MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, YOGYAKARTA — The Chair of the Muhammadiyah Council for Fatwa and Islamic Renewal Hamim Ilyas shared insights into Muhammadiyah’s adoption of the unified global hijri calendar during a national seminar on the unified global hijri calendar on Friday and Saturday (January 5-6) at the Amphitarium of the Medical Faculty of Universitas Ahamad Dahlan (UAD), Yogyakarta.
Hamim Ilyas said that the adoption of the unified global hijjri calendar is a step of tajdid (renewal) and ijtihad (independent reasoning) taken by the movement. He explained that the unified global hijjri calendar is based on the criteria of wujudul hilal, which means that the new month begins when the crescent moon is visible with the naked eye at sunset.
Hamim noted that Muhammadiyah has a long history of changes in its calendar. In the 1950s and 1960s, Muhammadiyah used the ijtimak qablal gurub criterion, which means that the new month begins when the sun and moon are at the same longitude before sunset. In the 1970s and 1980s, Muhammadiyah switched to the imkan rukyat criterion, which means that the new month begins when the crescent moon is theoretically visible. And since the 1990s, Muhammadiyah has used the wujudul hilal criterion.
Hamim also said that there has been a shift in the use of hadiths as evidence in the hisab (calculation) and rukyat (sighting) of the crescent moon. In the past, Muhammadiyah based its calendar on the hadith “sumu lirukyatihi” (fast because of seeing the crescent moon). But now, the organization bases its calendar on the hadith “nahnu ummatun umiyatun la naktubu wa la nahsibu” (we are an illiterate nation, we cannot write and calculate). Both hadiths are of equal quality, coming from the collections of al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Hamim argued that the shift from rukyat to hisab is necessary because the realities of the Muslim community have changed over time. In the past, Muslims did not have the knowledge of astronomy necessary to calculate the crescent moon. But today, Muslims have access to education and information, and they are able to understand the concepts of astronomy.
Rahmadi Wibowo Suwarno, secretary of the Division of Calculation, Science and Technology) of the Muhammadiyah Council for Fatwa and Islamic Renewal, also provided insights into the Muhammadiyah’s underlying principles that led to the adoption of the unified global hijri calendar.
According to Rahmadi, there are two key aspects of Muhammadiyah’s principles that emphasize the need for the unified global hijri calendar. First, the results of the 47th Muhammadiyah Congress (Muktamar) in 2015 stressed the need for international unification of the Hijri calendar. This decision was expected to provide certainty and be the basis of the calendar of transactions for Muslims. Second, the results of the 48th Muhammadiyah Congress (Muktamar) in 2022 marked the adoption of the Risalah Islam Berkemajuan (A Treatise of Progressive Islam). Th Treatise of Progressive Islam includes a commitment to improving the international Islamic time system through the implementation of a unified global Islamic calendar.
Rahmadi explained that these principles highlight several key points. First, unity of the Muslim community is considered the primary goal, with the unified global hijri calendar seen as a solution to existing differences. Second, the importance of uniformity of time in the context of worship and transactions is a strong reason for the change. Finally, the effort to improve the time system is seen as a strategic step in achieving a global Islamic calendar that can be implemented equitably.
The adoption of the unified global hijri calendar by Muhammadiyah is a significant step towards the unification of the Hijri calendar. It is a move that is likely to be welcomed by Muslims around the world who are seeking a more accurate and reliable way to determine the beginning of the new month.
