Is it prescribed to encourage people to look for the crescent of Ramadan, and is there a governing rule in this matter?

The questioner : This questioner says, O honorableThe Shaykh : I want to look for the crescent of the month of Ramadan, and many people desire to do so, but we do not know when. Should it be done with it, after it, or in the middle of the night? And if I see it during the day, is the day after it considered a day of fasting, or what? Please give us a ruling, may Allah guide you. Should I encourage people to look for its crescent? And is there a governing rule for this matter?

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. From the guidance of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) is that they look for the crescent on the night of the thirtieth of Sha'ban. Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said: meaning some of them showed it to others So the Sunnah is for people to look for the crescent of Ramadan on the night of the thirtieth of Sha'ban. If they see it, they fast; and if they do not see it due to cloudiness or haze, they complete Sha'ban as thirty days, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): And whoever sees it, it is obligatory for him to inform the nearest court. It is known that looking for the crescent should be done in a high place and in a place far from lights, because lights obstruct the view. For this reason, the light of the sun obstructs the view of the crescent. Likewise, the lights on the earth, if they are numerous and dominate the horizon, prevent the view. So let a person stay away from the town and the place of lights to make it easier to see it. The criterion is seeing it after the sun sets; this is the criterion. As for the brother's statement that he sees it in the middle of the night, meaning that half the night has passed on the nights of the month, i.e., he sees the middle of the night at sunset, meaning we are on the sixth or seventh day of Ramadan. But here is a point: for the sighting of Ramadan, one man or one woman is sufficient, but for breaking the fast, two are required. So people fast on the testimony of one, but they do not break their fast except on the testimony of two. However, the witness must be trustworthy, trustworthy in his religion and trustworthy in his eyesight. If he is not trustworthy in his religion or in his eyesight, his testimony is not considered, based on the saying of the Exalted: Justice is required, and strong eyesight is required. If a man came to us who, when walking, puts his hand forward so that the wall does not overcome him, and then said, "I saw the crescent," and he is a man trustworthy in his religion, we would say, "Did you see the crescent?" He would say, "Yes, I saw it." "Are you sure?" He would say, "I am sure." If the man cannot find his way to the road, do we accept his word as trustworthy? The second condition, which is strong eyesight, is compromised. The author of *Al-Furu'* (one of the students of Ibn Muflih (may Allah have mercy on him)) mentioned in his book *Al-Furu'* that a man came to one of the judges and said, "I saw the crescent." The judge said, "Is there anyone with you?" He said, "I have someone with me, but they did not see the crescent." He asked those with him, "Did you see the crescent?" They said, "We did not see it." And this man was insistent, saying, "I saw the crescent." The judge was clever, so he said, "Let us go to the place where you saw the crescent so we can look at it." He went with him. When they stood in front of the setting sun, he said, "Did you see the crescent?" He said, "Yes, I saw it." "Are you sure?" He said, "I am sure." "Do you testify?" He said, "I testify." The judge said, "In the name of Allah," and wiped his eyebrows, the eyebrows of the man who was testifying. He said, "Did you see the crescent?" He said, "I did not see it." And it turned out that he was seeing a white hair in his eyebrow. So verification is necessary; verification is necessary.