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.
