Explanation of Hadiths from the Book of 'Umdat al-Ahkam: The Book of Fasting
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The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The Imam al-Hafiz 'Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi said in his book 'Umdat al-Ahkam:
The Book of Fasting:
From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), he said, "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The Shaykh :
The reader:Sahih Muslim 1082a.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes. Yes. From Abu Hurayrah, read to me what comes after it.
The reader: From 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), he said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say:Sahih Muslim 1080g.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The reader: From Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), he said, "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Ibn Majah 1692Sahih (Darussalam).
The Shaykh : Yes. The author (may Allah have mercy on him) cited the hadith of 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:Sahih Muslim 1080g If one person sees it, it is forbidden for him to fast. There are those responsible for this who manage it and direct people to it. It is not fitting for matters to be in chaos, with one man coming and saying, "I saw the crescent," and fasting, and another man coming and saying, "I saw the crescent," and breaking his fast, because this divides the Ummah. But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) intended in this hadith to clarify the signs of the entry of the month. If the month of Ramadan is seen, fasting is obligatory, and if the crescent of Shawwal is seen, breaking the fast is obligatory in all cases.
If the one in authority orders it, and the matter is not left loose so that whoever wishes fasts and whoever wishes breaks his fast, for this is harm to the Ummah and a division of it. For this reason, many scholars held that the determination of the crescent is referred to the ijtihad of the Imam, that is, to those in authority, no matter how far apart the regions are. If the people of wisdom and determination and unity of word gather to unite the people on this and say, "If it is established with me, I will make it obligatory for the people, and if it is not established, I will not," this latter view is what practice was based on: that people should not play with the crescent, but that they should be one Ummah with one crescent for fasting and one fasting for breaking the fast, even if the regions are far apart.
This is a matter, I mean fasting and breaking the fast, in which scholars differed. There are six opinions of the scholars in it, but it is not befitting for people except to follow what we have mentioned. If the month is established, it is obligatory to act according to it so that people do not divide. It is not permissible for anyone to break the unity of the people by saying, "I fast because I saw it," or "I break my fast because I saw it." The Muslims have one command and one direction, so it is not befitting for some of them to [differ] from others. And the matter, praise be to Allah, is possible to know, to know the regions of the Muslims in any place on earth regarding the entry of the crescent or its non-entry, by means of the strength of communication and its ease. So the matter is entrusted to the one in authority, who sees what he sees and orders it. Yes.
The Imam al-Hafiz 'Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi said in his book 'Umdat al-Ahkam:
The Book of Fasting:
From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), he said, "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Do not anticipate Ramadan by a day
لا تقدموا رمضان بيومThe Shaykh :
Do not anticipate
لا تقدّمواThe reader:
Do not observe fast for a day, or two days ahead of Ramadan except a person who is in the habit of observing a particular fast; he may fast on that day.
لا تقدموا رمضان بصوم يوم ولا يومين إلا رجل كان يصوم صوما فليصمهThe Shaykh : Yes, yes. Yes. From Abu Hurayrah, read to me what comes after it.
The reader: From 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), he said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say:
When you see the new moon, observe fast, and when you see it (again) then break it, and if the sky is cloudy for you, then calculate it.
إذا رأيتموه فصوموا وإذا رأيتموه فأفطروا فإن غم عليكم فاقدروا لهThe Shaykh : Yes.
The reader: From Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), he said, "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Eat Suhur, for in Suhur there is a blessing.
تسحروا فإن في السحور بركةThe Shaykh : Yes. The author (may Allah have mercy on him) cited the hadith of 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
When you see the new moon, observe fast, and when you see it (again) then break it
إذا رأيتموه فصوموا وإذا رأيتموه فأفطرواIf the one in authority orders it, and the matter is not left loose so that whoever wishes fasts and whoever wishes breaks his fast, for this is harm to the Ummah and a division of it. For this reason, many scholars held that the determination of the crescent is referred to the ijtihad of the Imam, that is, to those in authority, no matter how far apart the regions are. If the people of wisdom and determination and unity of word gather to unite the people on this and say, "If it is established with me, I will make it obligatory for the people, and if it is not established, I will not," this latter view is what practice was based on: that people should not play with the crescent, but that they should be one Ummah with one crescent for fasting and one fasting for breaking the fast, even if the regions are far apart.
This is a matter, I mean fasting and breaking the fast, in which scholars differed. There are six opinions of the scholars in it, but it is not befitting for people except to follow what we have mentioned. If the month is established, it is obligatory to act according to it so that people do not divide. It is not permissible for anyone to break the unity of the people by saying, "I fast because I saw it," or "I break my fast because I saw it." The Muslims have one command and one direction, so it is not befitting for some of them to [differ] from others. And the matter, praise be to Allah, is possible to know, to know the regions of the Muslims in any place on earth regarding the entry of the crescent or its non-entry, by means of the strength of communication and its ease. So the matter is entrusted to the one in authority, who sees what he sees and orders it. Yes.