Society should have knowledge of astronomy; there is no surprise Raya in Islam

SHAH ALAM - The society needs to have knowledge of astronomy, which teaches people about the movement of the universe and the objects in the sky, which have their own laws and conditions.

Selangor Mufti Datuk Dr Anhar Opir said astronomy education is not only important to know about the sun, prayer time, and Qibla direction but also for the beginning of the Islamic month.

"For instance, like the event last year where Syawal 1 fell on May 2, 2022. Actually, there is no sudden Raya issue in Islam because we have principles and methods to determine the crescent moon (hilal).

"In Islam, we are told to look at the crescent moon to determine the month of Ramadan and Hari Raya Aidilfitri, as commanded by Allah SWT, but if the conditions are not met then the month becomes 30 days," he said today.

He said this during Sinar Live entitled 'Is Raya based on the calendar or the moon?'.

In 2022, Malaysians were rushed into Raya preparations as the date of Raya Aidilfitri was assumed to fall on May 3, 2022, a day after the announced date.

He added that the sighting of the moon was accepted even though only one location out of the 29 observation locations had sighted it.

"Last year, the calculation and imkanur rukyah did not meet the conditions, but suddenly there was a location where the crescent moon was visible, so the one that was used was in that area.

"For me, the practise of sighting the moon needs to be maintained because, if, according to the data, we develop the calendar, the moon is not visible.

"But with the power of Allah SWT, the new moon is visible. It shows that the practise is more accurate and relevant," he said.