Relying on Radio Reports for Fasting: There Is No Objection to It

Question: What is your opinion—may Allah reward you—regarding radio reports? Are they relied upon for fasting and breaking the fast, and what is the relationship between relying on them and acting upon them? If you say they are to be believed, is it required to know the specific broadcasting station issuing the report, or not? Is it required that the announcer be trustworthy, or is it sufficient that the report comes from the government?

Answer: Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. After that:
The answer is as follows: There is no objection to relying on what is broadcast on the radio regarding the confirmation of the entry of the month of Ramadan, the month of Dhul-Hijjah, and Shawwal, provided that the listener is one trustworthy person or more for the entry of Ramadan, and two trustworthy persons or more for the confirmation of Shawwal, Dhul-Hijjah, and the other months. This is by equating hearing the report on the radio with seeing the crescent moon. The authentic hadiths from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) indicate the obligation to act upon the sighting of the crescent by one just person for Ramadan, and by two just persons or more for the other months. There is no doubt that acting upon a radio report is more preferable than acting upon a telegram; because the person reporting on the radio is heard and understood, whereas a telegram is understood only by specialists who have knowledge of its characters. If it is permissible to rely on telegrams in the situation described, then it is even more permissible to rely on radio reports for the reasons mentioned. It is not required that the announcer be just; because the reliance is on the fact that the report comes from the Muslim government that adjudicates according to the Shari'ah, given that it is known that the radio and telegrams do not dare to lie. It is known that the government will rely on what it broadcasts to the people and telegraphs to the judges and governors in all parts of the Kingdom, and it will fast and break the fast accordingly. It is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: Al-Tirmidhi narrated it from A'ishah with a good chain of narration.
Al-Tirmidhi also narrated it with a good chain from Abu Hurayrah, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
And if it is permissible for the people of a town to rely on the sounds of cannons and the like for fasting and breaking the fast, because that has been made a sign for the entry and exit of the month, then relying on a radio report or telegram issued from a legitimate source known for truthfulness is more preferable, and more preferable than relying on the sound of cannons and the like. And Allah knows best.