THE method of fixing the date for Hari Raya Aidilfitri appears to be back in dispute again all of a sudden. Should it be through rukyah (sighting of the moon) or falak (calculations based on astronomy)?
The debate has been resurrected in Malaysia and leaflets on the matter are being distributed in many mosques, taking the cue perhaps from uncertainties arising in Indonesia over the same issue.
Twenty years after Muslims in this country have got used to falak for a more definite determination - and uniformly observed not only in all states but also in Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore - serious questions have re-emerged about whether this is indeed the proper and ordained way.
And in the process, risking a split in the community.
The leaflets promote the rukyah method as the better one, debunking the falak system by quoting selected hadith (words of the Prophet and his companions).
In Indonesia, there is reportedly already a split between the two biggest Muslim groups - Muhammadiyah (for astronomy) and Nahdlatul Ulama (sighting of the moon) - which has brought about a great deal of uncertainty as to whether Lebaran Idulfitri (as Hari Raya is known there) would fall yesterday or today.
In the end, the 40-million strong Muhammadiyah group celebrated it yesterday while an equal number of Nahdlatul Ulama followers waited until today to observe the festival.
I don't think Muslims in Malaysia should go through this same scenario and bring back memories of the 1970s and early 1980s.
In 1982 for example, Perak and Johor celebrated Hari Raya Aidilfitri a day earlier than the rest of the country.
The confusion arose because of the different methods employed by state religious authorities in determining the first day of Syawal.
On the night of Aug 1, the Keeper of the Royal Seal announced on television that the new moon was not sighted and, so, Hari Raya would fall on Aug 3.
But for the late Sultan Idris Shah, who was on the Perak throne then (1963-1984), Hari Raya was the next day according to falak calculations. He decided to follow the advice of his revered religious tutor, Mat Saman Muhammad, who used the falak method.
Many believed the Sultan did it because he did not want to disappoint Muslims in Perak, especially those in rural areas who had busied themselves over hot stoves preparing for Hari Raya the next day, only to be told over national TV that it would only be held the day after.
The confusion did not reflect well on the followers of the religion and it made religious authorities huddle for a solution - that Hari Raya be determined through astronomy readings, the same way the taqwim or Islamic calendar is drawn up.
And as a measure of compromise as well as in keeping in line with tradition, it was declared that the practice of sighting the moon would be continued though it was no longer the sole determining factor.
This system was later streamlined with religious authorities in Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore to avoid the awkward situation of Hari Raya being celebrated on different days in different countries, even among neighbours.
For several years afterwards there were practically no reports of a clash of Hari Raya dates - until now.
In fact, the cracks are looming large if we consider that not only is there a confusion here, the approach and readings in this country also tend to differ from those in Indonesia and even Saudi Arabia, the point of reference, so to speak.
It was reported that two Saudi experts in astronomy calculations have declared that Aidilfitri would fall yesterday, a day earlier than in Malaysia.
What do differences like this do to the image of the religion? Clearly, it is something Muslims don't need in the face of the many challenges they are already up against in the world today.
Proponents of the traditional method of sighting the moon may have their reasons for it to continue.
But what are the chances of the moon being sighted these days when one half of the country is so hazy and the other half experiencing wet weather almost every evening?
But, complicated as it might sound, Hari Raya still brings with it the joys of reunion that culminate the mad rush home.
It was reported that in Indonesia, about 20 million people will be moving out of Jakarta and its outskirts to balik kampung.
It is the same in Malaysia. About two million vehicles will be involved in a massive criss-cross exercise of festive travel during the Deepavali-Hari Raya break this week.
Imagine the surge in spending during this period and how much boost the economy gets with all the activity.
Let's do a simple calculation: Even assuming a conservative RM300 expenditure per vehicle - for basic pre-journey servicing, petrol and toll charges. That alone adds up to RM600 million.
And what about occupants of the vehicles. Even if we take three to a vehicle, there'll be six million people and if each spends RM50, there's another RM300 million pumped into the economy, making it almost a billion ringgit.
This is discounting many other elements, like travel by air and rail. As well as the ripple effects of simple spending.
To everyone, Selamat Hari Raya and happy holidays.

(published: 24/10/2006)