Explanation of the Book of the Adhan-02a
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The reciter: Abdullah ibn Muslimah narrated to us from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibn Abdullah from his father that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan an-Nasa'i 637Sahih (Darussalam) Then he said: "He was a blind man who did not call out until it was said to him: 'It is morning, it is morning.'"
The Shaykh : Yes, the hadith matches the chapter heading exactly. And his statement: "Bilal gives the adhan at night"—if you reflect on this along with what follows, it becomes clear that this is at a time when the people are fasting. Because he said: "Eat and drink until Ibn Umm Maktum calls out." For this reason, the scholars said that two mu'adhdhins did not call for the Fajr prayer except in Ramadan only. As for the rest of the year, there is one mu'adhdhin, either this one or that one. In it is also evidence for the permissibility of the adhan for the sake of public benefit, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) explained in another hadith that the adhan is given so that the one who is standing may return and the one who is sleeping may wake up, only so that the one who is standing may return to eat the suhur and the one who is sleeping may wake up, not to eat the suhur. So eat and drink until Ibn Umm Maktum gives the adhan. He was a blind man who did not give the adhan until it was said to him: "It is morning, it is morning." In this hadith is evidence that eating and drinking are not forbidden until the dawn becomes clear. That is to say, if it is determined by astronomical rules that the dawn breaks at, for example, twelve o'clock, but it does not become clear until twelve and ten minutes, what is the ruling that is established? The second point is that if the crescent moon appears according to astronomical rules but is not seen, then fasting is not obligatory and breaking the fast is not permissible. Fasting is not obligatory in Ramadan, and breaking the fast is not permissible in Shawwal. But the practice of people today is contradictory: in the times of prayer they rely on astronomical calculations, and in the matter of fasting they rely on sighting. The second is the original principle. The second is the original principle, meaning relying on what the Shari'ah has established the ruling upon is the original principle, unless its falsehood becomes apparent. If its falsehood or error becomes apparent, then it is not considered. So if we were observing the moon with powerful observatories that monitor the moon, and they said that it had set before the sun set, and then a man came and testified that he saw the moon after the sun set, here we do not accept it because it contradicts what is perceived. It is not accepted because seeing the moon with a magnifying telescope is more definitive than seeing it with the naked eye. So if those who are monitoring it testify that it set before the sun set, then we know with certainty that the one who claimed to have seen it is not truthful; he is either imagining it, or it was his habit to make people fast and break their fast, so he followed the habit. Yes, in any case, these are matters in which one should be careful and know the intent of the Shari'ah. Likewise, if a man testifies that he saw the crescent moon after the sun set, and the sun was eclipsed after the sunset, meaning in other western regions the sun was eclipsed after the sunset, here we are certain that he is mistaken and that the time had not come, because it is impossible for the sun to be eclipsed and the crescent moon to be seen later than it. This is impossible, because the cause of the solar eclipse is the moon interposing itself between the sun and the earth, and this means that they are equal. And the testimony to seeing the crescent moon after the sunset means that the moon is what?
The student: Later.
The Shaykh : Later, later than it. And if it is later, it cannot run and get ahead of it, no matter what. So in such matters, people should pay attention. The author of al-Furu' mentioned that a man of trustworthiness testified that he saw the crescent moon, and he was trustworthy, and with him were people with strong eyesight who said they did not see it. So he came to the judge to testify, and the judge did not question his integrity or trustworthiness. So he said: "Do you testify?" He said: "Yes, I testify that I saw it." He said to his companions: "We did not see it." So the judge was clever and said: "Show me." So he went to the place where he claimed to have seen it and said: "Do you see it now?" He said: "Yes, I see it." "Do you testify?" He said: "I testify just as you see it." So pay attention, he wiped his eyebrow, and he said to him: "Do you see it now?" He said: "Ah, I do not see it." So it became clear that what he was seeing was
The student: A hair.
The Shaykh : A white curved hair that he thought was the crescent moon. Yes, so the important thing is that imagination happens to a person, but the matters upon which the Shari'ah has hung the ruling are taken into account. So I say that his statement "he does not give the adhan until it is said to him: 'It is morning, it is morning'" means that the people see the dawn with a clear sight. And on this basis, the criterion is the sighting of the dawn in forbidding eating for the fasting person and permitting the prayer, meaning the Fajr prayer for the one who wants to pray. In this is evidence for describing a person with a defect for the sake of clarification, not for the sake of disparagement. Because of his statement: "He was a blind man." And people distinguish between when this descriptive defect is mentioned for the sake of blame or when it is mentioned for the sake of identification and explanation. So the first, they know that it is backbiting, and the second, they know that the intent is explanation and identification, and this is permissible and there is no harm in it. And the matter of his statement: "Eat and drink"—is it for permissibility, or for obligation, or for recommendation? It is for permissibility. And for this reason, it was mentioned in some wordings of the hadith:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 706Sahih (Darussalam) So his statement: "Eat and drink" is like his statement: [Al-Baqarah 2:187] But the Sunnah has come that it is better to delay what?
The students: The suhur.
The Shaykh : What?
The student: The suhur.
The student: The suhur.
The Shaykh : The suhur.
The student: The suhur.
The Shaykh : Yes, and not the sahur. Yes.
Bilal calls the Adhan during the night, so eat and drink until Ibn Umm Maktum calls (the Adhan)
إن بلالًا يؤذن بليل فكلوا واشربوا حتى ينادي ابن أم مكتومThe Shaykh : Yes, the hadith matches the chapter heading exactly. And his statement: "Bilal gives the adhan at night"—if you reflect on this along with what follows, it becomes clear that this is at a time when the people are fasting. Because he said: "Eat and drink until Ibn Umm Maktum calls out." For this reason, the scholars said that two mu'adhdhins did not call for the Fajr prayer except in Ramadan only. As for the rest of the year, there is one mu'adhdhin, either this one or that one. In it is also evidence for the permissibility of the adhan for the sake of public benefit, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) explained in another hadith that the adhan is given so that the one who is standing may return and the one who is sleeping may wake up, only so that the one who is standing may return to eat the suhur and the one who is sleeping may wake up, not to eat the suhur. So eat and drink until Ibn Umm Maktum gives the adhan. He was a blind man who did not give the adhan until it was said to him: "It is morning, it is morning." In this hadith is evidence that eating and drinking are not forbidden until the dawn becomes clear. That is to say, if it is determined by astronomical rules that the dawn breaks at, for example, twelve o'clock, but it does not become clear until twelve and ten minutes, what is the ruling that is established? The second point is that if the crescent moon appears according to astronomical rules but is not seen, then fasting is not obligatory and breaking the fast is not permissible. Fasting is not obligatory in Ramadan, and breaking the fast is not permissible in Shawwal. But the practice of people today is contradictory: in the times of prayer they rely on astronomical calculations, and in the matter of fasting they rely on sighting. The second is the original principle. The second is the original principle, meaning relying on what the Shari'ah has established the ruling upon is the original principle, unless its falsehood becomes apparent. If its falsehood or error becomes apparent, then it is not considered. So if we were observing the moon with powerful observatories that monitor the moon, and they said that it had set before the sun set, and then a man came and testified that he saw the moon after the sun set, here we do not accept it because it contradicts what is perceived. It is not accepted because seeing the moon with a magnifying telescope is more definitive than seeing it with the naked eye. So if those who are monitoring it testify that it set before the sun set, then we know with certainty that the one who claimed to have seen it is not truthful; he is either imagining it, or it was his habit to make people fast and break their fast, so he followed the habit. Yes, in any case, these are matters in which one should be careful and know the intent of the Shari'ah. Likewise, if a man testifies that he saw the crescent moon after the sun set, and the sun was eclipsed after the sunset, meaning in other western regions the sun was eclipsed after the sunset, here we are certain that he is mistaken and that the time had not come, because it is impossible for the sun to be eclipsed and the crescent moon to be seen later than it. This is impossible, because the cause of the solar eclipse is the moon interposing itself between the sun and the earth, and this means that they are equal. And the testimony to seeing the crescent moon after the sunset means that the moon is what?
The student: Later.
The Shaykh : Later, later than it. And if it is later, it cannot run and get ahead of it, no matter what. So in such matters, people should pay attention. The author of al-Furu' mentioned that a man of trustworthiness testified that he saw the crescent moon, and he was trustworthy, and with him were people with strong eyesight who said they did not see it. So he came to the judge to testify, and the judge did not question his integrity or trustworthiness. So he said: "Do you testify?" He said: "Yes, I testify that I saw it." He said to his companions: "We did not see it." So the judge was clever and said: "Show me." So he went to the place where he claimed to have seen it and said: "Do you see it now?" He said: "Yes, I see it." "Do you testify?" He said: "I testify just as you see it." So pay attention, he wiped his eyebrow, and he said to him: "Do you see it now?" He said: "Ah, I do not see it." So it became clear that what he was seeing was
The student: A hair.
The Shaykh : A white curved hair that he thought was the crescent moon. Yes, so the important thing is that imagination happens to a person, but the matters upon which the Shari'ah has hung the ruling are taken into account. So I say that his statement "he does not give the adhan until it is said to him: 'It is morning, it is morning'" means that the people see the dawn with a clear sight. And on this basis, the criterion is the sighting of the dawn in forbidding eating for the fasting person and permitting the prayer, meaning the Fajr prayer for the one who wants to pray. In this is evidence for describing a person with a defect for the sake of clarification, not for the sake of disparagement. Because of his statement: "He was a blind man." And people distinguish between when this descriptive defect is mentioned for the sake of blame or when it is mentioned for the sake of identification and explanation. So the first, they know that it is backbiting, and the second, they know that the intent is explanation and identification, and this is permissible and there is no harm in it. And the matter of his statement: "Eat and drink"—is it for permissibility, or for obligation, or for recommendation? It is for permissibility. And for this reason, it was mentioned in some wordings of the hadith:
Do not let the Adhan of Bilal prevent you from your Sahar
لا يمنعنكم من سحوركم أذان بلالSo now, have relations with them and seek that which Allah has decreed for you. And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]
فالآن باشروهن وابتغوا ما كتب الله لكم وكلوا واشربوا حتى يتبين لكم الخيط الأبيض من الخيط الأسود من الفجرThe students: The suhur.
The Shaykh : What?
The student: The suhur.
The student: The suhur.
The Shaykh : The suhur.
The student: The suhur.
The Shaykh : Yes, and not the sahur. Yes.