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The Ramadan Pole Paradox: Difference between revisions
→Extreme fasting windows: Have moved this counter argument to here from the already very long 'Shape of the Earth' page as I believe it's much more relevant and fitting here
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(→Extreme fasting windows: Highlighted the point that alongside extreme day windows nightly prayers are also encouraged in the Qur'an, making it even more challenging for sleep.) |
(→Extreme fasting windows: Have moved this counter argument to here from the already very long 'Shape of the Earth' page as I believe it's much more relevant and fitting here) |
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{{Quote|{{Quran|17|78}}|Establish worship at the going down of the sun until the dark of night, and (the recital of) the Qur'an at dawn. Lo! (the recital of) the Qur'an at dawn is ever witnessed.}}This is made even more challenging with the often ignored commandment of nightly prayer vigils.{{Quote|{{Quran|11|114}}|Establish worship at the two ends of the day <b>and in some watches of the night.</b> Lo! good deeds annul ill-deeds. This is reminder for the mindful.}} | {{Quote|{{Quran|17|78}}|Establish worship at the going down of the sun until the dark of night, and (the recital of) the Qur'an at dawn. Lo! (the recital of) the Qur'an at dawn is ever witnessed.}}This is made even more challenging with the often ignored commandment of nightly prayer vigils.{{Quote|{{Quran|11|114}}|Establish worship at the two ends of the day <b>and in some watches of the night.</b> Lo! good deeds annul ill-deeds. This is reminder for the mindful.}} | ||
====Hadith allowing an estimate for prayer times==== | |||
Appeal is sometimes made to a lengthy hadith in which Muhammad instructs Muslims to make an estimate of prayer times in the last days when the Dajjal comes and when one day will be like a year, then like a month, and then like a week. It is argued on this basis that Muhammad provided a principle by which people at extreme latitudes should fast and pray.{{Quote|{{Muslim|41|7015}}|An-Nawwas b. Sam`an reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) made a mention of the Dajjal one day in the morning.<BR /> | |||
[...]<BR /> | |||
We said: Allah's Messenger, how long would he stay on the earth? He (ﷺ) said: For forty days, one day like a year and one day like a month and one day like a week and the rest of the days would be like your days. We said: Allah's Messenger, would one day's prayer suffice for the prayers of day equal to one year? Thereupon he (ﷺ) said: No, but you must make an estimate of time (and then observe prayer).<BR /> | |||
[...]}}Critics note a number of shortcomings with this argument: Firstly, this hadith contains only an instruction for the end of time and when the whole world will have some very long days. The question remains why there are not specific instructions for praying (not to mention fasting) near the polar regions on our round planet. While a stretched analogy can be made with polar regions where the sun cannot be seen rising or setting at all for months at a time, places such as the north of Scotland in the example above still have very short nights in summer yet maintain a 24 hour day-night cycle all year round. This is not like the month or year long days affecting the world in the hadith. A further problem is that the hadith does not explain how an estimate is to be made. The assumption must be that in the last days scenario, people can use the intervals they had been used to in normal times and that this is possible all over the world (which therefore must also be flat). However, on our round earth, people in the polar regions cannot in any sense "estimate" what their prayer (and fasting) intervals would normally be when the sun no longer rises or no longer sets each day. Instead, typically they have to chose the times pertaining at the nearest lower latitude, or if possible, to pray (and fast) at the prescribed times if there is still some brief period of daytime (or night). | |||
The hadith further demonstrates a flat earth and pre-scientific worldview. On a round earth, there would equally be a long night for the other half of the world. Crops would soon fail on both the daylit and night sides of the earth during the day lasting a year and the day lasting a month. The world would starve before the other events could unfold. | |||
==Criticisms== | ==Criticisms== | ||
[[Image:Arctic Ocean.png|thumb|upright=1.6|The North Pole.]]Some have asked, if one is to follow the timings of their home city, what is to be the practice of a permanent Muslim resident or even community in near-polar regions. Additionally, when it comes to regions where the day extends to be weeks or even months, the time-window of fasting for the "closest country" where the fasting window is under a day, the time frame usually still ends up being near 24-hours. | [[Image:Arctic Ocean.png|thumb|upright=1.6|The North Pole.]]Some have asked, if one is to follow the timings of their home city, what is to be the practice of a permanent Muslim resident or even community in near-polar regions. Additionally, when it comes to regions where the day extends to be weeks or even months, the time-window of fasting for the "closest country" where the fasting window is under a day, the time frame usually still ends up being near 24-hours. | ||