The Islamic Lunar Calendar as a Civilizational Imperative

It is He Who made the sun a radiance, and the moon a light, and determined it by stations, that you might know the number of the years and the reckoning (of time) ... (Qur'an 10:5). Every community possesses a personality and certain traits that distinguish it from others. The ummah of Islam w...

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Autor principal: Taha J. al 'Alwani
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: International Institute of Islamic Thought 1992
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Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/692e8e174c6b4b139783b670f2216576
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spelling oai:doaj.org-article:692e8e174c6b4b139783b670f22165762021-12-02T18:18:47ZThe Islamic Lunar Calendar as a Civilizational Imperative10.35632/ajis.v9i4.25462690-37332690-3741https://doaj.org/article/692e8e174c6b4b139783b670f22165761992-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ajis.org/index.php/ajiss/article/view/2546https://doaj.org/toc/2690-3733https://doaj.org/toc/2690-3741 It is He Who made the sun a radiance, and the moon a light, and determined it by stations, that you might know the number of the years and the reckoning (of time) ... (Qur'an 10:5). Every community possesses a personality and certain traits that distinguish it from others. The ummah of Islam was blessed by Allah Most High with a distinctive personality so that it could serve as a community of the median way (wasatiyah) and as a witness (shahadah): "Thus We appointed you a mid-most nation, so that you might be witnesses over all mankind" (2:143). In view of the important civilizational role to be played by the Muslim ummah, Allah created the elements in its personality with great care in order to ensure that the expected results would come to fruition and that the ummah would become the best community ever brought forth: "You are the best nation ever brought forth to mankind" (3:110). Among the constituent elements of the ummah's cultural and civilizattional identity is its perspective on time, be it past, present, or future, and how it is to be measured. The past consists of history, from which lessons are to be learned. The present is the current reality, every moment of which is to be used to the best advantage or invested. The future is that which is anticipated and planned for so that it may become more resplendent. The communities that went before Islam both understood and calculated time in order to achieve their goals and build their civilizations. To differing degrees, all of them were successful in their endeavor to mark the passage of time. However, every system they devised suffered from calendars featuring ten months in a year, others with widely varying numbers of days in a month, calendars that began in the spring while others ... Taha J. al 'AlwaniInternational Institute of Islamic ThoughtarticleIslamBP1-253ENAmerican Journal of Islam and Society, Vol 9, Iss 4 (1992)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
topic Islam
BP1-253
spellingShingle Islam
BP1-253
Taha J. al 'Alwani
The Islamic Lunar Calendar as a Civilizational Imperative
description It is He Who made the sun a radiance, and the moon a light, and determined it by stations, that you might know the number of the years and the reckoning (of time) ... (Qur'an 10:5). Every community possesses a personality and certain traits that distinguish it from others. The ummah of Islam was blessed by Allah Most High with a distinctive personality so that it could serve as a community of the median way (wasatiyah) and as a witness (shahadah): "Thus We appointed you a mid-most nation, so that you might be witnesses over all mankind" (2:143). In view of the important civilizational role to be played by the Muslim ummah, Allah created the elements in its personality with great care in order to ensure that the expected results would come to fruition and that the ummah would become the best community ever brought forth: "You are the best nation ever brought forth to mankind" (3:110). Among the constituent elements of the ummah's cultural and civilizattional identity is its perspective on time, be it past, present, or future, and how it is to be measured. The past consists of history, from which lessons are to be learned. The present is the current reality, every moment of which is to be used to the best advantage or invested. The future is that which is anticipated and planned for so that it may become more resplendent. The communities that went before Islam both understood and calculated time in order to achieve their goals and build their civilizations. To differing degrees, all of them were successful in their endeavor to mark the passage of time. However, every system they devised suffered from calendars featuring ten months in a year, others with widely varying numbers of days in a month, calendars that began in the spring while others ...
format article
author Taha J. al 'Alwani
author_facet Taha J. al 'Alwani
author_sort Taha J. al 'Alwani
title The Islamic Lunar Calendar as a Civilizational Imperative
title_short The Islamic Lunar Calendar as a Civilizational Imperative
title_full The Islamic Lunar Calendar as a Civilizational Imperative
title_fullStr The Islamic Lunar Calendar as a Civilizational Imperative
title_full_unstemmed The Islamic Lunar Calendar as a Civilizational Imperative
title_sort islamic lunar calendar as a civilizational imperative
publisher International Institute of Islamic Thought
publishDate 1992
url https://doaj.org/article/692e8e174c6b4b139783b670f2216576
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