This book shatters the myth that naked-eye sighting of the new moon and completing thirty days in the case of weather-related or other obscurities are the only two valid methods of determining the month of Ramadan. The author explains that certainty, not actual sighting, is the real objective of the Shariah and that the Qur'an does not mandate physical sighting. A careful analysis shows that those hadiths that seemingly require sighting actually require certainty. The assertion that all Muslim scholars prohibit the use of astronomical calculations, both in affirming or negating the month of Ramadan, is not correct. As calculation is now more accurate than naked-eye sighting, due to certain astronomical and scientific advancements, the use of calculation is the closest to the real objective of the Shari'ah and to the spirit of the hadiths.

Muslims should humble themselves and ask Allah for His Pardon Forgiveness so that He opens their hearts to understand the Sunnah practice and propagate it. The Promise of Allah that the Muslim Umma will never unite under falsehood is only possible through learning the Sunnah. Therefore the Promise is not without a stake tag and price. Allah Pardons (Tāba) Forgives (gafara hides and buries) all the wrong perpetrated before one dies except innovation. This is by turning to the wrong doer (‘Taba’), cleansing him of all dirt. Innovation or conformity is observing the Sunnah/acts of worship not according to the manner and way practiced by the Holy Apostle.. After one is buried the door for repentance forgiveness is closed. Allah warns in the Holy Qur’ān 35:37, “Did We not give you lives long enough, so that whoever would receive admonition could receive it? And the warner came to you. So taste you.” This book is an invitation to the seekers of Allah’s Pardon Forgiveness through learning the Sunnah and putting that in practice.

Prior to the advent of electricity, every night held the possibility of a celestial light show. People in even the most urban environments were exposed to the awe and majesty of the heavens, which clearly "proclaim the glory of God." The contemplation of the celestial orbs and their movements provided early man with the most direct connection to his Lord. In the Qur'anic story of Abraham, it is his observance of heavenly phenomena that leads him to his certainty of God's unity and transcendence. Since the time of the Seljuq Turks, the crescent moon has been a sign of Islam.For Muslims in North America, there has been much confusion regarding when Ramadan begins, when to fast, and when to break the fast. Hamza Yusuf provides clarity through this detailed and scholarly work that decisively makes the case for sighting the crescent moon with the naked eye, as has been the Islamic tradition for 1400 years. This is essential reading for anyone seeking guidance on this important and sacred matter.

This is the first investigation of one of the main interests of astronomy in Islamic civilization, namely, timekeeping by the sun and stars and the regulation of the astronomically-defined times of Muslim prayer. The study is based on over 500 medieval astronomical manuscripts first identified by the author, now preserved in libraries all over the world and originally from the entire Islamic world from the Maghrib to Central Asia and the Yemen. The materials presented provide new insights into the early development of the prayer ritual in Islam. They also call into question the popular notion that religion could not inspire serious scientific activity. Only one of the hundreds of astronomical tables discussed here was known in medieval Europe, which is one reason why the entire corpus has remained unknown until the present. A second volume, also to be published by Brill, deals with astronomical instruments for timekeeping and other computing devices.