13/2. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1080l — Prophetic Gesture for Month Length
The obligation to fast Ramadan when the crescent is sighted, and to break the fast when the crescent is sighted, and that if it is cloudy at the beginning or end of the month, then the month should be completed as thirty days.
Prophetic Gesture Hadith About Month 29 Days
Sahih Muslim : 1080l
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1080l
وَحَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُعَاذٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ جَبَلَةَ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ ابْنَ، عُمَرَ - رضى الله عنهما - يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " الشَّهْرُ كَذَا وَكَذَا وَكَذَا " . وَصَفَّقَ بِيَدَيْهِ مَرَّتَيْنِ بِكُلِّ أَصَابِعِهِمَا وَنَقَصَ فِي الصَّفْقَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ إِبْهَامَ الْيُمْنَى أَوِ الْيُسْرَى .
Ibn 'Umar Narrated from:
Ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with both of them) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: The month is thus, and thus, and thus, and he flapped his hands with all their fingers twice. but at the third turn, folded his right thumb or left thumb (in order to give an idea of twenty-nine).
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1080lIn-book reference : Book 13, Hadith 15USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 6, Hadith 2374
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1080l
In this report, Ibn Umar says that Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم described the month by gesture. He showed both hands twice with all fingers, then on the third time one thumb was folded. This gives the idea of twenty-nine. The hadith about month 29 days is easy to picture because the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم taught the number through a visible sign. The text does not move into other rulings. Its focus is the clear teaching that a month can be twenty-nine days. This style also makes the lesson simple for people to remember. When reading it, the key point is not the hand movement alone, but the number it explains.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used a clear gesture to teach the month length.
- A month may be counted as twenty-nine days.
- Simple teaching can make religious timing easier to understand.
