The discussion concerns the issue of differing moon sightings in establishing the entry of the month of Ramadan.

The Shaykh : ... whether in his own country or in another country, the sighting of the crescent is established for the Muslims, so all Muslims in all parts of the earth fast on the same day.
As for today; today the situation is as it was in the past, where they could not establish the sighting of the Ramadan crescent in all parts of the earth. This is because the means of bringing the distant near did not exist at that time. So what did they do? Each region fasted according to the fast of the city from which news of the crescent sighting could reach them. Likewise today; today it is not possible to implement this legal ruling, because there is no Muslim ruler who compels them all to fast. So we return to what we were doing in the past entirely, and each region fasts on its own. But because it is not reasonable for you to hear the broadcast from Makkah... saying: The Ramadan crescent was established on the thirtieth - for example - December fifteenth, for example, and it was not established here, so you fast alone because they established the crescent there, while everyone around you is not fasting; no, you want to align with this group and fast with their fast and break your fast with their breaking, this is wrong, this is contrary to , yes, but this error cannot be rectified except when the ruler is a Muslim who rules over all these lands.

The questioner : ... there is a hadith I think...: , is it authentic?

The Shaykh : ... No, it is not authentic, but the authentic one is, there is no god but Allah, .

The questioner : ... Is this authentic?

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : ... Who narrated it?

The Shaykh : ... I do not remember now who narrated it, but this is an authentic hadith... .

The questioner : ... And the other one is fabricated or weak or?

The Shaykh : It has no basis.

The questioner : ... Does it have no basis?

The Shaykh : ... Yes, even "Al-Wa'i Al-Islami" magazine, you have heard of it, the Kuwaiti one; this has become in the last months to hold a special section for weak and fabricated hadiths under the title: "It is not a hadith", under the title: "It is not a hadith", this title... next to it: , and it is struck through, a term meaning that this is not authentic, under this title they list many common hadiths that are either weak or have no basis, and they rely on my book "The Series of Weak and Fabricated Hadiths" in this, and they quote the summary of my words there, and although we do not know the reason, they do not mention at all that they... are from the book "The Series".
So the point is that this specific hadith they listed in a corner, and every issue they mention it with the strike-through on the hadith; indicating that this famous hadith is not a hadith.

The questioner : ... here... a group... we have... and this group... fasts with Makkah, and some others fast with the country? So according to your opinion, the Sufis and their group are wrong?

The Shaykh : ... In any case, this is an ijtihad.

The questioner : It is ijtihad.

The Shaykh : ... We do not see this; because it leads to division among the Muslims.

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : ... in the same country, and their division in different countries is less dangerous than their division in the same town, yes, and then there is nothing in the Shari'ah that obliges the Muslims to fast according to the sighting of a named country like Makkah - for example - or al-Madinah, so what do you think if another country preceded Makkah and established the crescent, and Makkah did not establish it except later; so with whom do we fast? If he insists on Makkah, there is no evidence for that, and if he fasts with the other country even if it is not Makkah, the previously mentioned problem arises; there is disagreement in the same town; some fast, and some do not fast, but when the Muslim ruler is present, he is the one who imposes as an obligation on all Muslims to fast on one day without waiting for each region and each area to see its crescent; so the matter remains with the ruler.

The questioner : ... in Belgium we were there studying, some Moroccans, some from Tunisia, some like that, so what happened was that the Tunisians and the director of the center here was Tunisian, he fasted according to the time of Tunisia, the Moroccans according to the time of Morocco, the Turks according to the time of Turkey.

The Shaykh : That is the problem.

The questioner : ... the father made us with the Turks, these... how is this?

The Shaykh : ... the nearest town, the nearest region to that country, they fast with their fast, this sectarianism or this partisanship must be erased... .

The questioner : ... the sermon.

The Shaykh : Anyone else?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : ... What do you have?

The questioner : ... reconciling the hadith of Ibn Abbas: , he said... the hadith of each country's sighting when the one from Sham came to him?

The Shaykh : ... In this hadith of Ibn Abbas, there is no explicit statement that the Messenger ordered the people to fast, each of them according to the sighting of his country, in this hadith of Ibn Abbas there is no explicit statement; so are you remembering its wording?

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : ... Okay, I remember that the hadith contains that Kuraib came from Sham, so he informed him that Mu'awiyah fasted; meaning: started fasting Ramadan, I think he said to him: on Saturday, so he said: As for us, we fast according to the sighting of the people of al-Madinah. He said to him: Will you not fast according to the sighting of Mu'awiyah? He said: No, this is how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us.
This is approximately, if it is not exact, then this is approximately the wording of the hadith of Ibn Abbas, and at that time, as you see, it does not contain an explicit statement that contradicts the generality of his saying (peace be upon him): , but rather the answer of Ibn Abbas came out as a treatment of a specific issue, the picture of which is that there are two regions, the region of al-Madinah in al-Hijaz and the region of Sham, so the region of al-Madinah fasted on a day other than the day of fasting in Sham, and it agreed that each of the regions could not know at that time when this region would fast without the other due to the distance, but when Kuraib returned, he came after al-Madinah had started fasting before he arrived by days, so he was able to inform Ibn Abbas that the people of Sham, following the order of Mu'awiyah, fasted on Saturday - for example -, so Ibn Abbas answered that we fast according to the sighting of our country, he said to him: Will you not fast according to the sighting of the crescent of Sham? He said to him: No, this is how the Messenger of Allah ordered us. So this is how the Messenger of Allah ordered us refers to this difference that occurred between the start of fasting between al-Madinah and Damascus, so if the people of al-Madinah had insisted on fasting according to the sighting of Mu'awiyah, perhaps a deficiency would appear in their fasting, if we assume the people of al-Madinah fasted on Sunday, and the people of Damascus fasted on Saturday, then they broke their fast based on fasting twenty-nine days, then they celebrated, so if the people of al-Madinah celebrated with the people of Sham, they would miss one day, and they would have... a day ahead.
So the hadith of Ibn Abbas treats a specific issue; and that is if a region starts fasting contrary to another region; so each of them at that time has the right to complete based on its sighting, so either it sees the crescent of breaking the fast or exiting Ramadan, or if it is cloudy for them, they abstain for thirty days, and without this, matters become confused between the two countries, so the legal fasting is not completed, this is what Ibn Abbas said: "This is how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us", and at that time, this does not contradict his general saying: ; as evidenced by the one who says: like me - for example - says in the case of Kuraib: each has his sighting, each has his sighting.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Yes?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : ... No, because Kuraib came after each of the two countries had entered fasting with its own sighting, so he exits - also - from fasting with its own sighting; because if they differ in entering and agree in exiting, confusion may occur; either an extra day or a missing day.

The questioner : ... with the availability of means in one day, for example if the ruler has the means available.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : ... occurs.

The Shaykh : ... It does not occur, this occurs correctly; so I tell you that the hadith of Ibn Abbas treated a specific detail, the correct one is that it does not occur.
Yes.