Constellations Thesis Book by Nesrin Zidan

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According to the Muslim worldview,
which is marked by the months of
Ramadan, Shawal, and Zulhijjah, people
fast and celebrate Eid Fitr and Eid Aidha
annually. Therefore, Muslims have had a
keen interest in studies on the sightings of
the lunar crescent since it is necessary for
Shawwal and Zulhijjah, and Ramadan to
begin. Because of this, Schaefer acknowledges
that astronomical research on the
visibility of the lunar crescent is among the
most challenging in the field of Astronomy
due to the delicacy of the information
obtained, which cannot be mistaken (Faid
et al., 2022).
Astronomy’s significance in Islam
did not stop there. The Kaaba, a holy site,
recognized by Muslims anywhere in the
world, is astronomically aligned, which
intrigued researchers to ponder whether
it was first constructed to symbolize Arab
cosmology. After all, if other structures
can be linked to the stars, why not here?
The minor axis of the cube-shaped structure
points to the summer sunrise, while
the major axis is aligned with the rising of
Canopus, the brightest star in the Southern
sky. The four cardinal points are also
represented by the corners; however, their
accuracy is not particularly good.
Many Muslim architects make
sure that housing is built with the Kaaba
in mind while designing mosques because
of the religious obligations connected with
facing the Qibla. Although the idea does
not resonate with many people, it is intriguing
to consider the potential effects
of such extensive planning on the history
of our times; for example, would future architects
compare the Muslim Kaaba-centric
architecture to the Roman temples?
Whole home developments were constructed
to point toward Canopus (Fatima,
2022).
Astrology used to be recognized
as a subfield of astronomy even if it is
not considered a science now. Astrology
mostly focuses on figuring out how to use
the stars to predict their effects on earthly
events. Therefore, a thorough knowledge
of the motion of the planets and the positions
of the stars was required by astrologers.
Astrological treatises were written by
eminent scholars of the era, including Abu
Ma’shar al-Balkhi (787-886), al-Biruni
(973-1048), and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi
(1201-1274) (Astronomy and Astrology).