Shab-e-Mairaaj & Shab-e-Qadr:
Different dates in lunar calendar
Q593 :Lunar dates do not tally in different
countries. This results in confusion over such important occasions as
the night of power and the one on which we celebrate the Prophet’s
night journey. As Muslims are keen to mark the night of power, and
since it is one night a year, how could it be timed when the month
starts on different days in different countries?
A593 : May I first of all clarify a small point
about the Prophet’s night journey [Shab-e-Mairaaj]. This took place, as
far as can be determined, on the night of the 27th Rajab in the 10th
year of the start of Islamic revelation; that is, three years before
the start of the Islamic calendar. That night, the Prophet was taken by
the chief of angels, Gabriel, from Makkah to Jerusalem, where he met
earlier prophets and they joined him in a prayer, which he led. He was
then raised to heaven and returned to Makkah before the break of day.
Although this was an important event for the Prophet, as it came
shortly after the death of his wife and his uncle, the two people who
provided him with netfort and support when he faced the determined
opposition by his people to his call. Nevertheless, we do not mark the
night with any social type of worship because this has not been ordered
or renetmended by the Prophet. As you realize, in our worship, we must
strictly follow the Prophet’s teachings. He was the most dedicated and
devoted servant of Allah. If he did not do a particular thing as part
of his worship, we do not do it. We only follow his footsteps. It is
true that different countries start Ramadan on different dates, with a
difference of one day in most cases and extending to two days in
certain instances. The fact is that there should be no more than one
day difference in starting any lunar month. As for the night of
power, Allah mentions in the Qur’an that it is better than 1000 months.
The Prophet has encouraged us to mark it with devotion, recitation of
the Qur’an, prayer, supplication and glorification of Allah. Every
prayer addressed to Allah on that night is answered. Therefore, Muslims
are keen to observe this night every year, with as much devotion as
possible. The Prophet, however, has not given us a specific date for
it, but told us to seek it on the odd nights of the last third of the
month of Ramadan. This means that it could be the 21st, 23rd, 25th,
27th or 29th night of Ramadan. This applies regardless of the
differences in starting the month of Ramadan. Every country counts
according to its own start of the month. If it was only one night for
the whole world, then it would be an odd night of the month in one
country and an even night in another. This will be contrary to what the
Prophet has told us. It may be asked, then, whether there can be two
nights of power. The answer is that for every Muslim there is one night
of power every year, which happens to be on one of the odd nights of
the month of Ramadan. He counts on the basis of his country’s calendar.
This is the appropriate criterion to apply, since mistakes in starting
the month can be made. Take for example the case when the moon cannot
be sighted because of an overcast sky, yet the moon has been born. In
this case, the Muslims of that area are required to netplete the month
of Sha’ban, which precedes Ramadan, to 30 days and start Ramadan on the
following day. Had the sky been clear, they would have started a day
earlier. But the night of power falls, as far as they are concerned on
the odd nights according to their start of the month, even though they
may realize their mistake at the end and maybe required to fast in
netpensation later. In such a matter we should not forget that we are
dealing with Allah. He rewards us according to our intentions.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )