MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, MEDAN—The Islamic calendar is an Islamic day marker based on a lunar orbit. Syamsul Anwar mentioned that an Islamic calendar has two types, global and local calendars. A local Islamic calendar is a partial local calendar issued by the Ministry of Religion, Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah, and others. This local calendar may generate different calendars, especially in Ramadan, Shawwal, and Dzulhijjah.
While the Global Islamic Calendar has two types: the global zonal calendar and the single global calendar. The zonal global calendar refers to a calendar that divides the world where the calendar applies to several zones. For example, Nidlal Qassum offers a global Islamic calendar with a qaudro-zonal concept, Mohammad Ilyas offers a trizonal concept, and Mohammad Syaukat ‘Audah introduces a bizonal concept. These three concepts of the Islamic calendar show the calendar area division, which allows for differences in the rising place.
The single global Islamic calendar has the principle of one day, one date worldwide. This concept was offered by Jamaluddin Abd ar-Raziq, which later became the consensus of the scholars at the Congress in Istanbul in 2016.
“The concept is a clear arrangement of the global Islamic calendar with the principle of one day and one date worldwide,” said Syamsul in a seminar held by the Observatory of Astronomy at Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (OIF UMSU) on Saturday (21/01),
According to Syamsul, the single global Islamic calendar is urgent since Muslims in this century live in a unified global world. It will be strange if Muslims live in a condition and cannot unify the time system in the form of a unified calendar.
One reason for the urgency of the global Islamic calendar is the determination of the day of Arafah. The absence of the global Islamic calendar in determining the time of worship around the world, the Arafah fasting often occurs on a different day from the day of the month of Hajj in Mecca. The 9th of Dzulhijjah in several regions, especially in Islamic countries, is often dissimilar from the 9th of Zulhijjah in Mecca.
In addition, the global Islamic calendar is necessary so that Muslims worldwide can carry out religious celebrations simultaneously such as Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and fasting of Ramadan. The global Islamic calendar will further strengthen Islam as ummah wahidah (only one) (Al-Mu’minun: 52 and Al-Anbiya: 92)
