The Superiority of All Muslims Fasting on the Same Day
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Shaykh Abdul Aziz! You were kind enough to say: If all the Muslims fasted together on one day, it would be better. There is a difference in timing, Your Eminence, of no less than seven hours between the east and the west of the Earth?
Answer:
It does not matter, it does not matter. The difference in moon-sighting locations does not matter. According to the correct view, it does not matter. Some scholars considered it and said that it is taken into account, but in reality and in truth, it does not prevent them from fasting together, even if the moon-sighting locations differ, as is the case between us and Africa and Egypt and the like, and as is the case between us and Europe and America and the like.
However, some said: If the distance is very great and it becomes night for them while it is day for us, and night for us while it is day for them, then due to this distance, they have their own sighting. These distant people have their own sighting because they did not share our night. This has a basis, as mentioned by Ibn Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) and a group of scholars. Even if they fasted with others, even if it was only a small part of the night, that would suffice, and praise be to Allah for the generality of the evidence. For example, if night broke for them at the end of our night, they are with us on the day they dawn upon, and there is no harm in that. And if they fasted based on our sighting, there is no blame on them. And if we fast based on the sighting of someone we trust in other countries, there is no harm. The important thing is trust. If the state that fasted fasted by sighting, and their sighting is trusted, and the people fasted based on their sighting, there is no harm.
As for fasting by calculation, no, one does not fast by calculation according to all scholars. Abu al-Abbas Ibn Taymiyyah, the Shaykh al-Islam, reported this as the consensus of the scholars. The Council of Senior Scholars in this country studied this issue and the Council agreed that one does not fast by calculation ever, as the scholars agreed upon. They saw that there is no obstacle to acting according to the difference in sighting and moon-sighting locations, and that each people of a land have their own sighting, because this is a matter that Muslims have practiced from long ago, and it is not recorded that Muslims in any year agreed on one sighting due to the distance between the regions. So if, for example, Saudi Arabia acts according to its sighting, and Egypt according to its sighting, and for example Europe and Morocco or the like according to their sighting, there is no harm. But if it is easy for them to gather and agree on one sighting, that is better and more complete, and more in accordance with the hadiths. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Shaykh Abdul Aziz! You were kind enough to say: If all the Muslims fasted together on one day, it would be better. There is a difference in timing, Your Eminence, of no less than seven hours between the east and the west of the Earth?
Answer:
It does not matter, it does not matter. The difference in moon-sighting locations does not matter. According to the correct view, it does not matter. Some scholars considered it and said that it is taken into account, but in reality and in truth, it does not prevent them from fasting together, even if the moon-sighting locations differ, as is the case between us and Africa and Egypt and the like, and as is the case between us and Europe and America and the like.
However, some said: If the distance is very great and it becomes night for them while it is day for us, and night for us while it is day for them, then due to this distance, they have their own sighting. These distant people have their own sighting because they did not share our night. This has a basis, as mentioned by Ibn Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) and a group of scholars. Even if they fasted with others, even if it was only a small part of the night, that would suffice, and praise be to Allah for the generality of the evidence. For example, if night broke for them at the end of our night, they are with us on the day they dawn upon, and there is no harm in that. And if they fasted based on our sighting, there is no blame on them. And if we fast based on the sighting of someone we trust in other countries, there is no harm. The important thing is trust. If the state that fasted fasted by sighting, and their sighting is trusted, and the people fasted based on their sighting, there is no harm.
As for fasting by calculation, no, one does not fast by calculation according to all scholars. Abu al-Abbas Ibn Taymiyyah, the Shaykh al-Islam, reported this as the consensus of the scholars. The Council of Senior Scholars in this country studied this issue and the Council agreed that one does not fast by calculation ever, as the scholars agreed upon. They saw that there is no obstacle to acting according to the difference in sighting and moon-sighting locations, and that each people of a land have their own sighting, because this is a matter that Muslims have practiced from long ago, and it is not recorded that Muslims in any year agreed on one sighting due to the distance between the regions. So if, for example, Saudi Arabia acts according to its sighting, and Egypt according to its sighting, and for example Europe and Morocco or the like according to their sighting, there is no harm. But if it is easy for them to gather and agree on one sighting, that is better and more complete, and more in accordance with the hadiths. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.