21 QUESTIONS: MOON SIGHTING EDITION

By Mufti Sayyid Asad al-Qadiri

Every year, just before and at the end of Ramadan Sharif, we find scholars who attempt to walk the path of the teachings of Sayyidi A'la Hadrat Imam Ahmad Rada Khan and their followers alike, ambushed with objections, usually in the form of questions in regards to their method of moon sighting. This year, as a Eid gift, I have decided to return the favor, in hopes of us seeing them return the favor of the scholars responding so patiently and clearly, with ample evidence and references every time. Next time anyone objects, send them this and keep silent until they respond.

Imam-e-Azam Imam Abu Hanifah issues a ruling, then years later, a Hanafi Mufti issues a contradicting ruling, as a Hanafi, which ruling do we follow?

If Imam-e-Azam's, do you believe that Sayyidi A'la Hadrat's rulings were the exact reflections of Imam-e-Azam's, like the thousands of highly qualified and intelligent scholars of his time and beyond also believed?

Did you know that the telephone was invented in 1876 and was introduced in India in 1882, and that Sayyidi A'la Hadrat, who passed away in 1921, mentioned the word "telephone" in Fatawa Radawiyah at least four times, despite the current day scholars making it seem as if it is a completely new invention that did not exist in his time?

Do you deem that fatwa of Sayyidi A'la Hadrat incorrect, that a testimony cannot be accepted through the phone since the one giving testimony must be physically eye to eye with who he is delivering to, despite it being stated even in Fatawa Alamgiri, a book in which each word was written only upon the consensus of over 300 righteous scholars in the time and upon the commission of Mujaddid Shah Aurangzeb Alamgir, that the testimony of someone behind a veil, even if in the same room, will not be accepted?

Oh, you do not accept shahadah over the phone, rather you use it to fulfill the fifth of the seven methods mentioned by Sayyidi A'la Hadrat of establishing the new month, Istifadah?

Did you know that Sayyidi A'la Hadrat has said that Istifadah is synonymous with tawatur, the same process required to deem a hadith mass transmitted, mutawatir, which amounts to an ayah of the Qur'an in ruling?

Are we to believe that the scholars of the past would consider a hadith received from a few phone calls to be at the same level of the ayah of the Qur’an in ruling, when we know Imam Bukhari returned from a long journey empty handed of the hadith he intended to receive since he saw the shaykh who was to report it to him deceived an animal?

Is tawatur not when people come and report a news in such masses that it is impossible to call it a lie?

How can you be so sure that the person who called to give news of the moon was in his senses at the time? Is he intoxicated? Is he paid to do so? Or, perhaps, is someone using an AI voice or video generator?

Is the fatwa in Fatawa Amjadiyah by Sadr al-Shari'ah Qadi Amjad Ali, the trusted student of Sayyidi A'la Hadrat and the author of Bahar-e-Shariat, who passed away in 1948, incorrect in which he states that the news reported through the telephone or radio cannot be considered for shahadah nor istifadah?

Oh, you do not use Istifadah, rather, you do Kitab al-Qadi ila al-Qadi through the phone, the fourth of the seven methods mentioned by Sayyidi A'la Hadrat of establishing the new month?

Did you not read the part of Fatawa Radawiyah in which Sayyidi A'la Hadrat states that this method must remain restricted to the exact way the noble Sahabah used this since this method is khilaf al-qiyas, which is to physically send two righteous males to deliver the letter of one Qadi's announcement to another Qadi so he can enforce it in his city as well?

Did any country throughout Islamic history ever have a national announcement before the Saudi government, the same government who slaughtered thousands of Muslims in front of the Holy Ka'bah and in Masjid Nabawi Sharif to overthrow the Ottoman Empire's hold over the Hijaz Muqaddasah, then proceeded to demolish countless mazars of the Sahabah, Ahl al-Bayt, and Awliya, then threatened us to turn their direction of hate towards the blessed and enlightening Green Dome of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and salutations be upon him?

Is it their sunnah you follow?

Is it not clearly the sunnah to announce the moon city by city, since it comes in Sahih Muslim that during the time of the khilafah of Sayyiduna Amir Mu'awiyah, the moon announcement of Madinah Munawwarah differed from the announcement of Damascus although the news reached Madinah Munawwarah through a Sahabi, although both cities were in the same country, the same caliphate, at the time?

Is not the physical report of a Sahabi worth more than thousands of phone calls?

Did Makkah Mukarramah and Madinah Munawwarah do Ramadan Sharif and Eid on the same day in the time of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and salutations be upon him?

Allah's refuge, did the Messenger of Allah, blessings and salutations be upon him, not have the power to go to Makkah Mukarramah and return within a fraction of a second, despite going beyond the creation on the night of Isra and Mi'raj and returning in less?

Did he, blessings and salutations be upon him, not have endless angels at his service to take news back and forth?

Why did he, blessings and salutations be upon him, not do so? Is it not obvious that no significance was given to a national moon sighting system until the oppressive Saudis did and that the moon sighting system was meant to be kept city wide, not country wide?

Was Sayyidi A'la Hadrat not the mujaddid and Mufti-e-Azam of India, rather, the entire world of his time?

If he was, then how come it comes in Fatawa Radawiyah that when his moon sighting announcement reached Pilibhit, India from Bareilly, India, which is only 31 miles, 51 km, away from each other, Sayyidi A'la Hadrat told the people in Pilibhit to ignore his announcement since his announcement is only for his own city, Bareilly Sharif?

Do the Muftis of this era somehow have more authority than the Muftis of the past?

Do you know that the Sunni scholars in the western countries only fell into the fitnah of national moon sighting after Mawlana Nizam al-Din Mubarakpuri issued a fatwa in 2005 allowing this, in which he did not mention one reference?

Do you know that he has failed to produce any evidence to support this fatwa for the past 21 years despite Sayyidi Taj al-Shari'ah Mufti Akhtar Rada Khan calling such scholars out on this soon after?

Are we supposed to blind follow these scholars like we are in a cult?

We call out pirs and murids operating with cult-like behaviors, what about Muftis and their followers?

Do you know that Mawlana Nizam al-Din Mubarakpuri does not act upon this fatwa himself and he announces the moon every month only for his own city?

Do you know that many of the scholars that are on Sunni national moon sighting committees in western countries and play a vital role in them are from India, and when they return to India to visit they follow local city wide moon announcements, not national announcements, since all Sunnis do so in India since much before the time of Sayyidi A'la Hadrat?

How can they enforce one ruling on us and follow another themselves?

Does the religion of Islam change completely based on country?

In the same fatwa by Mawlana Nizam al-Din Mubarakpuri, did he not say that if every single Sunni scholar does not agree to the leadership of the scholar announcing the moon, then this fatwa is not applicable and enforceable?

Where ever these national moon sighting committees exist, are there not at least a few Sunni scholars who do not agree to the leadership and system?

What do you do to make this work, take them out of the folds of the Ahl al-Sunnah? You sure do treat them like so...

No where does the word "country" come into the books of hadith and fiqh in regards to moon sighting, every time moon sighting is mentioned, they mention "city," but it is the stance of Imam-e-Azam Imam Abu Hanifah that a testimony of sighting the moon from one city is acceptable throughout the entire world, as long as it reaches every city through a proper means compliant of the Shari'ah, so if these phone calls are sufficient, then why not have the entire world do Ramadan Sharif and Eid on the same day, to further quench your thirst of so called unity? You know, how the Saudis do...

Is unity having the same Ramadan Sharif and Eid, or following the way and teachings of the Beloved of Allah, blessings and salutations be upon him, no matter where you live?

The Sahabah in various cities did not do Ramadan Sharif and Eid on the same day, would you dare say they were not united?

If someone who saw the moon in another area then comes physically to a Qadi of a city, what is the big issue if he accepts the testimony and announces a qada fast, when this same act has been proven to be done by the Messenger of Allah, blessings and salutations be upon him, in Bukhari Sharif and Muslim Sharif?

Is doing this closer to the sunnah or taking testimony and news over the telephone?

Rather, tell me, which is sunnah, city-wide moon sighting or country-wide moon sighting? Say the answer loud and clear so that the innocent Sunnis who blindly follow you can hear...

The deen is consistent, from the time of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and salutations be upon him, until the Day of Judgment, right?

Then tell me, do you consider the Sahabah in Makkah Mukarramah sinful for the numerous times they did not fast according to the announcement of Madinah Munawwarah, which was in the same country, in the same way you treat those who follow city-based announcements nowadays as sinful?

I remember we spoke to a Mawlana on the moon sighting committee of North America, asking how is it possible that they announce the moon for the entire continent when what has come in classical books is that moon sighting announcements are strictly restricted to the city in which it was announced, he responded, "We consider the entire North America one city."

Then when will a musafir traveling from New York to California, a distance of 3000 miles, 4828 km, start shortening his prayer? Or will he never shorten them, since usually you would start shortening the prayer once you leave the outskirts of your city?

That is it for now, I will give you until next Ramadan Sharif to answer, otherwise I will answer them all for you if Allah Almighty wills. However, do not dare to point fingers at the followers of the teachings of Sayyidi A'la Hadrat in this matter until you manage to answer every question.

And until then, we still love you as long as you are Sunni. In Sha Allah, if Allah grants us death with iman, we will live together in peace and unity in Jannah.

We might as well begin showing love and respect to one another now, not because we are perfect, for Allah knows we are not, but for the sake of the love we all share for the Perfect Creation of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, blessings and salutations be upon him.

Faqir Sayyid Asad al-Qadiri
Khadim, Muslim Dreamers (Maryland, USA)