Discussion of the attendees regarding Shaykh Al-Albani when they saw him breaking his fast before the adhan by a period of time
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The questioner : The Shaykh : Nasser: We have listened to your statement that you rely on the astronomical timing. Now I want to ask you, because you say that the astronomical timing may be wrong, may be delayed, and may be early. And as we saw just now, you broke your fast approximately five minutes before the adhan. So does this not mean there is a contradiction in your speech? Because the adhan is sometimes delayed and sometimes early, whereas you break your fast at the same time every day; you are early, neither delayed nor early. This is my intention.
The Shaykh : Where is this being early and delayed? It is due to the difference in location, not the same person in the same place being early and delayed. For example, where I live, and I named the place Jabal Hamlan, I break my fast every day when I see the sun set, and the adhan comes after ten minutes or more than that. Likewise, I see the dawn with my own eyes when it appears, and then the unified mu'adhdhin calls the unified adhan about twenty-five minutes after that. This is for one person in one place. But I mentioned earlier regarding those who are in the middle of the city, at al-Husayni Mosque, do you know it? Yes, there the iftar is before, and the dawn is after a long time, because it is like a valley relative to the place where we live. Here it was also elevated, so we take some precaution and delay out of precaution. Otherwise, if we saw the sun setting, we might break our fast earlier than that or delay. The answer is clear.
The questioner : But for me personally, I think the people are the common folk; they cannot know such things because they do not have the ability to see the sun in the correct way.
The Shaykh : This is a correct statement.
The questioner : Because if you know how to observe the sun, there are common people who cannot distinguish the setting or rising of the sun.
The Shaykh : Authentic
The questioner : This is why I think the astronomical timing is established to facilitate things for people so that they can know the correct timing. That is it.
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you. As was said long ago, "You knew something and things were hidden from you." I mentioned to you earlier that the astronomical timing sometimes precedes the sunset and sometimes is delayed from the sunset. Did you hear this?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Fine. When we were in al-Na'ur, and you were, for example, one of the residents of al-Na'ur, and we enter the mosque for the Maghrib prayer, and the adhan is called—this is the unified adhan connected to al-Na'ur Mosque—and the sun is in front of us. Now, when we see the sun, what do we do? Is it permissible for us to break our fast?
The questioner : It is not permissible.
The Shaykh : Good. But you are in a distant place, as you said, where you cannot see it, and you can only trust the adhan. Because this adhan, in your opinion and the opinion of the common people, is an adhan to inform the common people who cannot know the Shari'ah timing. But here you have not benefited from anything because you broke your fast before the sunset, relying on what? On the astronomical timing. If the astronomical timing for the whole country is delayed, that is more cautious for the common people, and this is what you are going on about, is it not? I am asking you.
The questioner : My intention is that there, I want to speak after this. We are speaking regarding the astronomical timing, not only for fasting, but also for prayer; people also pray.
The Shaykh : No problem, but let us finish one thing and then move to another, if possible. Our purpose in the previous speech is that the astronomical timing is not suitable as a basis for precaution. You are going on about this point. Do you understand me?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes. So in some countries, there in al-Na'ur, and here in the previous roundabout, if you know it, sometimes the adhan is called and the sun is still above the mountain.
The questioner : I understood this statement.
The Shaykh : I understood this, but what do the people do in that case?
The questioner : Because they rely on the astronomical timing.
The Shaykh : Ah
The Shaykh : Where is this being early and delayed? It is due to the difference in location, not the same person in the same place being early and delayed. For example, where I live, and I named the place Jabal Hamlan, I break my fast every day when I see the sun set, and the adhan comes after ten minutes or more than that. Likewise, I see the dawn with my own eyes when it appears, and then the unified mu'adhdhin calls the unified adhan about twenty-five minutes after that. This is for one person in one place. But I mentioned earlier regarding those who are in the middle of the city, at al-Husayni Mosque, do you know it? Yes, there the iftar is before, and the dawn is after a long time, because it is like a valley relative to the place where we live. Here it was also elevated, so we take some precaution and delay out of precaution. Otherwise, if we saw the sun setting, we might break our fast earlier than that or delay. The answer is clear.
The questioner : But for me personally, I think the people are the common folk; they cannot know such things because they do not have the ability to see the sun in the correct way.
The Shaykh : This is a correct statement.
The questioner : Because if you know how to observe the sun, there are common people who cannot distinguish the setting or rising of the sun.
The Shaykh : Authentic
The questioner : This is why I think the astronomical timing is established to facilitate things for people so that they can know the correct timing. That is it.
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you. As was said long ago, "You knew something and things were hidden from you." I mentioned to you earlier that the astronomical timing sometimes precedes the sunset and sometimes is delayed from the sunset. Did you hear this?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Fine. When we were in al-Na'ur, and you were, for example, one of the residents of al-Na'ur, and we enter the mosque for the Maghrib prayer, and the adhan is called—this is the unified adhan connected to al-Na'ur Mosque—and the sun is in front of us. Now, when we see the sun, what do we do? Is it permissible for us to break our fast?
The questioner : It is not permissible.
The Shaykh : Good. But you are in a distant place, as you said, where you cannot see it, and you can only trust the adhan. Because this adhan, in your opinion and the opinion of the common people, is an adhan to inform the common people who cannot know the Shari'ah timing. But here you have not benefited from anything because you broke your fast before the sunset, relying on what? On the astronomical timing. If the astronomical timing for the whole country is delayed, that is more cautious for the common people, and this is what you are going on about, is it not? I am asking you.
The questioner : My intention is that there, I want to speak after this. We are speaking regarding the astronomical timing, not only for fasting, but also for prayer; people also pray.
The Shaykh : No problem, but let us finish one thing and then move to another, if possible. Our purpose in the previous speech is that the astronomical timing is not suitable as a basis for precaution. You are going on about this point. Do you understand me?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes. So in some countries, there in al-Na'ur, and here in the previous roundabout, if you know it, sometimes the adhan is called and the sun is still above the mountain.
The questioner : I understood this statement.
The Shaykh : I understood this, but what do the people do in that case?
The questioner : Because they rely on the astronomical timing.
The Shaykh : Ah
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.