Prophet’s Farewell Hajj and Lunar Month Calendar

……..today I have completed your religion for you.
I have fulfilled my blessing for you. I have satisfied you with Islam as a religion.

The above verse is a part of the third verse of Surat al-Maida. One thing we intend to discuss here is about the day this verse was revealed. It is not that this day is the most important day for Muslims, but there is nothing more important than this. This is because all the customs and beliefs that have arisen from time to time in the history of the human race have become obsolete and there will no longer be any custom, belief, or prophet, and by this day our Lord has fulfilled all His blessings to us and accepted Islam as a religion and completed it. This incident takes place during the Hajj of the Prophet (PBUH). The three most important days of Hajj are YaumTarwia, Yaum Arafa and YaumNahr. It is on the third day, YaumNahr (Day of Sacrifice), that the Hajj is completed, and the pilgrims retire from Ihram. That is why the Qur’an and history are witnesses that the above-mentioned word was revealed on this day itself. It is very important as it was a Friday and the 10th day of Dhul Hijjah. On this day, the Muslims of the world celebrate the festival on both sides. It has been said that Friday is the Hajj of the poor and needy and a festival for believers. The 10th of Dhul Hijjah as a date is also a festival for the world. Allah has chosen that day in advance because the day on which Allah’s blessings and His Deen are fulfilled should be remembered and celebrated.

Many hadiths related to this incident are recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari itself. This number of hadiths related to the speech of the Prophet on the day of the Feast of Sacrifice has been reported only by Sahih al-Bukhari. It is noteworthy that the Prophet’s speech was on the day of the Feast of Sacrifice, which is indisputably accepted by the Qur’an and the Hadith, and that the above-mentioned words were revealed on that day, and that is why the day was a feast.

The reason for writing so much is because the core of the subject is so serious. What it is will be understood at the end of this article.

Qur’an 9:36 makes it clear that Allah subhanahuwata’ala established the universe from the day it was created and its calendar.

Qur’an 9:37 warns that making mistakes in any way is an increase in hypocrisy.

Qur’an 10:5 teaches us that its basis is the sun and the moon. Qur’an 2:189 states that its sign is the waxing of the moon.

Qur’an 36:39/40 teaches us about its monitoring.

We can see many more Quranic sayings related to this topic. One thing that we can clearly understand from this is that there is no compromise in the calculation of time in Islam and man can easily understand it when he observes the signs of Allah. We are also convinced that the teachings of the Qur’an do not differentiate between the scholar, the layman, the rich, and the poor.

On the basis of the aforementioned Qur’anic words, it can be seen that the chronology or calendar system that exists in Muslim societies today has nothing to do with the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

To anyone who believes that Islam is a natural religion, the discovery of the current fasts and feasts of Muslims is something that may seem distasteful. One of the challenges faced when they set out to find out what is its status, opponents come forward with evidence stating that the Prophet’s Arafah was Friday. That’s when we’re going to learn about it.

See the evidence advanced by the opponents.

A Jew asked Umar (RA), “O Ameer, there is a word in your Quran, if we had it, we would have celebrated that day”.

Umar (RA) asked, “What is the Word”

said the Jew. “Al YawmAkamalt Lakum ……………..today I have completed your religion for you. I have fulfilled My blessing upon you. I have satisfied you with Islam as a religion…………”

Umar (RA) said, “I know which day it is” on Friday when the Prophet stood at Arafah. From this, we can understand that the speech is not complete.

This is the only event that is held by the enemy to question the accuracy of the Islamic calendar. How weak this is can be understood if we analyze this conversation itself, which is said to be a hadith.

1. The Jew’s Question: Al YaumAkmaltu Lakum Dinukum………. If it was up to us, we would have celebrated that day.

2. Umar’s reply: It is well known that it was on Friday at Arafa,

This conversation is hard to digest for someone who uses even a modicum of intelligence. Before discussing its sanad or authenticity let’s check its contents. First of all, pay attention to the question itself. Not the answer to the question, what the Jew wanted to know was not ‘what was that day and where was it read’ but about making that day a feast. But the answer of Umar (ra)!

The reason for saying Friday at Arafa is true and false, and it is wrong to say that Friday is at Arafa, and it is wrong to say that it is at Arafa, can be understood by examining the twenty hadiths quoted from Sahih al-Bukhari alone in the first part of this article. It says that the Prophet’s historic speech did not take place on Arafah, but on Yaum Nahar, or the Day of Sacrifice, but it is not possible to see anything other than this one conversation between the Jew and Umar, who is said to be on Arafah. Be that as it may, neither of the two things Umar (RA) said is an answer to the Jew’s question. To the question of whether it is possible to make it a festival, either it is a festival or it is a fast or it is not a festival. Because the day of Arafah is a day of fasting for the world. When you answer in a different way without saying anything, it means that there is some other purpose in recording this incident. That is what needs to be noted here

1. Deen is completed on Yawm Nahar or the Day of Sacrifice. It was on that day that the Prophet’s farewell speech took place. On that day, it is the festival of sacrifice for the Muslims of the world.

2. That day is Friday itself. Hajjul Akbar is said to be when Friday and the day of sacrifice fall on the same day. Also known as Eidain (double feast). The day ‘Friday’ is also called the ‘Feast of True Believers’. Similarly, Friday is also referred to as the Hajj of the poor.

3. Deen is not completed on ‘Arafah because the deeds of Hajj are completed on Yaum Nahar. The subsequent acts of AyyamuTashreekare repetitions of Yaum Nahar.

4.. The Ayah was also revealed on Yaum Nahar because “Al YaumAkamalt Lakum.”……..On this day your Deen is fulfilled….” It is said that It does not mean that you will complete your deen tomorrow.

5. It is not intelligible that Umar (ra) and the Jew had a conversation. Because the question is not answered, the conversation is incomplete.

6. Another version of the same says Laylatul Jumma, Friday night or Thursday night, but the story is incorrect because the verse says “Al Yaum” and not Allail. Because of that, that narration is also not acceptable as it does not agree with the Qur’an.

It has been unequivocallyproved by the Qur’an, the Prophet’s teachings, and the science of spheres that the waxing and waning of the moon are the dates applicable to humans. Since this is a divine false calendar, Iblis will always try to undermine it, because Satan is the avowed enemy of man. By wronging the calendar, all the Muslims of the world are under his influence. By breaking fasts and feasts, the forbidden is made permissible and the permitted forbidden. So, as the Qur’an says, beware of your apparent enemy, it is impossible to tell in what form he will attack us.

Eidul Adha of this year 1444 is on 28 Wednesday, June 2023 and Arafah is on Tuesday according to the Moon phases of the month of Dulhijja.

(The writer is General Secretary, Hijri committee of India)