This book shatters the myth that naked-eye sighting of the new moon and completing thirty days in the case of weather-related or other obscurities are the only two valid methods of determining the month of Ramadan. The author explains that certainty, not actual sighting, is the real objective of the Shari’ah and that the Qur’an does not mandate physical sighting. A careful analysis shows that those hadiths that seemingly require sighting actually require certainty. The assertion that Muslim scholars view the use of astronomical calculation to determine the month of Ramadan as unlawful, and hence prohibited, are without foundation. As calculation is now more accurate than naked-eye sighting, due to certain astronomical and scientific advancements, the use of calculation is the closest to the real objective of the Shari’ah and to the spirit of the Hadiths.
Dr. Zulfiqar A. Shah earned his B. A. (Hons) and M. A. (Hons) in Usuluddin from the International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan. He received his Ph. D. in Comparative Religions (Theology) from the University of Wales, UK. He has taught at the International Islamic University, University of Wales, University of North Florida, St. Thomas University and Florida Community College.
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