"They Ask You About the New Moons" — The Crescent Moons and Pilgrimage, Abu Bakr's Question
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يَسۡـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلۡأَهِلَّةِ قُلۡ هِيَ مَوَٰقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِ وَٱلۡحَجِّ
— البقرة 189
Verse: "They ask you about the new moons — say: they are timing indicators for people and the Hajj." (2:189)
Occasion (Hasan): Ibn Abi Hatim narrated from Ibn Abbas: Mu'adh ibn Jabal and Tha'laba ibn Ghanam asked: "O Messenger of Allah, why does the crescent appear thin then grow then diminish?" The verse was revealed clarifying that crescents are timing indicators for people in their worship, commerce, and appointed times.
Benefit: The Quranic answer did not explain the physical phenomenon — but clarified its wisdom: timing and organization.
Source: Tafsir Ibn Abi Hatim; Lubab Al-Nuqul
Question: What is the Quranic answer's method in the crescent verse — did it answer the phenomenon or the wisdom?
Answer: It answered the wisdom and benefit (timing for people) not the physical phenomenon — because the wisdom is more important for the believer than physical explanation.