Shaykh Aḥmad Shākir and the Adoption of a Scientifically-Based Lunar Calendar
Year: 1998
Type: article
Abstract: The computation of the Muslim lunar calendar has been a subject of controversy for centuries. In the twentieth century, the debate surfaced again in different parts of the Muslim world. In Egypt, the distinguished jurist Aḥmad Shākir added his voice to the debate by writing a short treatise or risāla in which he argued that a calendar based on crescent sighting should be abandoned in favour of one based on scientific and astronomical computation. After providing some background information on Shākir and the lunar debate in Egypt and elsewhere in the Muslim world, I present an annotated translation of Shākir's treatise.
Source: Islamic Law and Society
Author: Ebrahim Moosa
Institutions: University of Cape Town, Duke University
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2051228677