THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHAFAQ AL-ABYA AT DUSK AT TANJUNG ARU, SABAH, MALAYSIA By: Mohammaddin Abdul Niri * Mohd Zambri Zainuddin ** Sa adan Man *** Mohd Saiful Anwar Mohd Nawawi * Abstrat The disappearane of shafaq phenomenon at dusk marks the ending time of Magh approah to larify the phenomenon while astronomial onsideration whih overs omputational and observational method explains the phenomenon quantitatively. The study implements astronomial observation as tool to assist fiqh in explaining the phenomenon expliitly as it ontains empirial justifiation. Based on the suitability aspet, the disappearane of shafaq alabya is applied for Malaysia loality ondition. The observation was onduted to study the phenomenon at Tanjung Aru, Sabah, East Malaysia. Aording to the obtained results using SQM-LE meter, the sky brightness magnitudes for the disappearane of shafaq al-abya as the lower limit of astronomial dusk is obtained averagely at 20.79 ± 0.36 mag/arse 2 of sky brightness with mean solar depression angle at 107.99 ± 0.16 while the values for the lower limit of ivil and nautial dusk are onsidered to be 12.85 ± 0.73 mag/arse 2 and 19.76 ± 0.49 mag/arse 2 respetively. The results also indiate that SQM-LE meter has provides better magnitude reading than SQM- L and derives lower variability of solar depression to determine the disappearane of shafaq al-abya. Keywords: sky quality meter, Muslim prayer time, sky brightness Abstrak Fenomena kehilangan shafaq semasa senja adalah menandakan tamatnya waktu Maghrib dan bermulanya waktu Isya. Keterangan fiqh menyediakan satu pendekatan yang ukup asas untuk menghurai fenomena tersebut, manakala pertimbangan astronomi yang meliputi pendekatan matematik dan erapan menjelaskan fenomena tersebut dalam bentuk yang lebih kuantitatif. Kajian ini menerapkan kaedah erapan astronomi sebagai alat untuk membantu fiqh menerangkan fenomena tersebut seara terperini kerana perspektif astronomi memiliki justifikasi empirikal. Berdasarkan aspek kesesuaian, fenomena kehilangan shafaq al-abya digunakan untuk keadaan tempatan Malaysia. Untuk menyelidik fenomena tersebut, erapan telah dijalankan di Tanjung Aru, Sabah, Malaysia Timur. Berpandukan kepada keputusan yang diperolehi menggunakan alat meter SQM-LE, magnitud keerahan langit untuk kehilangan shafaq al-abya sebagai had terendah keerahan senja astronomi diperolehi seara purata pada nilai 20.79 ± 0.36 mag/arse 2 dengan purata sudut 105
junaman matahari 107.99 ± 0.16 manakala nilai had terendah keerahan senja awam adalah 12.85 ± 0.73 mag/arse 2 dan senja kelautan adalah 19.76 ± 0.49 mag/arse 2. Kajian ini turut mendapati bahawa meter SQM-LE menyediakan baaan magnitud yang lebih baik berbanding SQM-L dan memberikan nilai sisihan sudut junaman matahari yang lebih rendah untuk menentukan fenomena kehilangan shafaq al-abya. 1.0 INTRODUCTION The dusk phenomenon ours after the sun has set at the western horizon. The observer on the earth reeives light at the time of sunset atmosphere. The intensity of light diminishes as the sun sinks further below the horizon. m. It is ategory in three onditions as ivil, nautial and astronomial dusk orrespondingly based on sky brightness ondition and solar depression angle. Muslim ertainly onerns on the phenomenon sine their daily prayer times are related to it i.e. ub during dawn and after the disappearane of shafaq partiularly ours at dusk. This study is performed in order to determine the sky brightness ondition at dusk stages and for the disappearane of shafaq al-abya. In addition, it is also to hek the appropriate method using SQM for the observation of sky brightness ondition at dusk. 2.0 THEORY AND METHODOLOGY 2.1 Theory In fiqh perspetive, shafaq literally means reddening and ontextually is remarked as the sky ondition at western horizon related to the determination of the ending time of and the beginning time of. The sky hanges slowly from reddening, followed yellowing and lastly whitening before it appears ompletely dark. Sholars of fiqh namely fuqah agree s of ends and begins when the phenomenon of shafaq is set in but they have different views in explaining the sky ondition of shafaq. The phenomenon is omprehended by fuqah from the verses of al- n and the text of al-had th. Thus, the ourrene of dusk at western sky horizon ontains the disappearane of shafaq. 1 There are two types of sky ondition of shafaq have been defined by fuqah shafaq al-a m r and shafaq al-abya. The desriptions distint in terms of sky brightness level at western horizon after sunset. Mag is started after sunset. It will ends following begins either at the end of shafaq al-a m r or at the end of shafaq al-abya. The period of 2 Aording to fiqh explanation, the ondition of sky reddening at dusk an be noted as shafaq al- a m r and it ours before shafaq al-abya. The disappearane of sky whitening when the sky is almost dark marked as shafaq al-abya. It is permitted either to use the disappearane of shafaq al-a m r or the disappearane of shafaq al-abya for determining the ending time of disappearane of shafaq al-abya is used widely in present ondition as been used in Malaysia beause it is more onveniene and ompatible for the ountry in equatorial region. 3 106