Account Of The Moon

LESSON # 205 FROM HOLY QUR’AN

Account Of The Moon

BAQARAH – 2 (The Cow)

  Verse –189a of 286, Section – 24 (Part  - 2)

They ask thee, (O Muhammad), of new moon. Say: They are fixed seasons for mankind and for the Pilgrimage.

Yas-‘aluunaka  ‘anil- ‘Ahil-lah.  Qul  hiya  mawaaqiitu  lin-naasi  wal-Hajj.

Lesson

‘Ahil-lah – (the new moon) ‘Ahil-lah is plural of Hilaal. About the moon the questions of the people were nearly like, “first rising of the moon, then it’s increasing date-wise and then its decreasing date-wise, and then till the time its disappearing – why it is so? And what is the reason of these changes?

Mawaaqiitu – (time, season) it is plural of miiqaat which means prescribed time or instrument and a measure of the time.

The changes which come in the moon, those may be commonly seen and felt. It is a natural thing to ask about these things by the mankind because he remains restless to get the more and excessive sciences. Some people asked from the Messenger of God Almighty (grace, glory, blessings and peace be upon Him) about the reasons of increase and decrease of the moon. What are the causes of rising and disappearing of it? The Prophet (grace, glory, blessings and peace be upon Him) replied these questions with the inspiration of God Almighty, “it is the advantage of increasing and decreasing of the moon that it becomes easy to fix the days, dates, months and years for worldly matters and lawful accounts of the people with it.

The root of worshiping the whims and plurality would be cut with this clear statement of the Holy Qur’an. Many nations of the world used to adore the moon. These like nations adored the new moon believing it demi-god, increasing moon was considered blessed and the decreasing as wretched. So these people did not use to even marry during the last dates of the moon. The Holy Qur’an declared the purpose of increasing and decreasing of the moon that the times and period for work of the human being can be fixed easily with it. It also helps in worships and lawful accounts besides the worldly matters. The word ‘Pilgrimage’ has been particularly used here because it was a very important section of the lives of Arabian people.  

Due to some extra advantages in the Lunar account the Holy Qur’an has preferred it from the Solar account:

·       In the solar calendar a lot of difficulties happen because it remains in the same condition. Which customary change comes due to rising to the sun and setting, the people can not guess it.

·       Availability of well acquainted person who keeps the correct solar account is much difficult in backward and uncivilized territories.

·       Every body (literate and illiterate) can estimate the time and date due to regularly equal changes in the conditions of the moon.

·       The weather doesn’t affect on the rising to the moon and setting. So different months use to come in different weathers on the entire earth and the Muslims of each country and territory can perform their worships turn by turn in each season.

Transliteration in Roman Script & English Translation of Holy Qur’an written by Marmaduke Pickthall, Published by Paak Company, 17-Urdu Bazar, Lahore and Paraphrase collected from Dars e Qur’aan published By Idara Islah wa Tableegh, Lahore (translated by Muhammad Sharif) (http://hltsharif.blogspot.com) (muhammadsharif276@gmail.com)