It is unanimously
agreed by all Marajae Taqleed that when an individual is certain that
the crescent is sighted, for that individual the month commences from
the next day. The Religious rulings based on the traditions of Aimmah
(a.s) issues certain criteria’s of certainty. That criteria being that
at least Two Adil (Just) persons should report that the moon is sighted.
This criteria is based on trust which Islam wants to develop on those
believers who do not do any transgression. If Two Just persons whom I
trust come and tell me that they have sighted the crescent, then it is
done for me. So where does the issue lie then?
These are
following areas of concern, whereby the intervention of the Marajae comes
in.
- If two Adil say it has been sighted by them,
and if their statements differ from what some other Adils(just) are
saying, then religion demands to act on precaution.
- In the
past when communications were not so good, the crescent sighting issue
was only confined to small geographies, where only physical means of
contact were present. But in last few years, as communication systems
have advanced, we can get news from any corner of the world. This means
that we also need to know from how far a distance can we accept the
news of crescent sighting. Since this issue was not a practical reality
during the time of Aimmah(a) there are no explicit authentic traditions
available to directly prove this. Hence resulting into difference in
opinion based on Ijtehad of Mujtahids. Like some say, half of Globe
based on day/night zone, some other Mujtahid relies to common latitude,
and some other to Ufuq (horizon) . Hence this means if crescent is sighted
in one city, the application of this for people living in some far off distance
will vary based on the ruling for their
Marja-e-Taqleed. And this is where fundamental issue pops up
for two Eids. Now if blame Ijtehad for this, then it is wrong, because
the Akhbari sect also has no answer to this, they have left it to individual
to decide, so at least the Usooli Scholars have done Ijtehad to arrive
at some logical conclusions.
- Ascertaining that the crescent is sighted when the world is connected
together through two Adils (Just) is difficult, hence we need a system
by virtue of which certainty
can be achieved. This is where we tend to resort to Marajae TAqleed,
because they are Just, Pious and responsible personalities. They put
in their efforts to find out whether the news about crescent sighting
is correct or not. It should also be noted that the Marajae are also
depending on the people of their offices to get confirmation.
This is where
we as followers have gone wrong. The Marajae themselves say that their
declaration is not a Fatwa, like Ayatullah Sistani mentions in his Tauzee,
that “ No mujtahid can issue a verdict on the matter of crescent sighting”,
but the way we act on the basis of Marjae that it is the Marja e Taqleed
who has to issue a Fatwa on Crescent sighting. If a Marajae Taqleed sitting
in Iraq declares crescent sighting from somewhere in middle east , now
we need to see whether based on that Marajae’s ruling my city falls in
the defined geographica limits of acceptance of the crescent sighting
zone or not. If it does not come into that zone, then also it is still
not a binding on me. The window for ascertaining the crescent from other
sources are still open. If all over my geography different other Marajae
have declared crescent as sighted, based on varying reports from different
places, I can very well refer to them and take the crescent sighting.
It will be on the basis of Just (Adil) general assurance.
What we are
doing is a sort of pitiful act, we are not using any local resources to
find on our own , we blindly wait for the Maraja to declare Eid. This
is not correct, Marajae declaration is to be used when we are not able
to get a confirmation from any of our own resources.
Another turning
point is, that today there is no scholastic certification of any Marja
e Taqleed to be considered as Alam. It is the great number of Mujtahids who can certify a particular
Marja as an Alam (most learned). It is not that I consider some Marja
as an Alam and that makes him an Alam. Since there is no proven Alam,
the Marajae themselves permit to refer to another Marjae on the subject
of distance related criteria for moon sighting. So if in a city when all
other sources have declared Eid, and in nearby countries also it is declared, then we can very well refer to another
Marajae taqleed and accept the declaration of crescent being sited from
them, since my city is covered through their geographical boundaries conditions.
This issue
has no complexities as such, but somehow has become very hot, or maybe
it is fuelled. It is because of certain management policies of certain
groups and organizations that the common mass suffers from this kind of
confusion. Religious decisions of this order are not meant for Presidents
and Secretaries of mosques and centers. These should be resolved by Scholars.
This again boils down to grass root issues, like no importance to the
role of Ulama in our society. There are today many mosques and centres
who do not have any resident scholar. It is like living in a city, where
there is a very nice hospital, but no doctor. Will you live in such a
city? We are so concerned to resolve the physical ailments through the
best doctors, but when it comes to spiritual issues, the presidents and
office bearers want to treat the community. Maybe there are some political
background issues that might be the cause of these issues every year,
creating a mess with the crescent issue for Ramazan and Eid ul Fitr. And
as a consequence the sincere and dedicated Marajae Taqleed are accused
for.
We also need
to appreciate that these differences in opinions on geographical boundaries
is a blessing in disguise. This makes us realize the need for an Infallible
Imam (a) . And it also tells us that when this Infallible personality
is missing from amongst us, still there are people who are struggling
to reach the truth.
May Allah(s)
grant us the vision to see , accept and abide by truth . Let us all be
guided.
