The traveler in a foreign country follows his own country in fasting
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Fatwa No. ( 1125 )
Q: The inquiry sent via Shaykh Uthman al-Salih from a group of Saudi students outside the Kingdom in America and elsewhere, stating that some of them followed Egypt and Kuwait and others in considering the 'Id al-Fitr this year to be on Sunday, while some followed their country, Saudi Arabia and other countries where the 'Id was on Monday. They ask about the implications for each of them regarding what they did?
A: This question is related to the issue of the difference in moon sightings, and whether that difference is considered or not regarding breaking the fast, fasting, and similar rulings related to the new moons. This issue was discussed by the Council of Senior Scholars in one of its sessions, and they issued a decision stating that scholars have differed on this issue into two positions: The first is to consider the difference in moon sightings. The second is not to consider it, meaning that once the sighting of the new moon is established in one location, the sighting is established for all countries. Each group cited evidence from the Book and the Sunnah, and perhaps both groups cited the same text, due to differences in understanding the text and the method of deriving evidence from it. Since the disagreement on this issue does not have consequences that are feared, and since four
ten centuries have passed since the emergence of this religion, and no period is known in which the Muslim community was unified on a single sighting, every country has the right to choose, through its scholars, one of the two positions. Since the countries where the asking students reside are not Islamic countries, and since they belong to an Islamic country where Sunday was not established as the 'Id but rather the last day of Ramadan, and in order to avoid the disagreement on this issue and to take the precaution in clearing one's conscience, it is obligatory for the one who broke his fast on Sunday to make it up. As for the one who followed his country, Saudi Arabia , in fasting on Sunday and celebrating the 'Id on Monday, we see no harm in that for him. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: The inquiry sent via Shaykh Uthman al-Salih from a group of Saudi students outside the Kingdom in America and elsewhere, stating that some of them followed Egypt and Kuwait and others in considering the 'Id al-Fitr this year to be on Sunday, while some followed their country, Saudi Arabia and other countries where the 'Id was on Monday. They ask about the implications for each of them regarding what they did?
A: This question is related to the issue of the difference in moon sightings, and whether that difference is considered or not regarding breaking the fast, fasting, and similar rulings related to the new moons. This issue was discussed by the Council of Senior Scholars in one of its sessions, and they issued a decision stating that scholars have differed on this issue into two positions: The first is to consider the difference in moon sightings. The second is not to consider it, meaning that once the sighting of the new moon is established in one location, the sighting is established for all countries. Each group cited evidence from the Book and the Sunnah, and perhaps both groups cited the same text, due to differences in understanding the text and the method of deriving evidence from it. Since the disagreement on this issue does not have consequences that are feared, and since four
ten centuries have passed since the emergence of this religion, and no period is known in which the Muslim community was unified on a single sighting, every country has the right to choose, through its scholars, one of the two positions. Since the countries where the asking students reside are not Islamic countries, and since they belong to an Islamic country where Sunday was not established as the 'Id but rather the last day of Ramadan, and in order to avoid the disagreement on this issue and to take the precaution in clearing one's conscience, it is obligatory for the one who broke his fast on Sunday to make it up. As for the one who followed his country, Saudi Arabia , in fasting on Sunday and celebrating the 'Id on Monday, we see no harm in that for him. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.