The Shaykh Al-Albani’s explanation of the difference in Maghrib prayer times according to the setting of the sun, and the importance of unifying Muslims regarding the sighting of the Ramadan moon.
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The Shaykh: He is in one valley and I am in a mountain, or he is in one region and I am in another. If the sun sets for me before it sets for him, or vice versa, how do we know that it has set here but not there? How do we know? Is it not by observation? Well, why are we now burdening ourselves with adopting the statement of an unknown person, saying that he saw the sun before we did? I told you the reality: Um al-Yasir called me. Now, let us say Abu Munir called me, and if Abu Munir’s report matches Um al-Yasir’s report, that is correct.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: Well, who burdens us with, for example, forbidding ourselves the Fajr prayer when the sun rises, on what basis?
The questioner: The Shaykh said: If we are now correct and we do not see the sun in front of us, he said, but it is possible to infer its rising in our region by signs. If we look in the other direction, we would see the reflection of the sun on the houses. He said, thus it is confirmed that the sun has risen, even if we did not see it.
The Shaykh : Well, this is called the sun having risen for us.
The questioner: That is, he said it is rising, but we did not see it because there is an obstacle between us and it.
The Shaykh: Oh people, glory be to Allah, the sun, my brother, does not set. Well, what is this obstacle? For example, before he sees the sun, what is the obstacle that prevents him from seeing it before he sees it? Why did he not see it?
The questioner: That is, the horizon is long; it has not come out, it has not risen.
The Shaykh: This obstacle is the same obstacle I have; the cause is one, but my mountain is higher, his mountain is lower. Now, I am imagining I see this horizontal line here.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh: The sun rises from here. Look, now, like this, I am here and he is there. The sun will rise before it rises there. Well, so I say: here, when the sun has not risen for him, what is the obstacle between him and seeing the sun? This peak here. But the one who is here will see the sun before that. What is the difference between us and him? The cause is one. It is truly a strange matter that there should be discussions about such self-evident things. Since we agree that the sun does not disappear from the earth, then as He, the Exalted, said:[Al-Ma'arij 70:40] Because every moment there is a sunrise, every moment there is a sunset. So in this moment when it has risen for some people, it has not yet risen for others. Do we then burden all people, in the state of the sun rising for some, with the assumption that it has risen for everyone? So it is always and forever rising for people, and we would fall into confusion. So it is setting for people because it has set for some of them, so it has set for all of them. This is a summary. Therefore, every people, every country, has its own legal times. When the sun is in the middle of the sky for us, toward the west, it has not yet reached the middle for them. So now, those toward the west must, for example, say the sun has reached the middle of the sky, so the prayer has become disliked, and it increased a bit, and there it became the time of dislike. We must unify the times. Who says this?
The questioner: Even he himself regarding Fajr, meaning he does not see that we should follow the Fajr of Syria, or follow the Fajr of... that everyone should observe the Fajr.
The Shaykh: That is, this is it. So what is the difference between this and that? It is very strange, my brother. May Allah guide you. I have given you the answer.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh: The report of a trustworthy person establishes the crescent by the sighting of the trustworthy person.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: Who enforces it?
The questioner: Yes, well, my lord, if there is a fitnah, for example.
The Shaykh: It is not possible. May Allah guide you. I am giving you a real example. One house divides itself: some people have suhur, some are fasting, some break their fast in the evening, and some do not break their fast, and so on.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : And may He reward you.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : You are welcome.
The questioner : Welcome.
The Shaykh: Peace be upon you.
The questioner : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The Shaykh : That we add a division to the division, so that some of us fast and some of us break the fast.
The questioner: What is your opinion about this disagreement, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : It is not permissible.
The questioner : It is not permissible.
The Shaykh : It is not permissible.
The questioner: Well, O Shaykh, breaking the fast is contingent upon the sighting of the moon.
The Shaykh: Yes, but you did not understand what I am saying.
The questioner : The point is.
The Shaykh : The point is that the Islamic countries today are divided, not only in this ruling, but in many rulings.
The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh, we agree with you, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Well, therefore, now here they announced that the day is the last day of Ramadan, so some of us followed Saudi Arabia or others from...
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: ...from those who announced the festival. So the Jordanian people will divide into two groups, one house will divide into two groups, and this is a new division that should not occur. The scholars say that if a Muslim falls between two evils, he chooses the lesser of the two. The lesser evil is the disagreement of governments, and the greater evil is the disagreement of one people against itself. Perhaps you understood me.
The questioner: Yes, I understand you, O Shaykh, but I am speaking to you from the countries, one of the Gulf countries, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : If the Gulf states do not announce, or if they announce their agreement with Saudi Arabia, they must fast.
The questioner : Why?
The Shaykh: Allahu Akbar! Why? Because of his saying:
The questioner: Yes, well, there is no connection between the countries, meaning these borders.
The Shaykh : These are artificial borders.
The questioner: Well, do these borders become a barrier to the sighting?
The Shaykh: No.
The questioner: How, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh: No, I tell you, no.
The questioner: Yes, well, Allah is the helper, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Allah is the Helper.
The questioner: The solution.
The Shaykh : The solution is to work toward establishing the Muslim state.
The questioner: And how is that, O Shaykh? What is your recommendation?
The Shaykh : Through purification and education.
The questioner: Yes, O Shaykh, we agree with you in that, and we are proceeding on this path, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh: That is, we ask Allah to strengthen us and you in His obedience.
The questioner: Amen, all of us, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: A question regarding your opinion about the accusation directed at one of the Shaykhs that he is one of the extremists of the people of hadith.
The Shaykh: The question is about an unknown person. May Allah guide you.
The questioner: This is not unknown, O Shaykh. This happened.
The Shaykh : It is a question about an unknown person.
The questioner: Oh, how?
The Shaykh: You do not understand much of what I say. You are asking about an unknown person. Who is one of the scholars of hadith?
The questioner : That is not what is intended, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: There is no power nor strength except with Allah.
The questioner: There is one of the Shaykhs in Saudi Arabia.
The Shaykh: There is no power nor strength except with Allah.
The questioner: He was accused of being one of the extremists of the people of hadith. Is this accusation correct?
The Shaykh: For you, who is it, O Shaykh? May Allah guide you.
The questioner: There is, O Shaykh, Mahmoud al-Haddad.
The Shaykh: And how do I know him?
The questioner : You do not know him.
The Shaykh : No, I do not know him.
The questioner: He is from the people of Madinah, Mahmoud al-Haddad. He verifies. I have heard of him, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : O Shaykh, do not waste our time. May Allah guide you. I told you I do not know him.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : And beware of that.
The questioner: Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: Well, who burdens us with, for example, forbidding ourselves the Fajr prayer when the sun rises, on what basis?
The questioner: The Shaykh said: If we are now correct and we do not see the sun in front of us, he said, but it is possible to infer its rising in our region by signs. If we look in the other direction, we would see the reflection of the sun on the houses. He said, thus it is confirmed that the sun has risen, even if we did not see it.
The Shaykh : Well, this is called the sun having risen for us.
The questioner: That is, he said it is rising, but we did not see it because there is an obstacle between us and it.
The Shaykh: Oh people, glory be to Allah, the sun, my brother, does not set. Well, what is this obstacle? For example, before he sees the sun, what is the obstacle that prevents him from seeing it before he sees it? Why did he not see it?
The questioner: That is, the horizon is long; it has not come out, it has not risen.
The Shaykh: This obstacle is the same obstacle I have; the cause is one, but my mountain is higher, his mountain is lower. Now, I am imagining I see this horizontal line here.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh: The sun rises from here. Look, now, like this, I am here and he is there. The sun will rise before it rises there. Well, so I say: here, when the sun has not risen for him, what is the obstacle between him and seeing the sun? This peak here. But the one who is here will see the sun before that. What is the difference between us and him? The cause is one. It is truly a strange matter that there should be discussions about such self-evident things. Since we agree that the sun does not disappear from the earth, then as He, the Exalted, said:
the Lord of [all] risings and settings
رَبِّ الْمَشَارِقِ وَالْمَغَارِبِThe questioner: Even he himself regarding Fajr, meaning he does not see that we should follow the Fajr of Syria, or follow the Fajr of... that everyone should observe the Fajr.
The Shaykh: That is, this is it. So what is the difference between this and that? It is very strange, my brother. May Allah guide you. I have given you the answer.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh: The report of a trustworthy person establishes the crescent by the sighting of the trustworthy person.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: Who enforces it?
The questioner: Yes, well, my lord, if there is a fitnah, for example.
The Shaykh: It is not possible. May Allah guide you. I am giving you a real example. One house divides itself: some people have suhur, some are fasting, some break their fast in the evening, and some do not break their fast, and so on.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : And may He reward you.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : You are welcome.
The questioner : Welcome.
The Shaykh: Peace be upon you.
The questioner : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The Shaykh : That we add a division to the division, so that some of us fast and some of us break the fast.
The questioner: What is your opinion about this disagreement, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : It is not permissible.
The questioner : It is not permissible.
The Shaykh : It is not permissible.
The questioner: Well, O Shaykh, breaking the fast is contingent upon the sighting of the moon.
The Shaykh: Yes, but you did not understand what I am saying.
The questioner : The point is.
The Shaykh : The point is that the Islamic countries today are divided, not only in this ruling, but in many rulings.
The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh, we agree with you, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Well, therefore, now here they announced that the day is the last day of Ramadan, so some of us followed Saudi Arabia or others from...
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: ...from those who announced the festival. So the Jordanian people will divide into two groups, one house will divide into two groups, and this is a new division that should not occur. The scholars say that if a Muslim falls between two evils, he chooses the lesser of the two. The lesser evil is the disagreement of governments, and the greater evil is the disagreement of one people against itself. Perhaps you understood me.
The questioner: Yes, I understand you, O Shaykh, but I am speaking to you from the countries, one of the Gulf countries, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : If the Gulf states do not announce, or if they announce their agreement with Saudi Arabia, they must fast.
The questioner : Why?
The Shaykh: Allahu Akbar! Why? Because of his saying:
Fast when you see it
صوموا لرؤيتهThe questioner: Yes, well, there is no connection between the countries, meaning these borders.
The Shaykh : These are artificial borders.
The questioner: Well, do these borders become a barrier to the sighting?
The Shaykh: No.
The questioner: How, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh: No, I tell you, no.
The questioner: Yes, well, Allah is the helper, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Allah is the Helper.
The questioner: The solution.
The Shaykh : The solution is to work toward establishing the Muslim state.
The questioner: And how is that, O Shaykh? What is your recommendation?
The Shaykh : Through purification and education.
The questioner: Yes, O Shaykh, we agree with you in that, and we are proceeding on this path, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh: That is, we ask Allah to strengthen us and you in His obedience.
The questioner: Amen, all of us, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: A question regarding your opinion about the accusation directed at one of the Shaykhs that he is one of the extremists of the people of hadith.
The Shaykh: The question is about an unknown person. May Allah guide you.
The questioner: This is not unknown, O Shaykh. This happened.
The Shaykh : It is a question about an unknown person.
The questioner: Oh, how?
The Shaykh: You do not understand much of what I say. You are asking about an unknown person. Who is one of the scholars of hadith?
The questioner : That is not what is intended, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh: There is no power nor strength except with Allah.
The questioner: There is one of the Shaykhs in Saudi Arabia.
The Shaykh: There is no power nor strength except with Allah.
The questioner: He was accused of being one of the extremists of the people of hadith. Is this accusation correct?
The Shaykh: For you, who is it, O Shaykh? May Allah guide you.
The questioner: There is, O Shaykh, Mahmoud al-Haddad.
The Shaykh: And how do I know him?
The questioner : You do not know him.
The Shaykh : No, I do not know him.
The questioner: He is from the people of Madinah, Mahmoud al-Haddad. He verifies. I have heard of him, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : O Shaykh, do not waste our time. May Allah guide you. I told you I do not know him.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : And beware of that.
The questioner: Peace be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.