What do you think?
Rate this book
Caesarean Moon Births: Calculations, Moon Sighting, and the Prophetic Way
For Muslims in North America, there has been much confusion regarding when Ramadan begins, when to fast, and when to break the fast. Hamza Yusuf provides clarity through this detailed and scholarly work that decisively makes the case for sighting the crescent moon with the naked eye, as has been the Islamic tradition for 1,400 years. This is essential reading for anyone seeking guidance on this important and sacred matter.
Prior to the advent of electricity, every night held the possibility of a celestial light show. People in even the most urban environments were exposed to the awe and majesty of the heavens, which clearly "proclaim the glory of God." The contemplation of the celestial orbs and their movements provided early man with the most direct connection to his Lord. In the Qur'anic story of Abraham, it is his observance of heavenly phenomenon that leads him to his certainty of God's unity and transcendence. Since the time of the Seljuq Turks, the crescent moon has been a sign of Islam.
Prior to the advent of electricity, every night held the possibility of a celestial light show. People in even the most urban environments were exposed to the awe and majesty of the heavens, which clearly "proclaim the glory of God." The contemplation of the celestial orbs and their movements provided early man with the most direct connection to his Lord. In the Qur'anic story of Abraham, it is his observance of heavenly phenomenon that leads him to his certainty of God's unity and transcendence. Since the time of the Seljuq Turks, the crescent moon has been a sign of Islam.
- GenresIslamReligionNonfiction
75 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2007
17 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
About the author
Hamza Yusuf
59 books949 followersHamza Yusuf is a co-founder of Zaytuna College, located in Berkeley, California. He is an advisor to Stanford University’s Program in Islamic Studies and the Center for Islamic Studies at Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union. He also serves as a member of the board of advisors of George Russell’s One Nation, a national philanthropic initiative that promotes pluralism and inclusion in America. In addition, he serves as vice-president for the Global Center for Guidance and Renewal, which was founded and is currently presided over by Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah, one of the top jurists and masters of Islamic sciences in the world. Recently, Hamza Yusuf was ranked as “the Western world’s most influential Islamic scholar” by The 500 Most Influential Muslims, edited by John Esposito and Ibrahim Kalin, (2009).
Hamza Yusuf is one of the leading proponents of classical learning in Islam. He has promoted Islamic sciences and classical teaching methodologies throughout the world. He has also been a strong advocate for social justice, peace, and conviviality among peoples and places. For several years, he has argued that the “them versus us” problem is fundamentally flawed, as he considers himself one of “them” as well as one of “us.”
Hamza Yusuf has served as an advisor to many organizations, leaders, and heads of state. He has been an innovator in modern Islamic education, founding the highly imitated Deen Intensives, and with Shaykh Ibrahim Osi-Afa, he started the first Rihla program in England, which has been running for over fifteen years. Dozens of young Muslims who were influenced by his call to reviving traditional Islamic studies in the West went to the Muslim lands in the nineties and early part of the current decade to study, many of who are now teachers in their own right.
With Eissa Bougari, Hamza Yusuf initiated a media challenge to the Arab world that resulted in a highly successful cultural religious program that he hosted for three years and was one of the most watched programs in the Arab world during Ramadan. Cambridge Media Studies stated that this program had a profound influence on subsequent religious programming in the Arab world. He has also been interviewed on BBC several times and was the subject of a BBC documentary segment The Faces of Islam, ushering in the new millennium, as it aired at 11:30pm on Dec. 31st 1999.
Hamza Yusuf has been a passionate and outspoken critic of American foreign policy as well as Islamic extremist responses to those policies. He has drawn criticism from both the extreme right in the West and Muslim extremists in the East. Ed Hussain has written that Hamza Yusuf’s teachings were instrumental to his abandoning extremism.
Hamza Yusuf has also authored several encyclopedia articles and research papers. His published books include The Burda (2003), Purification of the Heart (2004), The Content of Character (2004), The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi (2007), Agenda to Change our Condition (2007), Walking on Water (2010), and the Prayer of the Oppressed (2010).
Hamza Yusuf is one of the leading proponents of classical learning in Islam. He has promoted Islamic sciences and classical teaching methodologies throughout the world. He has also been a strong advocate for social justice, peace, and conviviality among peoples and places. For several years, he has argued that the “them versus us” problem is fundamentally flawed, as he considers himself one of “them” as well as one of “us.”
Hamza Yusuf has served as an advisor to many organizations, leaders, and heads of state. He has been an innovator in modern Islamic education, founding the highly imitated Deen Intensives, and with Shaykh Ibrahim Osi-Afa, he started the first Rihla program in England, which has been running for over fifteen years. Dozens of young Muslims who were influenced by his call to reviving traditional Islamic studies in the West went to the Muslim lands in the nineties and early part of the current decade to study, many of who are now teachers in their own right.
With Eissa Bougari, Hamza Yusuf initiated a media challenge to the Arab world that resulted in a highly successful cultural religious program that he hosted for three years and was one of the most watched programs in the Arab world during Ramadan. Cambridge Media Studies stated that this program had a profound influence on subsequent religious programming in the Arab world. He has also been interviewed on BBC several times and was the subject of a BBC documentary segment The Faces of Islam, ushering in the new millennium, as it aired at 11:30pm on Dec. 31st 1999.
Hamza Yusuf has been a passionate and outspoken critic of American foreign policy as well as Islamic extremist responses to those policies. He has drawn criticism from both the extreme right in the West and Muslim extremists in the East. Ed Hussain has written that Hamza Yusuf’s teachings were instrumental to his abandoning extremism.
Hamza Yusuf has also authored several encyclopedia articles and research papers. His published books include The Burda (2003), Purification of the Heart (2004), The Content of Character (2004), The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi (2007), Agenda to Change our Condition (2007), Walking on Water (2010), and the Prayer of the Oppressed (2010).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 20, 2016
A necessary book for all Muslims who have questions on moon sighting subject. It`s very easy to read and you can finish it very fast (but the explanations are very strong and documented). The book restores truths of a forgotten Sunnah . I am glad I read it. I am glad to not be confuse anymore. I am glad that I am one of those Muslims who understand that moon sighting is not only a method of knowing the start of Eid but an intended purpose of Ramadan. It is an act of worship, as the Prophet has clearly said, “The best of God’s servants are those who monitor the sun, crescents, and stars as a way of remembering God.”
June 21, 2016
A fantastic book; should be read by all Muslims!
Every year, there is always a confusion at best - or argument at worst - about the sighting of the Crescent Moon to commence the lunar month. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf's writes at the beginning of the book:
"Those who question why we cannot calculate our moon dates when we calculate our prayer times will find unequivocal answer's in this paper"
I think he calls the book a paper as it is concise, but it does indeed answer the question.
Another thing I loved was that Shaykh Hamza cites pretty much everything in this book; an exciting reading list awaits at the end of the book. I bought the kindle edition, and the citations are all in-line, and the formatting and everything is great. At only 2.99, it's a steal!
Every year, there is always a confusion at best - or argument at worst - about the sighting of the Crescent Moon to commence the lunar month. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf's writes at the beginning of the book:
"Those who question why we cannot calculate our moon dates when we calculate our prayer times will find unequivocal answer's in this paper"
I think he calls the book a paper as it is concise, but it does indeed answer the question.
Another thing I loved was that Shaykh Hamza cites pretty much everything in this book; an exciting reading list awaits at the end of the book. I bought the kindle edition, and the citations are all in-line, and the formatting and everything is great. At only 2.99, it's a steal!
July 21, 2018
"The Islamic lunar calendar is not to be tampered with, as the Prophet ﷺ prohibited intercalation in his farewell address to his community during the final pilgrimage. Islam condemns intercalation, regarding it as a rejection of the natural order inherent in the perfection of the lunar calendar that God has provided humanity for measuring their time. For this reason, in a number of hadith that achieve the status of infallible (mutawatir) and thus on par with the legislative authority of any verse in the Qur’an, the Prophet ﷺ commanded Muslims to base their month on the physical sighting of the new moon and stipulated that if not seen on the twenty-ninth completed day of the previous month on a clear evening, or if clouds or other atmospheric barriers hindered visibility, then to complete thirty days of the previous month and begin the new month the following sunset, which would mean on the thirty-first day following the previous sighting or a calculation of thirty days."
[...]
"In fact, on the U.S. Naval Observatory’s website, the following is written in a section designed for Muslims: (Source : http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/isla... but couldn't access it)
The visibility of the lunar crescent as a function of the Moon’s “age”—the time counted from New Moon—is obviously of great importance to Muslims. The date and time of each New Moon can be computed exactly (see, for example, Phases of the Moon in “Data Services”) but the time that the Moon first becomes visible after the New Moon depends on many factors and cannot be predicted with certainty. In the first two days after New Moon, the young crescent Moon appears very low in the western sky after sunset, and must be viewed through bright twilight. It sets shortly after sunset. The sighting of the lunar crescent within one day of New Moon is usually difficult. The crescent at this time is quite thin, has a low surface brightness, and can easily be lost in the twilight. Generally, the lunar crescent will become visible to suitably-located, experienced observers with good sky conditions about one day after New Moon. However, the time that the crescent actually becomes visible varies quite a bit from one month to another. The record for an early sighting of a lunar crescent, with a telescope, is 12.1 hours after New Moon; for naked-eye sightings, the record is 15.5 hours from New Moon. These are exceptional observations and crescent sightings this early in the lunar month should not be expected as the norm. For Islamic calendar purposes, the sighting must be made with the unaided eye.
Many regard this source as representing the most advanced level of scientific knowledge on our planet, and yet its own scientists admit they cannot predict with any certainty that the crescent will be sighted on the first day of its astronomical birth anywhere on the planet with a naked eye. Most new moons cannot be seen before they are twenty hours old. After countless nights observing and following the crescents month after month, year after year, in the service of Islam, using highly sophisticated instruments to determine exact degrees of elongation based upon countless eyewitness observations, our premodern Muslim astronomers concluded that the crescent moon must be at least twelve degrees above the horizon after sunset, which allows for a setting time on average of almost fifty minutes. This is the visibility criteria that our traditional masters of astronomy provided on accurate visibility arcs produced in the periods of Muslim renaissance."
[...]
"In fact, on the U.S. Naval Observatory’s website, the following is written in a section designed for Muslims: (Source : http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/isla... but couldn't access it)
The visibility of the lunar crescent as a function of the Moon’s “age”—the time counted from New Moon—is obviously of great importance to Muslims. The date and time of each New Moon can be computed exactly (see, for example, Phases of the Moon in “Data Services”) but the time that the Moon first becomes visible after the New Moon depends on many factors and cannot be predicted with certainty. In the first two days after New Moon, the young crescent Moon appears very low in the western sky after sunset, and must be viewed through bright twilight. It sets shortly after sunset. The sighting of the lunar crescent within one day of New Moon is usually difficult. The crescent at this time is quite thin, has a low surface brightness, and can easily be lost in the twilight. Generally, the lunar crescent will become visible to suitably-located, experienced observers with good sky conditions about one day after New Moon. However, the time that the crescent actually becomes visible varies quite a bit from one month to another. The record for an early sighting of a lunar crescent, with a telescope, is 12.1 hours after New Moon; for naked-eye sightings, the record is 15.5 hours from New Moon. These are exceptional observations and crescent sightings this early in the lunar month should not be expected as the norm. For Islamic calendar purposes, the sighting must be made with the unaided eye.
Many regard this source as representing the most advanced level of scientific knowledge on our planet, and yet its own scientists admit they cannot predict with any certainty that the crescent will be sighted on the first day of its astronomical birth anywhere on the planet with a naked eye. Most new moons cannot be seen before they are twenty hours old. After countless nights observing and following the crescents month after month, year after year, in the service of Islam, using highly sophisticated instruments to determine exact degrees of elongation based upon countless eyewitness observations, our premodern Muslim astronomers concluded that the crescent moon must be at least twelve degrees above the horizon after sunset, which allows for a setting time on average of almost fifty minutes. This is the visibility criteria that our traditional masters of astronomy provided on accurate visibility arcs produced in the periods of Muslim renaissance."
March 14, 2019
What a wonderful and concise read.
A telling example of modernity's obsessive desire and belief that we can plan and calculate everything; as if we had any control whatsoever, let alone control of our own lives.
Of course, the sun and the moon were created to measure time. However, the moon cannot be calculated as well as the sun. Instead, there seems to be an invitation to consistently look up to the vast canopy and witness the birth of a new moon. This is because, every month, the length of lunar months are not regular and new moons never come into display at the same time.
When my calendar and the internet says it's a new moon, why bother checking in the sky?
Because we are told to look up, and to see the new moon. Why? Perhaps it will make you reflect on its glory, and by extension, its Creator.
I am most glad to have read on the subject in preparation for this year's Ramadan.
A telling example of modernity's obsessive desire and belief that we can plan and calculate everything; as if we had any control whatsoever, let alone control of our own lives.
Of course, the sun and the moon were created to measure time. However, the moon cannot be calculated as well as the sun. Instead, there seems to be an invitation to consistently look up to the vast canopy and witness the birth of a new moon. This is because, every month, the length of lunar months are not regular and new moons never come into display at the same time.
When my calendar and the internet says it's a new moon, why bother checking in the sky?
Because we are told to look up, and to see the new moon. Why? Perhaps it will make you reflect on its glory, and by extension, its Creator.
I am most glad to have read on the subject in preparation for this year's Ramadan.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews