The entirety of verses and hadiths related to the unified global Hijri calendar contains guidance in the form of dalālah ‘isyārah (implicit indication).
Al-Qur’an, Surah al-Isra’ (17): 12:
وَجَعَلْنَا اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ آيَتَيْنِ ۖ فَمَحَوْنَا آيَةَ اللَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَا آيَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً لِتَبْتَغُوا فَضْلً مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَلِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ ۚ وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَصَّلْنَاهُ تَفْصِيلً
“And We have made the night and day two signs, and We erased the sign of the night and made the sign of the day visible, that you may seek bounty from your Lord and that you may know the number of years and the account [of time]. And everything We have explained in detail.”
Al-Qur’an, Surah Yasin (36): 39-40:
وَالْقَمَرَ قَدَّرْنَاهُ مَنَازِلَ حَتَّىٰ عَادَ كَالْعُرْجُونِ الْقَدِيمِ .لَا الشَّمْسُ يَنْبَغِي لَهَا أَنْ تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ وَلَ اللَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِۚ وَكُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ.
“And the moon – We have determined for its phases, until it returns [appearing] like the old date stalk. It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. And each is swimming in an orbit.”
Al-Qur’an, Surah al-Baqarah (2): 189:
يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الَْهِلَّةِ ۖ قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَالْحَجِّ
“They ask you, [O Muhammad], about the moon phases. Say, “They are measurements of time for the people and for the Hajj.”
The verse above contains several points: (1) that the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar (based on the lunar cycle), and (2) there is an indication that the Islamic calendar is global. This can be understood from the statement li alnās (for the people), which indicates generality and the universal applicability of the calendar for all humanity on earth. Thus, this verse can be interpreted as the basis for the form of a global Islamic calendar that must be chosen.
Furthermore, the verse above contains an indication of the religious function of the Islamic calendar, represented and reflected by the word al-ḥajj (the pilgrimage). Furthermore, the hadith emphasizes that the peak of the Hajj pilgrimage is standing in Arafah, and on the other hand, the day of Arafah is recommended for fasting for Muslims who are not performing Hajj. For the day of Arafah to fall on the same day throughout the world, there is no other way except to implement the Unified Global Hijri Calendar (UGHC).
Al-Qur’an, Surah Yunus (10): 5:
هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ ضِيَاءً وَالْقَمَرَ نُورًا وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ ۚ مَا خَلَقَ اللهُ ذَٰلِكَ إِلَّ بِالْحَقِّ ۚ يُفَصِّلُ الْيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ.
“It is He who made the sun shining light and the moon a derived light and determined for its phases – that you may know the number of years and the account [of time]. Allah has not created this except in truth. He details the signs for people who know.”
Al-Qur’an, Surah al-Taubah (9): 36-37:
اِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُوْرِ عِنْدَ اللهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِيْ كِتٰبِ اللهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالَْرْضَ مِنْهَآ اَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ۗ ذٰلِكَ الدِّيْنُ الْقَيِّمُ ۙ فَلَ تَظْلِمُوْا فِيْهِنَّ اَنْفُسَكُمْ وَقَاتِلُوا الُْشْرِكِيْنَ كَآفَّةً كَمَا يُقَاتِلُوْنَكُمْ كَآفَّةً ۗ وَاعْلَمُوْآ اَنَّ اللهَ مَعَ الُْتَّقِيْنَ
“Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve [lunar] months in the register of Allah [from] the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred. That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during [these four months]. And fight against the polytheists collectively as they fight against you collectively. And know that Allah is with the righteous.”
اِنَّمَا النَّشِيْءُ زِيَادَةٌ فِى الْكُفْرِ يُضَلُّ بِهِ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا يُحِلُّوْنَه عَامًا وَّيُحَرِّمُوْنَه عَامًا لِّيُوَاطِـُٔوْا عِدَّةَ مَا حَرَّمَ اللهُ فَيُحِلُّوْا مَا حَرَّمَ اللهُ ۗ زُيِّنَ لَهُمْ سُوْءُ اَعْمَالِهِمْۗ وَاللهُ لَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الْكٰفِرِيْنَ
“Indeed, the postponing [of sacred months] is an increase in disbelief by which those who have disbelieved are led astray. They make it lawful one year and unlawful another year to correspond to the number of months Allah has made sacred so that they will make lawful what Allah has made unlawful. Made fair to them is the evil of their deeds; and Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.”
Al-Qur’an surah al-Rahman (55): 5:
الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍ
“The sun and the moon (move) according to a calculation.”
Verse 36 of Surah al-Taubah confirms that the calendar consists of 12 months, among which are 4 sacred months that constitute al-dīn al-qayyim (the upright religion). Then, verse 37 confirms that postponing the months adds to disbelief. These two verses teach the proper calendar for Muslims. The calendar consists of 12 months using international convention; among them are 4 sacred months (a national or regional Arab convention). This calendar teaching is part of the upright religion, and Muslims in Surah al-Rum (30): 43 are commanded to follow the upright religion.
In following the religion, people are commanded to have an inherent capacity as ḥanīf (inclined towards truth) (HQ al-Rum (30): 30), with the meaning of mutaharri al-istiqāmah, one who is meticulous in steadfastness. Istiqāmah is luzūm al-manhaj al-mustaqīm, remaining on the straight path. The straight path in Surah al-Fatihah is the path taken to obtain ni’mah, al-ḥalāh al-ḥasanah, a good state in all aspects of life.
Muhammadiyah accommodates the UGHC in order to practice al-dīn al-qayyim so that the community has a good state in calendaring. This good state provides certainty and can be used as a transaction calendar. This is certainly with adjustments. If in the past, in the upright religious calendar, there was acceptance of a year consisting of 12 months as an international convention, now the acceptance of a good calendar according to international standards is universal (1 day 1 date worldwide, certain and long-lasting), and there is acceptance of 4 sacred months which were a convention in the Arab region at the time the Qur’an was revealed.
The upright religion (al-dīn al-qayyim) – according to Ibn Qutaibah – is al-ḥisāb al-ṣahīh wa al-‘adād al-mustaufī (correct calculation and complete number), and – according to al-Kalbi – is al-qaḍā’ al-ḥaqq al-mustaqīm (a just and straight decision). GUHC fulfills the meaning of al-dīn al-qayyim, both as stated by Ibn Qutaibah and al-Kalbi.
Surah al-Taubah, verse 37, further emphasizes that postponing or delaying adds to disbelief. According to Ibn ‘Abbas, the meaning of postponement in this verse is delaying the year by more than 11 days so that Muharram is in Safar. As for Mujahid, the meaning of postponement is the postponement of the Hajj pilgrimage every two years: Hajj in Dhulhijjah for 2 years, then Hajj in Muharram for 2 years, then Hajj in Safar for 2 years, and Hajj in Dhulqa’dah for 2 years. UGHC does not involve postponement in the two senses mentioned above or in any new sense that may exist, thus ensuring that there is no addition to disbelief in it. The explanation about the sacred months is mentioned in the hadith of Abu Bakrah:
عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرَةَ رَشِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ الزَّمَانُ قَدِ اسْتَدَارَ كَهَيْئَتِهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ اللهُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالَْرْضَ السَّنَةُ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ثَلَثَةٌ مُتَوَالِيَاتٌ ذُو الْقَعْدَةِ وَذُو الْحِجَّةِ وَالُْحَرَّمُ وَرَجَبُ مُضَرَ الَّذِي بَيْنَ جُمَادَى وَشَعْبَانَ )رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيُّ(.
From Abu Bakrah r.a. (narrated), from the Prophet s.a.w. who said: “Verily, time has come full circle as it was on the day Allah created the heavens and the earth. A year has twelve months, of which four are sacred: three are consecutive, namely Dhulqa’dah, Dhulhijjah, and Muharram, and [the fourth is] Rajab of Mudar, which is between Jumada and Sha’ban.” (Narrated by alBukhari).
Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
The accommodation of a global Hijri calendar based on the Sunnah and what constitutes al-aṣl (the fundamental basis) is the hadith narrated by Imam al-Bukhari from Ibn Umar:
عَنِ ابْنَ عُمَرَ رَشِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ: إِنَّا أُمَّةٌ أُمِّيَّةٌ، لَ نَكْتُبُ وَلَ نَحْسُبُ، الشَّهْرُ هَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا يَعْنِي مَرَّةً تِسْعَةً وَعِشْرِينَ، وَمَرَّةً ثَلَثِينَ(رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيُّ)
From Ibn ‘Umar r.a. (narrated) from the Prophet s.a.w. who said: “We are an unlettered people; we neither write nor calculate. The month is thus and thus,” meaning sometimes twenty-nine and sometimes thirty days. (Narrated by alBukhari).
أَنَّ ابْنَ عُمَرَ رَشِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ : سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُوهُ فَصُومُوا، وَإِذَا رَأَيْتُمُوهُ فَأَفْطِرُوا، فَإِنْ غُمَّ عَلَيْكُمْ فَاقْدُرُوا لَهُ (رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيُّ)
Verily, Ibn ‘Umar r.a. (narrated) said: I heard the
Messenger of Allah s.a.w. say: “When you see it (the new
moon), then fast; and when you see it, then break your fast. If it is obscured from you, then estimate it.” (Narrated by al-Bukhari).
Another fundamental hadith is the one narrated by Imam al-Tirmidhi from Abu Hurairah:
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: الصَّوْمُ يَوْمَ تَصُومُونَ، وَالفِطْرُ يَوْمَ تُفْطِرُونَ، وَالضَْحَى يَوْمَ تُضَحُّونَ (رَوَاهُ التِرْمِذِيُّ)
From Abu Hurairah (narrated), that the Prophet s.a.w. said: “Fasting is the day you (all) fast, Eid al-Fitr is the day you (all) break your fast, and Eid al-Adha is the day you (all) slaughter [your sacrifices].” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi).
The method of istidlal (deriving legal reasoning) from this hadith is by observing the word “you” in the hadith, which is a plural pronoun meaning it encompasses all Muslims throughout the world. The command is to fast, celebrate Eid al-Fitr, and celebrate Eid al-Adha simultaneously on the same day worldwide, just like the Friday prayer, which is performed simultaneously on the same day worldwide, i.e., on Friday. Thus, the dating system must be global and unified.
From the perspective of uṣūl fiqh (principles of jurisprudence), the word “you” in the hadith statement is in the plural form (jama‘), and jama‘ indicates generality (‘umūm), so this hadith states that fasting is performed on the day all of you Muslims fast. Similarly, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are performed on the day all Muslims perform them. This means that these three acts of worship are performed by Muslims simultaneously on the same day. Sheikh Ahmad Muhammad Syakir, a hadith expert and commentator on Sunan al-Tirmiżī, was the first to propose the UGHC, using this hadith as the basis for stating that the Islamic calendar must be unified, where the beginning of each month starts simultaneously worldwide without considering differences in matlak (lunar visibility).
Muslims in the present era are no longer an unlettered people. They can already write and calculate (ḥisāb). Moreover, the Qur’an itself alludes to the use of ḥisāb in determining the lunar months, not rukyat (moonsighting).
The existence of an accurate Islamic calendar free from intercalation is part of the maqāṣīd syarī’ah (objectives of Islamic law). Three Surahs of the Qur’an,
namely Surah Yusuf (12): 40, Surah al-Bayyinah (98): 5,
and Surah al-Taubah (9): 36-37, mention:
مَا تَعْبُدُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِه اِلَّٓ اَسْمَآءً سَمَّيْتُمُوْهَآ اَنْتُمْ وَاٰبَآؤُكُمْ مَّآ اَنْزَلَ اللهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطٰنٍۗ اِنِ الْحُكْمُ اِلَّ لِِّٰ ِ ۗاَمَرَ اَلَّ تَعْبُدُوْٓا اِلَّٓ اِيَّاهُ ۗ ذٰلِكَ الدِّيْنُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلٰكِنَّ اَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَ يَعْلَمُوْنَ.
“What you worship except Him mere names you have named them, you and your fathers, for which Allah has sent down no authority. Legislation is not but for Allah. He has commanded that you worship not except Him. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know.” (HQ Yusuf (12): 40).
وَمَآ اُمِرُوْٓا اِلَّ لِيَعْبُدُوا اللهَ مُخْلِصِيْنَ لَهُ الدِّيْنَ ۙ حُنَفَآءَ وَيُقِيْمُوا الصَّلٰوةَ وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكٰوةَ وَذٰلِكَ دِيْنُ الْقَيِّمَةِۗ
“And they were not commanded except to worship Allah,
[being] sincere to Him in religion, inclining to truth, and to establish prayer and to give zakah; and that is the upright
religion.” (HQ al-Bayyinah (98): 5).
إِنَّ عِدَّةَ ٱلشُّهُورِ عِندَ ٱللهِ ٱثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِى كِتَٰبِ ٱللهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلَْرْضَ مِنْهَآ أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ ۚ فَلَ تَظْلِمُوا فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمْ ۚ وَقَٰتِلُوا ٱلُْشْرِكِينَ كَآفَّةً كَمَا يُقَٰتِلُونَكُمْ كَآفَّةً ۚ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا أَنَّ ٱللهَ مَعَ ٱلُْتَّقِينَ .إِنَّمَا ٱلنَّشِىٓءُ زِيَادَةٌ فِى ٱلْكُفْرِ ۖ يُضَلُّ بِهِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يُحِلُّونَهُۥ عَامًا وَيُحَرِّمُونَ ۥهُ عَامًا لِّيُوَاطِـُٔوا عِدَّةَ مَا حَرَّمَ ٱللهُ فَيُحِلُّوا مَا حَرَّمَ ٱللهُ ۚ زُيِّنَ لَهُمْ سُوٓءُ أَعْمَٰلِهِمْ ۗ وَٱللهُ لَ يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ
“Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve months in Allah’s decree since the day He created the heavens and the earth. Among them are four sacred months. That is the upright religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them. And fight against the polytheists collectively, just as they fight against you collectively. And know that Allah is with those who fear Him. Indeed, rescheduling the sacred months is an act of disbelief. By this, the disbelievers are led astray. They make it permissible one year and forbid another to adjust the number of months that Allah has made sacred, thus permitting what Allah has forbidden. Satan has made their deeds seem appealing to them. And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.” (HQ al-Taubah (9): 36-37).
The three surahs above affirm the essence of the true religion (al-dīn al-qayyim or dīn al-qayyimah). According to these verses, the essence of true religion is: (a) having faith in the oneness of Allah, (b) performing prayer (ṣalāh), (c) paying zakat, (d) following an accurate calendar, where the number of months is 12 months without intercalation. Based on these verses, it is clear that the existence of an accurate Islamic calendar, free from intercalation, is an integral part of maqāṣīd syarī’ah (the objectives of Islamic law) that must be realized.
