It is the source of light we turn to by nightfall and in the Muslim world, it is the glowing crescent that ushers in the fasting month and the new Hijrah year.
Throughout millennia, the moon has become a source of great inspiration and intrigue; an enigma that pervades the human experience. To such a degree that the International Moon Day was established.
International Moon Day is a United Nations (UN)-designated international day observed annually on July 20.
It marks the anniversary of man’s first landing on the moon and celebrates humanity’s achievements in lunar exploration while also raising awareness on sustainable moon exploration and utilisation.
Within the Bruneian context, our lunar explorations have not transcended the realm of astronautics yet. Instead it sits calmly between the realms of astronomy and spirituality.
According to the Astronomical Society of Brunei Darussalam (PABD), the moon has a special place in Islam, having been mentioned 28 times in Al-Quran.
“Aside from being an important navigation guide for Arab Bedouins traversing the deserts at night, its rising and its setting, its different phases serve as tools for the measurement of time, days and months.
“In fact, the earliest human calendars are lunar, and it was through lunar calendars and the human need to determine time’s progression that led to the development of mathematics,” said PABD member Abdul Waliyuddin bin Yahya.
The moon’s formulaic orbit and movement across the celestial sphere, added the PABD, also forms a great reminder that there is a Creator that governs its motions; to rise and set at predictable times.
Furthermore, the important Islamic months of Ramadhan and Zulhijjah are determined based on the sighting of the moon.
“Muslims flock to high places with clear views of the horizons to ascertain the presence of the hilal (crescent moon) that marks the start of the new month,” he added.
Despite its monthly occurrence and the advent of advanced ground-based observation technologies, hilal sightings remain a challenge even to the most seasoned moon-sighters, especially in humid countries where cloud cover distorts the view of the slender young moon.
The moon is also synonymous with beauty and grace, continued Abdul Waliyuddin, noting the hadith narrations that describe the beauty of the face of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and how his companions would often refer to his face as being more ‘handsome and beautiful than the moon’.
“This affiliation to beauty is hardly surprising, one can imagine that in pre-modern Arabia where light bulbs or streetlights were not in existence, the bright full moon at night was the most glorious object one could feast their eyes on in the night sky,” he explained.
In fact the beauty of the moon, still commands our fascination up until this day because it reminds us of our next life in the hereafter.
“It is narrated that the first group of believers will enter paradise with faces as bright as the full moon at night.
“When Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) spoke of how easy it would be for the believers to see Allah the Almighty in paradise, he mentioned that there would be no difficulty in seeing Him, that you will ‘see your Lord as you see this moon’.”
Reflecting on the occasion of the new year 1445 Hijrah, Abdul Waliyuddin highlighted how the moon’s gleaming light evokes emotions of optimism and hope for the future.
“At the time when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) made his way for Hijrah to Madinah, upon seeing the new crescent of Rabiulawal, he supplicated the Doa: ‘O Allah, let this moon (month) pass over us with blessings, Iman, safety, and in the belief of Islam. Grant us the ability to act on the actions that You love and pleases You’.”
The moon allows us to measure time, days and months. It is the gift that allows us to know when Ramadhan comes, to know when to worship Allah the Almighty at night and to know when to prepare for haj.
With this, Muslims are reminded that the moon, like all temporal objects will cease to exist at the end of time.
“It is a fitting reminder for Muslims that Al-Quran mentions the splitting of the moon when the hour comes, bringing full circle to the glorification of Allah the Almighty as the Creator, the Controller, the Mover and finally the Dismantler of the beautiful adornment in the night sky we call, the moon,” he added. – Wardi Wasil & Izah Azahari
