Book Description

This book on the topic of 'The Qur'ān and the Moon-- Methodology for Monthly Recitation of the Qur'ān', is a companion volume to my previous book entitled 'Methodology for Study of the Qur'ān'; but which will now be renamed: 'The Qur'ān and the Stars--Methodology for Study of the Qur'ān'. I was in London on the evening of 29th day of Shabān 1440(H) when it became known that the moon of Ramadān was not seen anywhere in UK, and yet schoolboys in the Muslim community declared that Ramadān had commenced in UK. The 'sheep' and the 'cattle' then followed them blindly! The same mistake was repeated in 1441(H) when they again commenced fasting one day early on the basis of a plea that they had arrived at the 30th day of Shabān. The 'sheep' and the 'cattle' again followed them blindly! They acted on the basis of an announcement that the moon was sighted in Dajjāl's kingdom of Saudi Arabia, or that the month had commenced in Saudi Arabia, and in doing so they made both a silly as well as a dangerous mistake in departing from the system of time ordained by Allah Most High. This book explains that mistake. Those who took that wrong decision, as well as those who accepted and followed that decision, will be questioned on Judgement Day for what they did. Since they started Ramadān (or Shabān before Ramadān) on the wrong day, the implication is that they lost the greatest night of the whole year--namely Lailatul Qadr; and even more damage was done when they consequently lost the capacity to connect from lunar time to cosmic time and thence to Absolute time. Only lunar time can take us to a timeless world; we can climb even up a mountain to sit in a cave, in an effort to travel to other worlds of space and time, -- but if we do not live in lunar time we will travel to nowhere! They are probably unaware that only lunar time can take us to a timeless world, and that whoever has never tasted timelessness can eventually become a prisoner of the Dunyah. The Imām of Purley Masjid in Croydon, London, made a tearful request that I address the subject of moon-sighting for the commencement of the lunar month in Islam so that Muslims might be better-guided on that subject. This book emerged in consequence of my attempt to respond to that request, and I am confident that our explanation of the subject of Dajjāl and the System of Time in Islam would now deter such Muslims who have the capacity to 'think', from ever again following those who, even though they are in London, recklessly rush to embrace a Saudi or a Moroccan moon. I am grateful for the numerous offers of help I received from so many to meet the cost of printing this book in several languages, so that, in addition to being sold on my online bookstore, www.imranhosein.com, large numbers of copies could be distributed free of charge in UK and elsewhere. May Allah Most Kind, bless them all. Amīn! Those who read this book and would like to participate in the effort to print large numbers of copies for free distribution around the world, should kindly contact me by email. ( [email protected] ). If you would also like me to come in person to teach this subject to your community, do please send me an email and, if Allah so Wills, I will come to you.