The Qur’an Answers Moon-Sighting A Qur’an-by-the-Qur’an interpretation of Q 2:189 and Q 55:5 for determining the beginning of lunar months. The study argues that the crescent—not invisible conjunction alone—is the public time-measure named for people and the Hajj. It sets out a calculated maturity criterion of 931 minutes after conjunction, linked by the author to the mathematical structure of Q 55:5, and applies this through publicly auditable conjunction, sunset, Esha, moonset, altitude, and azimuth data. Building on MESSAGE 9, the study holds that the date changes when night begins at Esha, not retroactively at sunset. Where sunset and Esha occur, the mature post-sunset crescent marks the month that commences at Esha. In polar conditions without sunset, no artificial daily boundary is created; the mature visible crescent itself determines the beginning of the month.
Mahmoud Ahmed (Tue,) studied this question.