The ruling on observatories tracking the new moons and relying on their observations
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I do not know the opinion of Your Eminence regarding observatories, if observatories were established to track the births of the new moons?
Answer: People are still discussing observatories. There is no objection to their existence for the purpose of seeking assistance only, but they must not be relied upon. They are not relied upon to establish the sighting, nor are they relied upon to contradict the sighting. So if a just person, or two just persons, saw it, and the people of the observatory said, "It has not been born," we do not pay attention to them, nor do we condition the acceptance of the testimony on them. Likewise, if it was not seen by us, and the people of the observatory said, "It has been born" according to their calculation, it is not relied upon, neither for the beginning nor for the end. However, if they use it to assist in seeing the crescent, and the person in charge of the observatory, who is trustworthy and just, said, "We saw it," not merely by calculation, but said, "We saw that it has appeared" for the beginning or the end, it is accepted if they are just, even if it is one person for the beginning and another for the end.
The presenter: May Allah reward you. What I know, Your Eminence, is that observatories are used for sighting, not for calculation.
The Shaykh: It is so, and that is how it is. They use them for this, and as far as we have been informed, for calculation: when it is born and when it is not, and its comparison to the sun and its separation from it. They also use it for sighting for those who have concern for the sighting. So it is accepted for sighting, not for calculation.
The presenter: Accepted for sighting, not for calculation?
The Shaykh: On the condition that those in charge of it are just, and their justice is certified by the Shari'ah courts. Yes.
Answer: People are still discussing observatories. There is no objection to their existence for the purpose of seeking assistance only, but they must not be relied upon. They are not relied upon to establish the sighting, nor are they relied upon to contradict the sighting. So if a just person, or two just persons, saw it, and the people of the observatory said, "It has not been born," we do not pay attention to them, nor do we condition the acceptance of the testimony on them. Likewise, if it was not seen by us, and the people of the observatory said, "It has been born" according to their calculation, it is not relied upon, neither for the beginning nor for the end. However, if they use it to assist in seeing the crescent, and the person in charge of the observatory, who is trustworthy and just, said, "We saw it," not merely by calculation, but said, "We saw that it has appeared" for the beginning or the end, it is accepted if they are just, even if it is one person for the beginning and another for the end.
The presenter: May Allah reward you. What I know, Your Eminence, is that observatories are used for sighting, not for calculation.
The Shaykh: It is so, and that is how it is. They use them for this, and as far as we have been informed, for calculation: when it is born and when it is not, and its comparison to the sun and its separation from it. They also use it for sighting for those who have concern for the sighting. So it is accepted for sighting, not for calculation.
The presenter: Accepted for sighting, not for calculation?
The Shaykh: On the condition that those in charge of it are just, and their justice is certified by the Shari'ah courts. Yes.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.