The Islamic Lunar Calendar as a Civilizational Imperative 29 Rabi' al Awai - 1 Rabi' al Akhir/8-10 October 1991 Penang, Malaysia

Abstract

It is He Who made the sun a radiance, and the moon a light, and
determined it by stations, that you might know the number of the
years and the reckoning (of time) ... (Qur'an 10:5).
Every community possesses a personality and certain traits that distinguish
it from others. The ummah of Islam was blessed by Allah Most
High with a distinctive personality so that it could serve as a community
of the median way (wasatiyah) and as a witness (shahadah): "Thus We
appointed you a mid-most nation, so that you might be witnesses over all
mankind" (2:143).
In view of the important civilizational role to be played by the Muslim
ummah, Allah created the elements in its personality with great care
in order to ensure that the expected results would come to fruition and
that the ummah would become the best community ever brought forth:
"You are the best nation ever brought forth to mankind" (3:110).
Among the constituent elements of the ummah's cultural and civilizattional
identity is its perspective on time, be it past, present, or future, and
how it is to be measured. The past consists of history, from which lessons
are to be learned. The present is the current reality, every moment of which
is to be used to the best advantage or invested. The future is that which is
anticipated and planned for so that it may become more resplendent.
The communities that went before Islam both understood and calculated
time in order to achieve their goals and build their civilizations. To
differing degrees, all of them were successful in their endeavor to mark
the passage of time. However, every system they devised suffered from
calendars featuring ten months in a year, others with widely varying numbers
of days in a month, calendars that began in the spring while others ...