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View Full Version : Ali Manikfan - The legend behind scientific Universal Islamic Calender



optimist
08-21-2009, 04:27 PM
Salam,

We do not have a proper calendar now even though we are the people to convey the message to others. But we have degraded to such a low level that we do not know about ourselves. The Islamic calendar is different at different places and even in Saudi Arabia the lunar dates are treated carelessly as if they have no sanctity. Even Arab news and other News Papers using same date for two days. This happens because we give prominence to Gregorian dates and we believe that lunar dates prescribed by Allah SWT cannot be used in the present world. We have begun to feel that Hija calendar is out of date.

Ali Manikfan developed a scientific basis for the Islamic Calendar. The day when Sun, Moon and Earth come in a stright line is called the New moon day. The very next day is the first day of a lunar month. To fix the beginning of a lunar Calendar it is not necessary to watch the rising of the moon which is a source of confusion all over the world. The event can be predicted by calculations by any qualified or experienced astronomer and any layman with some training can check the dates with the phases of the moon. Hence there remains no difficulty in preparing a Universal Lunar Calendar in advance. Ali Manikfan proved that his calculation is scientific and in conformity with the teachings of the Qur’aan.

You will get a brief introduction about who is Ali Manikfan in this link; http://www.hijracalendar.com/contactus1.htm

His articles are available in the above link and I post below one of his articles.

Meeqatul Qibla and Islamic Calendar

Synopsis

Meeqath is a fixed place or station to refer a thing or action to be performed. Meeqathul qibla is an imaginary line running from the North Pole to the South Pole, which determines the turn around point towards Qibla for the purpose of Salah. This line coincides with the International Date Line and the people on the either side of this line turn their face away from those on the other side in order that both face the Qibla.

The Islamic calendar is based on the movement of the moon about the Earth. One complete circle around the earth takes 29.53059 days. As a result the lunar months have 29 or 30 days, the actual measure depending on the occurrence of the conjuction and subsequent emergence of the moon from the sun. However not more than three consecutive months with 30 days and not more than two consecutive months with 29 days are possible except as very rare occurances.

This Meeqathul Qibla or International Date Line passes through sea in order that people in the same town do not have to observe Jumu’a prayers on two different days or to turn against each other when facing Qibla.It is nine hours ahead of Makkah. The days begin here at Zero hour at noon when it is Sahar or the last part of night at Makkah- the hour when Allah (SW) ordered the change of Qibla and change of the day.

Some astronomers have suggested use of lunar Date lines, which shifts every month. This is impractical, unscientific and cumbersome.

Meeqatul Qibla and Islamic Calendar

All of us are familiar with the word "Meeqat" in connection with the Hajj pilgrimage. As we know, the Meeqat is a fixed place or a station at which the pilgrims don the 'Ihram', that is the pilgrim's garment.

Now I am trying to explain about another Meeqat which is very important for the Muslims, - that is "The Meeqatul Qibla". The former Meeqat which we already know is connected with a place and this 'Meeqat' is connected with the place as well as the time, where a traveller going around the Earth has to change his Qibla from east to west or vice versa, his day and his date and the time when the world has to change her day, for example, - from Thursday to Friday.

We must have a universal date line, for the Islamic world to calculate the dates of the Islamic calendar, which is based on the movement of the Moon.(Qur'an 2:189). The date line of the Islamic calendar should be marked in the light of the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah, and this should be with reference to the Ka'ba, which is situated in the Ummul Qura, the mother of towns, - that is Makkah al Mukarramah. The Ka'ba is the Qibla of the Muslim prayer, - the direction to which a Muslim must turn during his prayer.

I like to name this Date line, which would be established, as 'The Meeqatul Qibla'.

What is the use of such a date line?

We calculate time in relation to the rotation of the Earth with reference to the Sun, which is the largest and brightest object that all of us can see in the sky. The Qur'an says that all celestial bodies are floating in their orbits in space (Q.36:40) under certain calculations. So the Sun too is moving according to the Qur'an. We know our time only in relation to the Sun.

Perhaps the most important thing in our life is time. The time that is lost can never be regained. So time has to be spent with utmost care. For this we must pre-plan our affairs and carry out the programmes chalked out using a reliable calendar with defined and assigned dates. Islam gives certain rules to guide us in this venture.

Islam teaches us how to manage our time by appointing 5 prayers for a day, which must be performed punctually at the fixed timings. The time for the prayers was measured in the days of the Prophet (saw) with the help of the shadow of an object cast by the Sun.

The Zuhar prayer is performed when the shadow disappears and the Sun is on the meridian, after the first declination of the Sun, - that is when the Sun has passed 90 degrees, the Asar prayer, after the shadow equals the object, - that is when the Sun has passed 135 degrees, the Magrib prayer, after sunset, - that is when the Sun has passed 180 degrees, the Isha prayer when the glare of the setting Sun has disappeared, - that is when the Sun has passed 202.5 degrees and the Fajre prayer, when the first rays of the rising Sun appear, - that is when the Sun has passed 337.5 degrees if the Sun is taken to be at 0 degree at the beginning on one's horizon at sea level. (This is the basis of time. This will be correct on the day of equinox on the equator. The other details are not given here.) The Qur'an explains this in the verse 17:78 (see the diagram No: 1).

It will be interesting to note that the period of night 9hours equals the distance from the Qibla to the Meeqathul Qibla. The last time to confirm the onset of Ramadan at Makkah, the Centre of Islam is their Sahar time. At this time the last sunset of the day takes place at Central America and it is noon at the Mathla'h, where the first Jumu'a prayer is performed. The distance from the Qibla to Central America is 9hours. Thus the Qibla (Ka'aba) is placed in the middle of the world.

Our time is dependent upon the Sun's angle in relation to the horizon at sea level. We have converted all these angles to our watches. We can tell the Sun's angle in hours, minutes and seconds without looking at the Sun or its shadow. There is no difficulty in telling our time even when the Sun is not visible for days together because its movement is subjected to certain calculations. The Qur'an says: "The Sun and the Moon are with calculation" (55:5)

We cannot record the count of our time in minutes or hours because the figures will be too long. Pages will be required to write them down. So we use a Date, - that is days, months and years to make the recording easy. A date stands in place of a particular day of the week, a month and a year. A day has 24 hours and a week 7 days, which have numbers or names having same meaning in different languages. They are 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, Jumu'a and 7th day in the Islamic calendar and in English Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and this is recognized by all people in the world. The most important day for the Muslims is the Jumu'a or Friday on which all Muslims in a town must perform the Jumu'a prayer at noon in a congregation.

Where on the Earth should the first Jumu'a of the week be performed? How can this place be fixed according to the Qur'an and the Sunnah?

The verses of the Holy Qur'an "He merges night into day and he merges day into night" (35:13) indicate that the Earth must be a globe rotating on its axis and that the rotation would make the night merge into the day and vice versa. The hemisphere on which the Sun's light falls experiences the day while the opposite hemisphere experiences the night. As the globe rotates, night passes into day and day passes into night. The first hemisphere in which the Ka'ba is situated and contains Australia, Asia, Europe and Africa enjoys the day-time while the second hemisphere containing two Americas enjoys the night-time. As time proceeds from east to west on earth, the five prayers as mentioned above, must be performed at the stipulated times in succession according to the angles of the Sun without violating the order. Thus no time in the world passes without a Muslim prayer.

In the second year of the Hijra the order to turn towards the Ka'ba, while in prayer, was revealed in the Holy Qur'an (2: 144). Supposing the Earth to be a vast area with the Ka'ba at a particular place, imagine what will happen to the people in prayer on both sides of the Ka'ba at the last ends. A diagram will explain this better. (Diagram No2)

The Qibla of a town cannot be different in the Shariah. All Muslims in a town must face to one direction in their prayer.When all people turn towards the Ka'ba, which is almost in the centre, what will happen to those at the ends, if the ends are joined together as it is in the globe? The people at the ends will face towards the opposite directions and their backs will meet! This condition is not contradictory to the Qur'an, which says: "Righteousnes is not that you face East or West." (2:177). So there must be a place on the Earth, where Muslims must necessarily turn towards the opposite directions in order to face the Qibla during their prayers. Where on the Earth could this happen?

The Zuhar prayer is performed at noon everyday and there is no Zuhar prayer on the Jumu'a day. So when the Zuhar prayer of Thursday is over in the world the Jumu'a prayer of Friday must begin immediately and there must be a place on the Earth, where some people pray the Zuhar prayer while the others pray the Jumu'a prayer. Here the sudden change of Thursday to Friday will be experienced. This is inevitable in the world. The change over time of Zuhar to Jumu'a is the Zero hour of the world. The days change here in the world at noon. This is the place, where two days of the Jumu'a and losing or gaining of 5 canonical prayers of a Muslim traveller crossing from one side to the other, becomes inevitable. This too cannot happen in a town or on a land inhabited by people. There must be a line demarcating the two groups to avoid confusion. Such a place can be only in the sea.

The Imams of the past have written down the rules for such a place. According to them, it should be separated by a sea or an uninhabitable mountainous barrier, which makes the two sides approachable only by travel in which the Shariah could allow the lessening of the canonical prayers. Here a traveller must change his Qibla, his Day and his Date. This is the Meeqatul Qibla of which we have already mentioned. The Meeqatul Qibla is one of the Signs of Allah. It must be recognized and respected by all people. (Q.22:32). (see the diagram 3)


Since a traveller is allowed to lessen his prayers (4:101) the peculiarity of losing or gaining of prayers during a travel accross the Meeqatul Qibla is not a problem. The diagrams explain how the lines of Qibla radiating from the Ka'ba towards east and west meet and make a line passing from the north pole to the south pole of the Earth. There is no question of the lines radiating towards north and sounth of the Ka'aba meeting each other because people cannot pass through the poles or live there.

It is interesting to note that the Qur'an does not mention north and south in connection with the Qibla! Only the lines radiating towards east and west could meet each other and this forms the dateline which marks the place to begin the day in the world. It passes through the Bering Strait, which is the only gap separating the continents of Asia and America. It has to be zigzag to allow one Qibla, one day and one date for those who had already settled and established their day and Qibla when they occupied the islands near this line and were living there without knowing each other till the explorers detected them. The inhabitants on the East observe the East Qibla and Thursday, while the inhabitants on the West observe the West Qibla and Friday. There is one day's difference at this place on the Earth. The Islamic Shariah forbids the change of day, date or Qibla at any other place on the Earth.

The Meeqatul Qibla is exactly 9 hours ahead of Makkah. Days and dates of the Isalmic calendar begin here at the Zero hour at noon. Corresponding time at the Ummul Qura, the Centre of Islam is "Sahar" (the last part of the night) and at London, situated on the line opposite to the Meeqatul Qibla, it is midnight. Allah (swt) had ordered the Prophet to observe a singular Qibla and change of day at 'Sahar' time in the second year of the Hijra about 1400 years ago and the Muslims began to practice it since that time. The Date Line of Islam thus defined at the time of the Prophet (saw) was found out by the science in 1886 A.D. Those who established it did not know the Islamic rules! Science does not contradict Islam.

Our knowledge of time is in relation to the rotation of the Earth with reference to the Sun. To count the number of rotations of a wheel two marks are necessary - one in the rotating wheel and one stationary, outside. When these two marks meet, one rotation is counted. In the same way to count the rotations of the Earth a mark on the Earth and a mark outside are needed. The mark on the Earth is the Meeqatul Qibla and the external mark is the Sun. When both meet, one rotation for the Earth or one day is counted. To get the correct count we need a stationary mark outside. But our mark, the Sun is moving and the Earth too is perambulating the Sun. So we will not be able to count the number of the Earth's rotations exactly with the help of the celestial objects which too are in motion. We need not worry about the correct number of the Earth's rotations because our time is not connected with that. Our days depend only on sunrise and sunset.

We record the count of days in dates. So if we calculated with the average length of a day, measured in relation to the Sun or the other objects which too are really moving, we will make errors in recording the passage of our time. So the Creator has provided us with a wonderful system to calculate our time and has asked us to use the Moon for the purpose so that we may not make mistakes and be confused in calculating our time. "He has appointed Manzils for it (the Moon) so that you may know the count of the ages(of the Moon) and the calculations."(Q.10:5). We follow the instructions of the manufacturers in the case of our home appliances. In the same way we must follow the instructions of the Creator in order to be on the right track.

The day dawns first for those who live near the 'Meeqatul Qibla' and it is 9 hours before Makkah. They must observe all religious rites 9 hours before Makkah. In fasting and feasting also they will be 9 hours ahead. They cannot postpone any ritual saying that the Centre has not yet done it. The order of time sequence in the world must be strictly adhered to. Violation of time order in performing the rituals is forbidden in the Shariah. For the same reasons a time bound prayer cannot be postponed. (2:189, 17:78, 9:37). So a gap of 24 hours (a day) must be observed between the islands on either side of the Meeqatul Qibla, the International Date Line. This means that those to the west shall observe Friday while those to the east observed Thursday.

Meeqatul Qibla is the Date line of the Islamic calendar and the days begin depending on the Sun (25:45). So a date which stands in place of a day should also begin with the day. A date line cannot be shifted from place to place. The Lunar Date Lines suggested by some astronomers are neither scientific nor Islamic.

After having defined the beginning of a day under the light of the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah let us try to define the beginning of a month of the Islamic calendar. The Qur'an has already explained that our dates and months should depend on the Moon. The Sun cannot catch the Moon.(36:40). The Earth has already caught it. It is a satellite of the Earth that rotates around the Earth. One rotation of the Moon around the Earth with reference to the Sun is one month. As the Moon tarvels in its course, the change of its position in relation to the Sun, creates changes in the phases of the Moon seen from the Earth. This marks the dates for the people.(2:189)

A solar eclipse (New moon) can occur only when the Sun, the Moon and the Earth are in a line, - the Moon between the Sun and the Earth. Since it can happen at any part of the day, it is called the new moon day. The Islamic month ends with it and the next month begins. Since a month can begin only with a day, the next day is treated as the first day of the ensuing month. Some times a solar eclipse can be experienced at the time of the Eid prayer at some places on the Earth. Imam Shafi (RA) has corroborated this.(Fat'hul Barri Vol.2)

The Islamic month ends when the Moon completes her cycle around the Earth and this is to be calculated taking the Sun as the reference point to begin the cycle. When the Sun, the Moon and the Earth join in a line, the cycle is complete and the next one begins. This moment is known as the conjunction or new moon. This may happen at any part of the day, in the beginning or in the end and it is called the new moon day. This will fall on one of the days of the week. The next day will be the first day of the next month. The Hilal can be seen at different times at different places on the Earth just as the sunset, many hours before and after the conjunction, because the the Sun and the moon are far apart. It happens due to the error of parallax. The month changes after the conjunction.

During an eclipse of the Sun the shadow of the Moon falls on the Earth. It crawls on the surface of the Earth as the time moves on. If one follwed the shadow the eclipse can be viewed for a longer time. The first and last are not treated as conjunction. The middle one alone is the conjunction. This is better explained by a diagram. See diagram No.4.

Since the dates of the Islamic calendar must tally with the phases or the Manzils of the Moon, (2:189, 10:5, 36:38-40) full moon day(a lunar eclipse) should occur only in the middle of the month when the Moon is behind the Earth and the last day of the month should be the new moon day (solar eclpse) when the Moon is in front of the Earth towards the Sun. So it will be clear that the dates depend on the angles of the Moon in relation to the Sun and that the dates could be found out exactly by using the calculations.

Our time depends upon the angles of the Sun in relation to the horizon at sea level. Our dates depend upon the angles of the Moon in relation to the Sun. The horizon has nothing to do with the date. We can know our time without seeing the Sun or the shadow. There is no objection to use calculations or any other means than the shadow to find out our time. Then why should there be any objection to use the other means than the seeing of the Hilal for finding out our dates? The Qur'an informs us that both the Sun and the Moon are with calculations.(55: 5) We can use calculation for both, our time and our date. The Ulema should give a verdict on this issue.

The Prophet Muhammad (saw) who taught the Qur'an to the illiterate Arabs of his time, taught them the easy method of finding out their time by observing the Sun. He also taught them the easy method of finding out their dates by observing the Moon. They were not in the habit of writing, calculating or recording their time. The Prophet (saw) asked them to learn wisdom, the art of reading, writing and recording. He did not forbid them to learn but on the other hand, he enjoined them to acquire knowledge in every faculty of learning from wherever it was possible.

In the days of the Prophet (saw) the Arabs were using the Jewish lunar calendar which had a fixed number of days for every month, 30 or 29 alternating and had intercalations (leap years) to adjust their artificial months with the natural calendar. He gave them instructions to correct the dates according to the Moon's Manzils (2:189). He ordered them to avoid the intercalations and use the natural calendar. The deviation of a date from the Manzil of the Moon would cause a day of one month go into the other.This was not allowed because if a day of Sha'ban entered into Ramadan, it would violate the Halal and Haram of Allah (swt). Sha'ban according to the Jewish calendar always had 29 days where as it could have 30 days also. All Ramadans had 30 days, but Ramadan too could have 29 days according to the Moon's phases (Ahillah). That is why the Prophet (saw) ordered them to observe the Moon and correct the dates accordingly. The final amendments of the calendar were announced during the Hajjathul Wida.

There are 12 months in a year (9:36). We know what will happen if a date is skipped over. Qur'an forbids the transposition of dates. (9:37).

The observation of the Moon for long periods gives us the average number of days for a year as 354.3671 and 29.53059 days for a month. (2953059x12=354.3671). Astronomers have proved that the statement of the Prophet (saw) that the lunar months have 29 or 30 days only is correct.

Since the dates of the months are related to the days of the week, but not to the places, the months of the Islamic calendar should begin from the Meeqatul Qibla with the day. Now the Muslims do not practise the Islamic calendar, instead they rely and depend on the Christian calendar for their daily use. So they do not have any idea about the Islamic calendar. They think that the Islamic months will begin only when they see the Hilal with their naked eyes at the sunset differently at different places! It is foolish to believe that time will wait for man and say that different towns would have different dates in the Islamic calendar!

Julius Caesar had instituted the Julian calendar in 46 B.C. Later the Christians adopted it as their calendar. This Christian calendar was reformed by Pope Gregory xiii in 1582. It had accumulated an error of about 10 days by 1582 A.D! Pope Gregory removed 10 days and changed the rules of the calendar, and it is known as the Gregorian Calendar since then.

The exact measure of the solar year was not known when Julius Caesar introduced the calendar. Even today we do not know the exact measure! It was regarded as 365.25 days. Later it was estimated that the Earth takes 365 days 5hrs 48 minutes and 49 seconds to make a rotation around the Sun according to the correction made in 1582 AD. This is 365.2422 days and this too will change whenever the accumulated error of days is corrected at intervals!

The error of 0.0078 days added up every year amounts to 15.6 days in 2000 years! This means that 15.6 days would have passed without sunrise! In a solar based dating system days will accumulate without our notice and days will have to be eliminated from the calendar at intervals in order to adjust with the natural system. This sort of meddling with the calendar will create confusion in calculating the passage of our time. Such a dating system cannot be good for recording the events of history.

Had the people used the lunar phases for their dates to record the events in the past, the historians would not have had problems in finding out the actual days on which the incidents in the past had occurred. But now we are in utter confusion. We do not arrive at the recorded date and day by calculations. The Qur'an says "The Sun and the Moon are with calculation" (55:5). So both the Sun and the Moon should be used for calculating the passage of our time. A dating system in which the Moon has no role cannot be accurate.

Renowned mathematicians and astronomers have calculated the date of birth of the Prophet Muhammad(saw). But all of them have gone wrong! They give different dates for the Prophet's birth(saw)! The fact that a person cannot be born on two days indicates that there is some thing wrong with their calculations. Their dates do not tally with the historical records too. This is because the calendar had been meddled with and the omissions are not taken into account correctly.

We have a record of two events of the past recorded in two calendars. If we calculate the number of days elapsed between the two incidents according to the two calendar systems we can see what happens when a defective calendar is used to record time. The equivalent dates and days of two solar eclipes of the past are given below as recorded according to two calendars.

The dates of the Solar eclipses of 0622 and 1990AD according to CE and ME.
1. CE. 22-07-1990 Sunday ME. 30-12-1410 Sunday
2. CE. 14-07-0622 Wednesday ME. 30-12-0000 Wednesday
8-00-1378 years 00-00-1410 years=Time elapsed

Total No. of days according to C.E. 1368 x 365.25+8 = 499670.00 days
Total No. of days according to M.E. 1410 x354.3671 = 499657.16 days

The error accumulated in C.E for 1378 years is 12.39 days. At the same time there is no error in M.E. From this we can see that the Lunar dating system is perfect. If we calculated without involving the Moon we will make mistakes and we will not be able to know that there is a mistake. We will be left in confusion. It is high time that we adopted the scientific dating system and used it in our day-to-day life so that we may not create confusion for the future generations.

If we have the concensus to prepare the scientific lunar calendar based on the phases of the Moon as per the rules of the Qur'an for the entire world, we can have the first of Ramadan on the same day for each and every Muslim on earth. Likewise we can celebrate the Eid also on the same day in all countries. Let me remind that the Holy Prophet (saw) has forbidden to fast on the Day of Eid. How is it justifiable to have fasting and feasting on the same day? If we agree that it can be so we are admitting that there can be mistakes in the calculations of Allah the Almighty also!

By observing Ramadan and Eid on the correct days, which will be same for all people in the world as commanded by Allah, we will be able to acheive the much required unity, harmony and peace of the people in all parts of the world.

Kindly think over the problem and the relevance of the Meeqatul Qibla which is very important to define the dates of the Islamic calendar. May I once again remind that The Islamic Lunar Date Lines suggested by some Muslim astronomers are neither scientific nor Islamic.

May Allah bless us with open minds and intelligence to find out His orders and systems which are hidden in Nature and help us to live accordingly!

Ali Manikfan
Dated : 10-11-1996/21-07-1419
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