Considering the Difference in Moonrise Times in the Beginning of Fasting
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The first question of Fatwa No. ( 313 )
Q1: We hear on the radio the news of the start of fasting in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at a time when we have not seen the crescent moon in Côte d'Ivoire , nor in Guinea , nor in Mali , nor in Senegal , despite our careful efforts to observe it. Because of this, there is disagreement among us: some of us fast based on what they heard on the radio, and they are few, while others wait until they see the crescent moon in our country, acting in accordance with the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:185], and with the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Muslim 1081b, and with his saying: "For every region, its own sighting." The argument has reached its peak between the two groups. So give us a ruling on this.
A1: The difference in moonrise times is a matter known necessarily by sense and reason, and no one among the Muslims or others has differed on this. The disagreement among Muslim scholars lies only in whether
The difference in moon sightings regarding the beginning of fasting in the month of Ramadan and breaking the fast, and the non-consideration of this difference; the reason for this is that this issue is one of the theoretical matters in which there is room for independent legal reasoning, and therefore the scholars of Islam have differed on it, both in the past and the present, into two positions. Some held that the difference in moon sightings should be considered in the beginning and end of the month's fasting, while others did not consider it in that regard. Each group cited evidence from the Book, the Sunnah, and analogical reasoning, and perhaps both groups cited the same text, such as their shared reliance on the statement of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:185] and His statement: [Al-Baqarah 2:189] and the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Muslim 1081b and so on, and other texts. This is due to the difference between the two groups in their understanding of the texts and each following a different path in deriving evidence from them. This difference did not have a negative effect whose consequences are feared, due to their good intentions and the respect each independent legal reasoner had for the reasoning of the other. Since the preceding Imams of jurisprudence differed on this issue and each had his evidence, if it is established for you through broadcast or otherwise that the sighting has been confirmed in a moon sighting location other than yours, then you should make the matter of fasting or
not fasting subject to the general authority of your state. If he rules on fasting or not fasting, you must obey him, for the ruler's ruling resolves the difference in such cases. In this way, the word will be unified on fasting or not fasting in accordance with the ruling of your state's leader, and the problem will be resolved. As for the phrase: "(Each country has its own sighting)," it is not a hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but rather it is from the statement of the group that considers the difference in moon sightings in the beginning of fasting in the month of Ramadan and in its end. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Q1: We hear on the radio the news of the start of fasting in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at a time when we have not seen the crescent moon in Côte d'Ivoire , nor in Guinea , nor in Mali , nor in Senegal , despite our careful efforts to observe it. Because of this, there is disagreement among us: some of us fast based on what they heard on the radio, and they are few, while others wait until they see the crescent moon in our country, acting in accordance with the saying of Allah the Exalted:
So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it
فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُObserve fast on sighting it (the new moon) and break (fast) on sighting it (the new moon)
صوموا لرؤيته وأفطروا لرؤيتهA1: The difference in moonrise times is a matter known necessarily by sense and reason, and no one among the Muslims or others has differed on this. The disagreement among Muslim scholars lies only in whether
The difference in moon sightings regarding the beginning of fasting in the month of Ramadan and breaking the fast, and the non-consideration of this difference; the reason for this is that this issue is one of the theoretical matters in which there is room for independent legal reasoning, and therefore the scholars of Islam have differed on it, both in the past and the present, into two positions. Some held that the difference in moon sightings should be considered in the beginning and end of the month's fasting, while others did not consider it in that regard. Each group cited evidence from the Book, the Sunnah, and analogical reasoning, and perhaps both groups cited the same text, such as their shared reliance on the statement of Allah the Exalted:
So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it
فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُThey ask you, [O Muhammad], about the new moons. Say, "They are measurements of time for the people
يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الأَهِلَّةِ قُلْ هِيَ مَوَاقِيتُ لِلنَّاسِObserve fast on sighting it (the new moon) and break (fast) on sighting it (the new moon)
صوموا لرؤيته وأفطروا لرؤيتهnot fasting subject to the general authority of your state. If he rules on fasting or not fasting, you must obey him, for the ruler's ruling resolves the difference in such cases. In this way, the word will be unified on fasting or not fasting in accordance with the ruling of your state's leader, and the problem will be resolved. As for the phrase: "(Each country has its own sighting)," it is not a hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but rather it is from the statement of the group that considers the difference in moon sightings in the beginning of fasting in the month of Ramadan and in its end. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and his family and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.