Advice regarding the discrepancy among Islamic countries in the start of the month of Ramadan

Question: Every year, confusion arises regarding the beginning and end of the blessed month of Ramadan, as Muslim countries differ, with some being ahead and others behind. What is the solution to this problem?

Answer: The matter is broad, praise be to Allah, for the people of each land follow their own sighting, as is established from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) when Kuraib came to him in Madinah from Sham. Ibn 'Abbas asked him, "On what basis did Mu'awiyah and the people of Sham fast?" Kuraib replied, "The people saw it on Friday, and Mu'awiyah fasted, and the people fasted." Ibn 'Abbas said, "We saw it on Saturday, so we will continue to fast until we complete the number of days or we see it."
He considered Sham to be far away and that the people of Madinah are not obligated to follow the sighting of Sham. A group of scholars said this and held that the people of each land have their own sighting. So, if it is established in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for example, and the people of Sham, Egypt, and others fast based on their own sighting, that is good due to the generality of the hadiths. And if they do not fast and they see the crescent and fast based on their own sighting, there is no harm. A decision was issued by the Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that the people of each land have their own sighting, based on the aforementioned hadith of Ibn Abbas and what came in its meaning.