Tanbih al-Ghafil wal-Wasnan ala Ahkam Hilal Ramadan
- Author died
- 1252 AH
- Editions
- T Istanbul
Tanbih al-Ghafil wal-Wasnan ala Ahkam Hilal Ramadan (Arabic: تنبيه الغافل والوسنان على أحكام هلال رمضان, "Admonition of the Heedless and the Drowsy on the Rulings of the Crescent of Ramadan") is a legal treatise on the jurisprudence of sighting the new moon to establish the beginning and end of Ramadan, written by the Hanafi jurist Ibn Abidin (1198–1252 AH / 1784–1836 CE) .
Context and Purpose
Ibn Abidin authored the treatise in Damascus following a legal controversy that occurred in 1240 AH (1825 CE) regarding the determination of Ramadan . On the eve of Monday following the 29th of Sha'ban of that year, a group sighted the crescent moon from the minaret of the Umayyad Mosque while the sky was overcast . After a formal judicial claim was submitted, the deputy chief judge in Damascus legally established the onset of Ramadan based on their testimony .
However, certain individuals affiliated with the Shafi'i school disputed the verdict, claiming that someone had reported seeing the crescent during the daytime on Monday . They cast doubt among the public, fasted on the day of Eid al-Fitr, and broke their fast on the following day, despite other scholars from their own school pointing out their error . Ibn Abidin wrote the treatise to demonstrate the consensus of the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence on the matter and completed it in mid-Shawwal 1240 AH .
Structure and Content
The work is organized into four chapters addressing specific dimensions of crescent determination :
- Chapter One: How the crescent of Ramadan is legally confirmed, establishing that the obligation to fast depends either on verified nighttime sighting or on completing thirty days of Sha'ban .
- Chapter Two: The legal status of sighting the crescent during the daytime (ru'yat al-hilal naharan), showing that daytime sightings are disregarded across the four schools because legal texts condition rulings on post-sunset sightings .
- Chapter Three: The ruling on relying on astronomers, astrologers, and astronomical calculations (ahl al-hisab wal-tanjim), concluding that mathematical and astrological prognostications cannot establish the month in Islamic law .
- Chapter Four: The impact of differing horizons (ikhtilaf al-matali'), examining regional variations in sightings and noting that even where differences in horizons are considered, a valid judicial decree obligates all Muslims under its jurisdiction to comply .
Sources and Transmission
In an autograph note recorded on the manuscript of the treatise, Ibn Abidin stated that he cited over fifty authoritative references across the Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools . The treatise was later incorporated as the ninth epistle within his compiled collection of treatises, Majmu'at Rasa'il Ibn Abidin .
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