Sole is Allah, and prayers and peace be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. And after that: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed
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Praise be to Allah alone, and prayers and peace be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. And after that: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from His Excellency Dr. Muhammad ibn Sa'd al-Salim , the Rector of Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University , and referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars with number (2757) and date 25/2/1424 AH. His Excellency asked a question, the text of which is as follows: I present to Your Eminity, may Allah bless us with your life, the high academic standing enjoyed by the Arab Islamic Institute affiliated with the University in Tokyo ( Japan )—and praise be to Allah—and the trust it enjoys among Muslims and others in that country. It has received several inquiries regarding the Shari'ah method they should follow in establishing the entry and exit of the month of Ramadan and the entry of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, especially since people have taken several paths in this matter, including: First: Following the state of Malaysia in this, on the grounds that it is the closest Islamic state to Japan , even if this timing contradicts the timing of the Kingdom in Hajj. This path has two objections:
1- That Malaysia does not rely on the Shari'ah sighting in establishing the new moons, but rather relies on calculation only. 2- That Malaysia is located west of Japan, meaning the sun sets in Japan before Malaysia . Second: Following Malaysia in establishing the entry of the month of Ramadan and following the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in establishing the entry of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, and what applies to the first path applies to this one as well. Third: Following any country that relies on the Shari'ah sighting in establishing the new moons and attempting to sight the crescent there, despite the absence of those knowledgeable about the rising points of the crescent and the presence of clouds that constantly obstruct the view. Given the importance of this matter and the obligation to refer to the people of knowledge in it, I present the issue before Your Eminity, hoping for your kindness in issuing a fatwa for them to follow, as a precaution for their religion and preservation of their rites. The Institute there will, with Allah's permission, print the fatwa issued by Your Eminity and translate it accurately into the Japanese language and other languages spoken there, and then distribute it to the Islamic centers in Japan so that the largest number of Muslims can read it, and to put an end to the ongoing debate among people there on this topic. I ask Allah
to reward you with the best reward, and to make Islam and Muslims benefit from you, and to prolong your life in His obedience and pleasure.
And after the Committee's study of the inquiry, it answered: It is obligatory for Muslims in any place to fast and break their fast by the sighting of the crescent or the sighting of the nearby country. If they do not see it, they complete the month as thirty days, then they fast or break their fast, acting in accordance with the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan an-Nasa'i 2124Sahih (Darussalam) Therefore, the brothers in the Arab Islamic Institute affiliated with Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in ( Tokyo Japan ) should refer the matter to the center in that country; because the Islamic center in a non-Islamic country takes the place of the Islamic state for the Muslims living in that country, as stated in the fatwa of the Permanent Committee for Ifta (Fatwa No. (1657) and date 29/8/1397 AH). The Islamic center should take care to search for the crescent. This is it, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
1- That Malaysia does not rely on the Shari'ah sighting in establishing the new moons, but rather relies on calculation only. 2- That Malaysia is located west of Japan, meaning the sun sets in Japan before Malaysia . Second: Following Malaysia in establishing the entry of the month of Ramadan and following the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in establishing the entry of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, and what applies to the first path applies to this one as well. Third: Following any country that relies on the Shari'ah sighting in establishing the new moons and attempting to sight the crescent there, despite the absence of those knowledgeable about the rising points of the crescent and the presence of clouds that constantly obstruct the view. Given the importance of this matter and the obligation to refer to the people of knowledge in it, I present the issue before Your Eminity, hoping for your kindness in issuing a fatwa for them to follow, as a precaution for their religion and preservation of their rites. The Institute there will, with Allah's permission, print the fatwa issued by Your Eminity and translate it accurately into the Japanese language and other languages spoken there, and then distribute it to the Islamic centers in Japan so that the largest number of Muslims can read it, and to put an end to the ongoing debate among people there on this topic. I ask Allah
to reward you with the best reward, and to make Islam and Muslims benefit from you, and to prolong your life in His obedience and pleasure.
And after the Committee's study of the inquiry, it answered: It is obligatory for Muslims in any place to fast and break their fast by the sighting of the crescent or the sighting of the nearby country. If they do not see it, they complete the month as thirty days, then they fast or break their fast, acting in accordance with the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Fast when you see it and stop fasting when you see it, and if it is obscured from you (too cloudy), then complete thirty (days).
صوموا لرؤيته وأفطروا لرؤيته فإن غم عليكم فأكملوا العدة ثلاثين يومًا
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.