68/25. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 5302 — The Islamic Month Can Be 29 or 30 Days
Al-Li'an
وَقَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: {وَالَّذِينَ يَرْمُونَ أَزْوَاجَهُمْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ شُهَدَاءُ إِلاَّ أَنْفُسُهُمْ} إِلَى قَوْلِهِ: {مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ}، فَإِذَا قَذَفَ الأَخْرَسُ امْرَأَتَهُ بِكِتَابَةٍ أَوْ إِشَارَةٍ أَوْ بِإِيمَاءٍ مَعْرُوفٍ، فَهْوَ كَالْمُتَكَلِّمِ، لأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَدْ أَجَازَ الإِشَارَةَ فِي الْفَرَائِضِ، وَهْوَ قَوْلُ بَعْضِ أَهْلِ الْحِجَازِ وَأَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ، وَقَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: {فَأَشَارَتْ إِلَيْهِ قَالُوا كَيْفَ نُكَلِّمُ مَنْ كَانَ فِي الْمَهْدِ صَبِيًّا}. وَقَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ: {إِلاَّ رَمْزًا} إِشَارَةً. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ لاَ حَدَّ وَلاَ لِعَانَ. ثُمَّ زَعَمَ أَنَّ الطَّلاَقَ بِكِتَابٍ أَوْ إِشَارَةٍ أَوْ إِيمَاءٍ جَائِزٌ، وَلَيْسَ بَيْنَ الطَّلاَقِ وَالْقَذْفِ فَرْقٌ، فَإِنْ قَالَ الْقَذْفُ لاَ يَكُونُ إِلاَّ بِكَلاَمٍ. قِيلَ لَهُ كَذَلِكَ الطَّلاَقُ لاَ يَجُوزُ إِلاَّ بِكَلاَمٍ، وَإِلاَّ بَطَلَ الطَّلاَقُ وَالْقَذْفُ، وَكَذَلِكَ الْعِتْقُ، وَكَذَلِكَ الأَصَمُّ يُلاَعِنُ. وَقَالَ الشَّعْبِيُّ وَقَتَادَةُ إِذَا قَالَ أَنْتِ طَالِقٌ. فَأَشَارَ بِأَصَابِعِهِ، تَبِينُ مِنْهُ بِإِشَارَتِهِ. وَقَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الأَخْرَسُ إِذَا كَتَبَ الطَّلاَقَ بِيَدِهِ لَزِمَهُ. وَقَالَ حَمَّادٌ الأَخْرَسُ وَالأَصَمُّ إِنْ قَالَ بِرَأْسِهِ جَازَ.
Hadith About the Islamic Lunar Month Being 29 or 30 Days
Sahih Bukhari : 5302
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 5302
حَدَّثَنَا آدَمُ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا جَبَلَةُ بْنُ سُحَيْمٍ، سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ عُمَرَ، يَقُولُ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " الشَّهْرُ هَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا ". يَعْنِي ثَلاَثِينَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ " وَهَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا ". يَعْنِي تِسْعًا وَعِشْرِينَ يَقُولُ، مَرَّةً ثَلاَثِينَ وَمَرَّةً تِسْعًا وَعِشْرِينَ.
Ibn 'Umar Narrated from:
The Prophet (holding out his ten fingers thrice), said, "The month is thus and thus and thus," namely thirty days. Then (holding out his ten fingers twice and then nine fingers), he said, "It may be thus and thus and thus," namely twenty nine days. He meant once thirty days and once twenty nine days.
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5302In-book reference : Book 68, Hadith 51USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 63, Hadith 222
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 5302
This hadith about the Islamic month explains a simple rule through the Prophet's gesture. He first held out ten fingers three times, showing thirty days. Then he held out ten fingers twice and nine fingers once, showing twenty-nine days. The translation states clearly that he meant a month may be thirty days once and twenty-nine days another time. The focus is the changing length of the lunar month, not a fixed monthly number. This is useful for searches about the Islamic lunar calendar, Ramadan moon sighting, and 29 or 30 days in Islam. The hadith teaches that religious time is treated with care, and the month is known by its actual count, not by forcing every month to be the same.
What we learn from this hadith
- A lunar month may be thirty days.
- A lunar month may also be twenty-nine days.
- The Prophet used his fingers to make the teaching clear.
- The narration warns against assuming every month has the same number of days.
