Visibility of Luna and Lunar Crescent

8@rly vdied s6r lo s@n, 'fte t€en tha1 $e irbEl.tion s6 inl,ldud in de
Arabim Peninsula w$ this .cooonic drivity rarh.r than dy sronomical t.son.
''QalM" a nativ€ of Mecca is Fpuled to be the fiIsl petson assisned lo derrmine thc
daca for thc coming yem pilgrinage and wheth.i $e inmalarion w6 drc or nol
(Hahim, 198?, Ahmed, l99l).
Sincc lhe early days of lh. inception of lund cakndd in the Arabim P€ninsula
four nonths including lhe Zil Hljiah wE o6i&r.d scEd md \@ {!e pDhibited
dudnglhesc sacrcd non$s. The custon cari.d over to the post lslamic.ra in lhe lsladic
cultu€. As with the Ronan ql.ndd thc i eEalalion ws abu*d i. ABbia io ordq lo
change rh. saqed nonfis inro noh{acred moorbs dd vicc-vc& Al thc eme rihe rhe
lunarcalendt!us€d inMadi@rendined in itsoriginal lzmonthsay€arford.
Muslihs follo{ed rhe calendar ot Mecca in the bceiNling. Rut afier the l,lophcr
Muhonmad migdred to Madin. alo.8 wnh his compdions. Mustims adoFcd lh.
cal.ndar usd in Madina. Aner $. conqu$tofMeccaby propbel Muhlmmad, Muslims
conlinued 1o ue rhe calcnde of Madim bul rhe catcndar ofMecca @ in pmllcl. Wi$
the lar pilgrimag€ ro Meca of Propher Mubmnad in rhe lo,r ye& aner miSr.rion ro
Modina (AD 612) fequenlly abused pEctice of inicrcalation \m abolished thbush a
QuEnic injuiction. Th. pEcrie ofnadin8 a lsd nonrh s.ith $e finl siebdne of nerv
clesccnt MooD was iurhenticated by Qurtuic injuncrion and tne gayine of l,rcpher
Muhmad, sith paniculd empbdis on b€Simine dd rhe cnding of lh€ nonth of
fasting md the monrh of lhe pilgdmase.
With adoption of puel! lunar cat.nd& wirh a luar nonrh bcginninS $ith $e
fist siehdns ofrhe ncw IuMr crcscehr lhrcush euMic injuncrion dd lhe eyinSs or
Pophet Muh.mmad |he .rolution of Isl.mic lunar catedar b.gd As for my calendar
one r€qutr.s a staning point of rine Gpoch) or bceinnins of m en, tor couring yea6,
Oe p€ople of MadiM ac h€li.v.d ro hoK u*d d.poch s ene dn6 ! mooin or tm
aftcr Prcphet Muhdnad mignicd to Madina in AD 6t2 (Iys, 1994). However ! hore
wid€ly acepGd lime ofomcial adoptjon of Ht6 s lhe bceinning ofrhc Ist@ic cR n
t8