California who now lived in Jeddah. I was able to talk to her for some time and found out that she got married pretty young to Shaykh Abdullah’s son who was her Arabic teacher at Zaytuna. She now is my age and has three children mashaAllah! I questioned her about how it is to live in Jeddah especially when I’m sure she stands out since she looks American and is really tall mashaAllah. She apparently enjoys it and has gotten used to it. We also were able to find out about Shaykh Abdullah’s family—he has 9 children who live all around the world; some in Saudi, Mauritania, Indonesia, and the UK. I assumed many of the sons were shuyukh just like their father, but it turns out that many are computer programmers. They displayed great hospitality as immediately we walked into the door, one of the helpers served us a variety of fruit juices. They also opened up various packaged desserts and then served us really hot and fresh green tea that was really strong! As is the Islamic way, I didn’t refuse anything but it was hard for me to gulp down that green tea—I just couldn’t do it! The shaykh then came in to greet us, and asked us if we had any questions. All of us were too shy to speak up, so he responded that he would let us enjoy our refreshments and then perhaps later we could ask questions inshaAllah. As soon as he left the room, we all regretted not saying anything! We wanted him to come back! I realized that we were just in awe of his presence, I couldn’t believe he was there looking right at us and he is at such a state that he knows the states of our souls. Unfortunately, it was pretty late at the time, and he had his dinner and ended up going to bed. We left at midnight after scourging their house through taking their blessed fruit, and returned to the hotel, where we packed a little. It was so pleasant to be sitting with such great sisters—some teachers at Zaytuna, others who have gone to study abroad; it made me feel the blessing of having this noble company. We had sat on the floor and talked about beneficial things and had a great time—when the company is great, the conversation is noble, and you just walk out knowing you really utilized your time alhamdulillah! I thank Allah for having given me this immense blessing of going to the shaykh’s house, and allowing me to come across these wonderful sisters who truly are an inspiration and a role model. Girls can go to Syria and study Arabic, and come back here and inshaAllah have everything taken care of—put full trust and reliance in Allah and He provides us with openings.. let’s ride the wave inshaAllah!
Currently, we’re on our way to Madina and I’m so excited! We stopped at a shopping market called “Shopping Time!” (how fobby is that?) to get drinks and then resumed our way. We were supposed to stop at Badr on our way, but the organizers decided not to because it makes for a lengthy trip. As we drive, I don’t see very much—it’s kind of like driving up to northern California or to Las Vegas, minus the cacti. The skies are pretty cloudy and you can’t see into the horizon maybe because of the sand. There’s a lot of rubble in the dirt, and I’m not too sure where it’s from—broken down masjids? Or perhaps ruins from the houses people once lived in. Allahu Alim. Shaykh Abdullah al-Kadi told us that we would be passing the grave of Maymunah bint al-Harith (ra), but no one can really tell where it is. SubhanAllah to think that she wanted to be buried at the place where she was married to the prophet sallalahu alayhi wa salam! As the Shaykh romantically commented, she’s waiting for him on the highway!
Insha'Allah you are all doing well and are in an ever increasing state of iman and taqwa, especially in this blessed month of Ramadan! Today is my family's first day of Ramadan as we are following Zaytuna... please refer to the website for a GREAT article Shaykh Hamza wrote. The following link is the abstract of the article; http://www.zaytuna.org/articleDetails.asp?articleID=100 but please read the whole article (it's about 40 pages but inshaAllah if you're intention is to read for the sake of sincerely learning and understanding, then the 40 pages is nothing!) I am including the abstract below...
Sorry it's been awhile since I have written. Alhamdulillah life has been busy.
Insha'Allah may we take advantage of this blessed month of Ramadan and use it as a great spiritual training ground in which we set goals for ourselves, realize the true weaknesses of our own soul, and inshaAllah try to go about curing our diseases of the heart. Ramadan is a month that Allah has graciously bestowed us with to improve ourselves immensely and be greatly rewarded for that inshaAllah, such that we continute to build upon that foundation for the rest of the Islamic year, so that the next Ramadan is even greater inshaAllah!
Since I've already included pictures from Madina, I will be posting up my reflections from the bus trip from Jeddah to Madina as well.
First is the abstract:
CESAREAN MOON BIRTHSBy Hamza Yusuf
Article Abstract:This paper will examine the issue of Muslims physically sighting the crescent moon as the basis for beginning the months that constitute their lunar calendar. The argument posed here is especially relevant in the United States and Canada where the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and its allied Fiqh Council of North America are attempting to establish a norm of using calculations as the basis for determining the beginning of the lunar calendar, and the timing of associated devotional acts such as the Fast of Ramadan and the Hajj. This paper advances several arguments and rebuts others in an effort to prove that the only acceptable basis for determining the lunar month is the actual sighting of the dawning crescent. At the root of the problem is a failure to recognize that the crescent moon’s appearance is a legal cause (sabab) determined by God in the Qur’an and through His Prophet’s words. That being the case, no scholar in the history of Islam has ever permitted calculation in lieu of sighting until the modern era. Moreover, predicting the new moon’s visibility with absolute certainty is impossible, even by modern scientific calculations, as opposed to the degree of certainty that has been attained in predicting the astronomical new moon, which is invisible to the naked-eye. Furthermore, the ability to predict the new moon’s probable appearance has not increased greatly from premodern times. For these reasons, and others discussed in this paper, actual sighting poses difficulties in terms of the scheduling requisites created by a modern industrial or postindustrial society.I argue that the actual naked-eye sighting is the standard demarcator for establishing the entrance of the Islamic lunar month based on the fact that the Qur’anic verse, They ask you about the crescent moons; say they are a means to measure your specific times and are also for the commencement of the Hajj (2:189), can only be interpreted literally. This conclusion ensues because the verse is decisive in its evidentiary nature and unequivocal in meaning. As far as the fast of Ramadan, it is only validly begun on the basis of affirming the entrance of the month by sighting the crescent moon. I will present the textual and linguistic evidence to substantiate this position. In the eventuality of an obscure horizon on the twenty-ninth day of the month, the overwhelming majority of scholars argue that the month should be completed by fasting a thirtieth day. There are a few divergent opinions from this ruling. However, they do not establish the basis for standardizing a lunar calendar based on calculations, as I will show. I will also establish that observational astronomy has advanced little during the last 2000 years. Premodern people had extensive knowledge of the calculations needed to make advanced calendars, predict eclipses, and ascertain with certainty the births of new moons based upon separation after the point of lunisolar conjunction. The Arabs in the pre-Islamic period, during the prophetic epoch, and thereafter made both lunar and solar calendars. The Arabs were using a sometimes calculated and intercalated lunar calendar in the pre-Islamic period, until its abolition by the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, who replaced it with a calendar based on actual sighting. Hence, I argue that, far from being an advancement, moving to a calculated lunar calendar is a reversion to pre-Islamic (jahili) custom. Similarly, I will show how the Jews also used a lunar calendar based on actual sighting until political developments forced its abandonment.In addition to advancing proofs showing that none of our scholars advocated standardizing the determination of the beginning of the lunar months based on calculations, I will show how the opinion of Ibn Daqiq al-‘Id has been misrepresented by the advocates of such calculations. This section of the paper will also present the brilliant explanation of Imam al-Qarafi for the divergent methodologies in establishing prayer times by calculations and the beginning of the lunar months by actual naked-eye sighting. In this section of the paper, I will advance the methodological proofs that demonstrate the flaws in Ahmad Shakir’s argument, which posits that the end of widespread illiteracy and innumeracy in the Muslim community lead to ending a reliance on actual crescent sighting to establish the entrance of the lunar months. I conclude my argument by presenting the opinion of the four Sunni schools and the Ja’fari Shia school that the norm for establishing the beginning of the lunar month is the actual naked-eye sighting. I have endeavored in this paper to adhere to the highest standards of Islamic scholarly discourse. Although my conclusion on the issue under discussion differs from that of the scholars whose works and opinions have informed ISNA’s decision, I retain my respect for them and their accomplishments. I also recognize their sincere efforts in facilitating acts of worship for the Muslims, which is a noble endeavor. We should understand that a lack of uniformity in our opinions around this issue should not affect our overall unity. At the end of this paper, I present a series of policy prescriptions that should help us to move forward constructively.
My reflections from the trip from Jeddah to Madina:
Tuesday, August 8th: On The Road to Madina
Two nights ago, we ended classes early and some sisters were going shopping with one of the sisters’ husband at a place called Balad. I decided to tag along to finally go buy the niqab I wanted. This was my second time venturing out into Saudi society, and I realized that practically all taxi drivers are Bangladeshi. Who would have thought that we needed to brush up on our Urdu instead of Arabic to come to Saudi! Although we went to Balad pretty late in the evening, it was very hot—like unbearably hot. I don’t think I’ve ever sweated so much in my life while shopping. I was so excited when we actually went to a store and there was AC. Now, if you’ve ever been to Saudi, you know that most of the shops are all open; it’s not like a mall where it’s enclosed. There were a lot of people out and the center was comprised of various alleys with shops and booths along with people sitting on the floor with their merchandise spread out. I noticed that the poor people who were there carried boxes around so instead of begging, they offered to carry our purchases in these boxes for money. I felt sorry for them, and how could this be a Muslim country if 2.5% of peoples’ wealth is donated to charity.
Khayr, I bought some abayas, scarves, and the niqab I wanted—and I ended up wearing it on my way back too! It wasn’t so bad, and I felt a lot more protected; although just a tad claustrophobic. I did bargain a little with the store owners using my broken Arabic skills (or lack thereof I should say) although their prices are so cheap compared to how much we get things for in America! I realized how even in Saudi, you think you’re getting an abaya for less than $4 (10 riyals), and you find out the abaya was made in India!
With my interactions with the Saudi shop owners, I realized the men are pretty gross. It’s such a different environment where they’re not used to women talking back, being assertive (or are these my assumptions?), and smiling! Although we don’t mean it in any flirtatious way, we don’t know what they’re thinking. I’ve even felt this way at the hotel where a friend and I used the business center for like 15 minutes and we didn’t have to pay!
Last night, some of the sisters had the opportunity to perform `umrah in case they wouldn’t be able to do it at the end. Many tried coercing me to go, but I didn’t feel ready. In my heart, I knew that I wanted to go to Madina and visit the blessed Rasul before going to the house of Allah! Instead, some of us sisters had a once in a lifetime opportunity! Alhamdulillah some sisters were getting together to go to Shaykh Abdullah bin Bayyah’s house. A small group of approximately 15 loaded in a small bus and were taken to his house—about a 30 minute ride from Jeddah on the outskirts of Jeddah’s border to Mecca. We were invited by his daughter in law Habiba, who is of Irish descent from California who now lived in Jeddah. I was able to talk to her for some time and found out that she got married pretty young to Shaykh Abdullah’s son who was her Arabic teacher at Zaytuna. She now is my age and has three children mashaAllah! I questioned her about how it is to live in Jeddah especially when I’m sure she stands out since she looks American and is really tall mashaAllah. She apparently enjoys it and has gotten used to it. We also were able to find out about Shaykh Abdullah’s family—he has 9 children who live all around the world; some in Saudi, Mauritania, Indonesia, and the UK. I assumed many of the sons were shuyukh just like their father, but it turns out that many are computer programmers. They displayed great hospitality as immediately we walked into the door, one of the helpers served us a variety of fruit juices. They also opened up various packaged desserts and then served us really hot and fresh green tea that was really strong! As is the Islamic way, I didn’t refuse anything but it was hard for me to gulp down that green tea—I just couldn’t do it! The shaykh then came in to greet us, and asked us if we had any questions. All of us were too shy to speak up, so he responded that he would let us enjoy our refreshments and then perhaps later we could ask questions inshaAllah. As soon as he left the room, we all regretted not saying anything! We wanted him to come back! I realized that we were just in awe of his presence, I couldn’t believe he was there looking right at us and he is at such a state that he knows the states of our souls. Unfortunately, it was pretty late at the time, and he had his dinner and ended up going to bed. We left at midnight after scourging their house through taking their blessed fruit, and returned to the hotel, where we packed a little. It was so pleasant to be sitting with such great sisters—some teachers at Zaytuna, others who have gone to study abroad; it made me feel the blessing of having this noble company. We had sat on the floor and talked about beneficial things and had a great time—when the company is great, the conversation is noble, and you just walk out knowing you really utilized your time alhamdulillah! I thank Allah for having given me this immense blessing of going to the shaykh’s house, and allowing me to come across these wonderful sisters who truly are an inspiration and a role model. Girls can go to Syria and study Arabic, and come back here and inshaAllah have everything taken care of—put full trust and reliance in Allah and He provides us with openings.. let’s ride the wave inshaAllah!
Currently, we’re on our way to Madina and I’m so excited! We stopped at a shopping market called “Shopping Time!” (how fobby is that?) to get drinks and then resumed our way. We were supposed to stop at Badr on our way, but the organizers decided not to because it makes for a lengthy trip. As we drive, I don’t see very much—it’s kind of like driving up to northern California or to Las Vegas, minus the cacti. The skies are pretty cloudy and you can’t see into the horizon maybe because of the sand. There’s a lot of rubble in the dirt, and I’m not too sure where it’s from—broken down masjids? Or perhaps ruins from the houses people once lived in. Allahu Alim. Shaykh Abdullah al-Kadi told us that we would be passing the grave of Maymunah bint al-Harith (ra), but no one can really tell where it is. SubhanAllah to think that she wanted to be buried at the place where she was married to the prophet sallalahu alayhi wa salam! As the Shaykh romantically commented, she’s waiting for him on the highway!
posted by Ruby at 10:34 AM
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