I heard that Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah forbade, in his book *Fatawa*, the unification of fasting and the sighting of the crescent in Ramadan. Is this correct?
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The questioner : I heard that Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) forbade, in his book "Fatawa", the unification of fasting and the sighting of the crescent in Ramadan. Is this correct?
The Shaykh : What? What is it?
The questioner : I mean, he did not say to unify fasting and the sighting of the crescent in Ramadan.
The Shaykh : Yes, Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) holds that when the crescent is sighted, fasting becomes obligatory, and when the crescent of Shawwal is sighted, breaking the fast becomes obligatory, whether it is sighted in other places or not. It is not obligatory for other places to follow if they differ from the country where the sighting occurred.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : In the matter of sighting the crescent, they are not obligated to fast if it is the crescent of Ramadan, nor to break their fast if it is the crescent of Shawwal. He (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "The sightings of the crescent differ, as agreed upon by those knowledgeable in this matter. If the sightings agree, then all must agree. If they do not agree, then each country has its own ruling." And what he (may Allah have mercy on him) said is the correct position.
The questioner : May Allah preserve you. This questioner says.
The Shaykh : What? What is it?
The questioner : I mean, he did not say to unify fasting and the sighting of the crescent in Ramadan.
The Shaykh : Yes, Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) holds that when the crescent is sighted, fasting becomes obligatory, and when the crescent of Shawwal is sighted, breaking the fast becomes obligatory, whether it is sighted in other places or not. It is not obligatory for other places to follow if they differ from the country where the sighting occurred.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : In the matter of sighting the crescent, they are not obligated to fast if it is the crescent of Ramadan, nor to break their fast if it is the crescent of Shawwal. He (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "The sightings of the crescent differ, as agreed upon by those knowledgeable in this matter. If the sightings agree, then all must agree. If they do not agree, then each country has its own ruling." And what he (may Allah have mercy on him) said is the correct position.
The questioner : May Allah preserve you. This questioner says.