By Machfud Ifan Husen
Muslims throughout the world get ready for Eid al-Fitr or the “festival of breaking the fast” each year as Ramadhan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims, draws to a close. The commencement of the month of Qamariyah thus becomes crucial for Muslims to know so that they can observe Ramadhan, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha in the midst of the extremely diverse and heterogeneous Muslim society of today, which is present in every corner of the entire world.
Definition of ‘ilm al-falak
Consequently, the question of how Islamic scholars or ‘ulama are aware of all these major Muslim celebrations now emerges. And how has it been applied up to this point? Well, to put it briefly, the ‘Ulama or scholars use a science known as ‘ilm al-falak to determine the time of worship as well as the entirety of the Islamic calendar. Its etymology can be broken down into two words: falak, which means “the orbit” or “the place where the stars travel” and ‘ilm, which means “knowledge” according to the book, Ilmu Falak by Riza Afrian Mustaqim published in 2021.
To put it simply, it is defined as a science or body of knowledge that studies the motions of celestial bodies, particularly the earth, moon, and sun in their respective orbits in order to analyse their phenomena and, particularly for Muslims, to determine the times associated with them coupled with prayer (‘ibadah mahdah). As a result, the Quran’s Surah Yasin, (36: 40), describes the cosmos and celestial phenomena.
لَا الشَّمْسُ يَنبَغِي لَهَا أَن تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ وَلَا اللَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِ ۚ وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ
“Neither does it lie in the sun’s power to overtake the moon nor can the night outstrip the day. All glide along, each in its own orbit.”
The law of learning ‘ilm al-falak
Particularly in situations that are directly or indirectly linked to the practice of worship, this information is extremely helpful in our everyday lives. Therefore, learning ‘ilm al-falak is a need and a duty for everyone who understands this knowledge in an Islamic community, which includes Muslim communities worldwide. According to Surah Yunus (10: 3) of the Quran, Allah (SWT) declares:
إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍۢ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ ۖ يُدَبِّرُ ٱلْأَمْرَ ۖ مَا مِن شَفِيعٍ إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعْدِ إِذْنِهِۦ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمْ فَٱعْبُدُوهُ ۚ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ
“Surely your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days, then established Himself on the Throne, conducting every affair. None can intercede except by His permission. That is Allah—your Lord, so worship Him ˹alone˺. Will you not then be mindful”.
Ibnu Hajar and Al-Ramli contend that studying ‘ilm al-falak is fardhu ‘ain, is required, for every Muslim who lives alone or in a remote area where it is challenging to learn from scholars. Then it becomes fardhu kifayah for the common populace, mentions Riza.
Scope & Function of ilm al-falak in Islam
Thus, this science can be broadly divided into two categories: Firstly, theoretical astronomy, also known as ilm falak ‘ilmi, which studies theories and concepts relating to celestial bodies, such as the origin of events, cosmology, the composition of elements, astrophysics, the number of members, cosmography, etc. The second is ilm falak ‘amali, or practical astronomy, which is typically used by scholars to ascertain the times of prayer, the Islamic calendar, and other things utilising a number of procedures that we are often told about, like the rukyatul hilal method and hisab, or the reckoning/mathematical method. By saying, ilmu falak ‘amali refers to the discussion of astronomy from a religious standpoint. Because the movement of these three celestial bodies is directly tied to the subject of astronomy for the purposes of worship, this discussion merely pertains to the motion of the earth, sun, and moon.
For Riza, due to the profound relationship between the discussion of the science and the practise of worship, its scope includes:
1. Qibla direction calculation
2. Prayer time calculation
3. Calculation of the beginning of qamariyah month
4. Calculation of eclipses
5. Identifying the time of Hajj
Various methods
There is no one method that works for everyone when it comes to moon spotting. In reality, there are three different techniques used in the Islamic world to establish the start of Ramadhan, Syawal, and Zulhijjah:
- Rukyah
Rukyah, which should not be confused with ruqyah (which is a completely different subject), is a rather simple technique. It is the visual observation of the new moon. It might be carried out without help or with the use of optical tools like a theodolite telescope. With this approach, the new moon’s visibility is what counts. The outcome could be impacted by the weather. Its appearance signals the beginning of a new month. And it should be pointed out that Muslims have been using this method—specifically, how to watch the moon directly with the naked eye or via a telescope—to establish the start of a month in the Islamic calendar since the time of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions.
- Hisab
The calculations made to determine the beginning of a new moon are referred to as hisab in this context. Depending on a few mathematical conditions, the new moon is either deemed visible or not. Its appearance signals the beginning of a new month.
- Combination of rukyah and hisab
Imkanur Rukyah is a mixture of the two approaches now used in Malaysia according to the criterion of potential sightings.
The conditions that follow are the requirements for Imkanur Rukyah according to Abdullah Ibrahim in his book, Ilmu Falak: Between Fiqh and Astronomy, published in 2017.
1) The new moon rises higher than two degrees above the horizon at sunset, and the angle of curvature between the moon and the sun is at least three degrees.
2) Or the new moon must have matured for at least eight hours by the time it sets.
Finally, the brief and concise explanation above about the importance of ‘ilm al-falak in our daily lives and its function is an attempt to provide enlightenment for every Muslim who is bound by religious obligations (e.g. shalah, hajj, etc.) in certain times and specific days, thus we may know more the roles of this science and it is an obligatory for us, especially as educated Muslims, and to be more familiar with ‘ilm al-falak or Islamic astronomy science.***