By HAROON ISHOLA

Somehow, and in recent times, the sighting of the moon, begining and ending of the Ramadan fast have paradoxically become a source of division, rather than unity for the Muslim Ummah in this country.

Really, it is one of the ways in which Shaitan tries to corrupt virtuous acts. Auzu billahi mina shaytani rajeem.

Fasting in the month of Ramadan is an act of worship (ibadah) and is not a political matter and so, every activity relating to the observance of the fast, including moon sighting is an act of worship.

Politicising the moon sighting which is in this context, an act of ibadah, overtly or covertly, is tantamount to bid’ah.

The implication of not adhering strictly to the rules especially by the leaders according to the way it was laid down, will not only mislead the Ummah but more likely to put Islamic decisions under the mercy, or whims and caprices of self-centred leaders.

If at this stage of advancement, exposure and technology, we cannot put our acts together to give the Ummah sound direction on clear issues, then it is most unfortunate.

It is not then right for us to look outside for the problems and challenges of the ummah, rather, we should first and foremost look inward to see where we have faltered and where we need to mend. Why should we have discordant tunes on the issue of moon-sighting?

Why should a group or set of Muslims begin their fast at a later date after the others in the same society? Why are we always having what some called miscommunication in this age of modern technology?

Why should one Imam insist that his group will not go along with others on the issue of commencing or ending Ramadan fast? Why should we doubt the pronouncement of a Muslim leader on this issue when we know he is answerable to Allah?

The current confusion is capable of causing disunity among the Ummah. The majority of Muslims in the South West did not observe their Eid on Sunday. Some argued that the moon was not sighted, some said it was not reliable while some said they had to complete their fasting 29 before observing Eid.

All these excuses run ultra vires and antithetical to the Sharia and also to the rules and precedent laid down by Prophet Muhammad. This simply reinforces the fact that political unity is much more required than what we all read and learnt in the Quran and hadiths.

If not, those who are in the forefront of this division are the imams who are well read. In spite of the announcement and declaration by the supposed authority, they still went ahead to do a different thing, carrying their followers with them.

I wonder what alibi they would have offered to those who heard the announcement by the Sultan not to observe Eid-il-Fitr on Sunday July 27. Even if they had fasted for 28 days, what they ought to have done was to complete it after the Eid-il-Fitr instead of fasting on the first day of Shawwal.

By Shariah, Ramadan begins with the sighting of the moon by a Muslim irrespective of whether the person is from your local area or not.

The Prophet himself never sighted the moon by himself but he declared: “Fast when you see it (the moon) and cease fasting when you see it, and if it is hidden or cloudy, complete counting of Sha’ban as thirty days. “ (Narrated by Abu Hurayrah in Bukhari and Muslim).

Again, Ibn Abbas (ra) reported “A Bedouin came to the Prophet and said, ‘I have seen the crescent tonight.’ The Prophet said, ‘Do you bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah?’ He said ‘Yes.’ The Prophet said, ‘Bilaal! Announce to the people that they should fast tomorrow.”

It is ridiculous when some people say Saudi (Arabia) has not started fasting and so, we will not commence fasting.

Those who advocate the Saudi calculations may be wrong because sighting should be on a national and proximity bases.

For example, if the moon were seen in Lagos and the Sultan authenticated it and declared fasting or end of fasting, those in Cotonou may take the advantage because of the proximity even though they are not from Nigeria but Muslims in Makkah, Saudi Arabia may not follow because of environmental differences and moon calculations.

This is even plausible as the moon can be sighted first in one country before another.

Recently, a three-day National Conference on “The Challenges of Moon-Sighting in Nigeria: The Way Forward” was organized by Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, in collaboration with Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) and the Sokoto State Ministry for Religious Affairs.

Not all sections of the media were present, and the communique at the conference was not also well publicised. This would have lent credence to views that the various leaders involved in the planning and execution of Moon sighting programmes are doing enough to keep the people abreast as far as the issue of moon sighting is concerned.

In fact, a colleague said to me that it appeared a sectional thing than a holistic participation of Muslims in Nigeria. This is part of the fact that a comprehensive strategy that will carry every body along is germane to exterminating the divisions and miscommunication on the issue of moon sighting.