Date of Award

12-1-2023

Thesis Type

masters

Document Type

Thesis (Restricted Access)

Divisions

fac_eng

Department

Department of Fiqh & Usul

Institution

Universiti Malaya

Abstract

The Hijri calendar holds great importance in determining religious practices like fasting, pilgrimage, and festivals for Muslims. However, various methods and criteria are used to determine the start of the new Hijri months, leading to different countries observing these events on different days. This has caused issues and hindered unity among Islamic nations. Efforts have been made to address this problem through international conferences to establish universal criteria for the Hijri calendar. Despite the decisions made in these conferences, these decisions were not implemented globally and many countries still follow their own methods. This study aims to investigate the perspectives of Islamic astronomers in Malaysia regarding the unification of the Hijri calendar and the conferences held in Türkiye to achieve this goal. The study involves library research and semi-structured interviews for data collection, with thematic analysis and both inductive and deductive analysis used for data analysis. There is a diverse range of viewpoints from scholars on the unification of the Hijri calendar. Some scholars support calendar unity, citing global interconnectedness and a unified Muslim community, while others question its necessity due to flexibility in Islamic teachings and different fiqh justifications. Perspectives on the Istanbul conferences vary, with some backing the decisions made and others critiquing the criteria or Türkiye’s approach. The study hopes to contribute to the ongoing discussion on unifying the Hijri calendar and ensuring its global consistency.

Note

Dissertation (M.A.) – Academy of Islamic Studies, Universiti Malaya, 2023.

Additional Files
15178-Esma_Dagtekin.pdf (174 kB)
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