Press Release
The Islamic Ummah Needs the Unifying Khilafah to Ensure a Single Ramadhan and Eid

On 29 Sha’ban 1445 AH, corresponding to Sunday, 10 March 2024 CE, Muslims around the world will strive to sight the hilaal crescent of the blessed month of Ramadhan. The noble Islamic Ummah that now constitutes two billion is to be unified upon the command of the Final Prophet of Allah (saw),

«صُومُوا لِرُؤْيَتِهِ، وَأَفْطِرُوا لِرُؤْيَتِهِ، فَإِنْ غُبِّيَ عَلَيْكُمْ فَأَكْمِلُوا عِدَّةَ شَعْبَانَ ثَلاَثِينَ»

“Start fasting on seeing the crescent (of Ramadhan), and give up fasting on seeing the crescent (of Shawwal), and if the sky is overcast (and you cannot see it), complete thirty days of Sha’ban.” (Bukhari). However, due to their blind loyalty to the Western states, the current rulers of Muslims divide the Ummah so the colonialists can rule over them, denying the Islamic Ummah a single beginning of the Fasting of Ramadhan and a single Eid.

Inspired by Allah (swt) Alone, the command of the Messenger of Allah (saw) is free from limitation by both time zones and national boundaries. Certainly, before the Revelation of the Lord of all Creation, Allah (swt), no created human being can limit this command of Allah (swt) to artificial national boundaries, drawn by the colonialists, rejecting the testimonies of Muslims throughout the world in favor of national testimonies, as if they are followers of a geographically limited religion other than the great Deen of Islam. There is no justification for division on the basis of time zones, whilst most of the Muslim World is located within eleven time zones. Consider that Russia, a Western state, alone has eleven time zones, yet Muslims there can have one Ramadhan and Eid without arousing surprise!

Although Islam does not forbid us to utilize science and technology for reaping its benefits. However, the command of the Messenger of Allah (saw) forbade us from using any method other than the sighting of the hilaal crescent for the beginning of Ramadhan, whatever the science and technology. Abdullah Bin Umar (ra) narrated from the Unlettered Prophet (saw) who said,

«إِنَّا أُمَّةٌ أُمِّيَّةٌ، لاَ نَكْتُبُ وَلاَ نَحْسُبُ الشَّهْرُ هَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا يَعْنِي مَرَّةً تِسْعَةً وَعِشْرِينَ، وَمَرَّةً ثَلاَثِينَ»‏

“We are an unlettered Ummah, we neither write nor calculate. The month is like this and this, i.e. sometimes of 29 days and sometimes of 30 days.” (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawood, Nisai).

Whilst the Great Companions (ra) not only wrote down noble Ayaat and performed the calculations of the Zakah and inheritance, this hadith means that the actual sighting of the hilaal crescent alone legitimizes the determination of the lunar month. Neither Ramadhan nor Eid depends upon either the calculation regarding the birth of the moon, nor the estimation of the likely sighting of the hilaal crescent. Thus, throughout the thirteen centuries of the Khilafah, the Muslims did not start Ramadhan or make Eid upon the basis of calculation, restricting themselves to the sighting of the hilaal crescent. The sighting of the hilaal crescent alone is the Shari’ah cause (sabab) for the beginning of the month of Ramadhan, so calculation is invalid.

O Muslims Who Yearn for the Month of Ramadhan! How is it possible for us to reap all the blessings of the blessed month of Ramadhan, if we start this month against the command of the Messenger of Allah (saw)? The Ummah that Allah (swt) unified upon Islam must not be divided by colonialist borders, in violation of the command of Allah (swt), whilst the disbelieving states all perform their religious days together, regardless of national boundaries. InshaaAllah soon the Khilafah (Caliphate) on the Method of Prophethood will practically join all Muslims from Morocco to Indonesia as one state and one citizenship, so Muslims will perform their first Fast of Ramadhan on the same day and celebrate Eid on the same day.

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Pakistan