The ruling on relying on astronomical calculations in sighting the crescent moon
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
In this situation, brothers, do they follow them, or do they look to the country where they feel secure regarding the sighting and follow them?
Answer:
They must engage in sighting the crescent moon when it is due; they must strive to see it so that the fasting is based on the sighting. One does not rely on the calculation, and it is not permissible to rely on it. Rather, it is either the sighting or completing the count, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said.
In this situation, brothers, do they follow them, or do they look to the country where they feel secure regarding the sighting and follow them?
Answer:
They must engage in sighting the crescent moon when it is due; they must strive to see it so that the fasting is based on the sighting. One does not rely on the calculation, and it is not permissible to rely on it. Rather, it is either the sighting or completing the count, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said.
Source
التعليق على رياض الصالحين، باب وجوب صوم رمضان، وبيان فضل الصيام وما يتعلق بِه : الأحاديث : [ 1218 - 1219 ] — islamhouse.com (9:31)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.