We are in America; some of us celebrate the Eid with Saudi Arabia, while others relied on the sighting of the moon and celebrated on a different day. What is the ruling in this matter?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : This is a problem regarding the issue of sighting the moon, and what exactly is this sighting of the moon.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Regarding the Eid here, our Eid is divided into two groups. Our Eid was on Monday, just as Saudi Arabia and the people celebrated.
The Shaykh : Wait a moment, please.
The questioner : He refused to celebrate except on Tuesday.
The Shaykh : Wait a moment, yes, Ahmad.
The questioner : So he refused to celebrate except on Tuesday, and Ramadan, of course, was also delayed by one day for everyone.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So I don't know what it means. He says it is a difference in moonrise times, and regarding the difference in moonrise times, people say that in Ramadan, one follows his own situation. But in the Eid, this is a major issue. The standing at 'Arafah is known, and everyone fasts based on the standing at 'Arafah and breaks their fast when the pilgrims descend from 'Arafah, and they celebrate the next day, and so on. So he says this issue is taken from three angles: one is the difference in moonrise times, the second is that it is like the majority of Muslims celebrated, and the third is that the Hijri calculation is a mathematical calculation. So I don't know what the Shaykh's opinion and the opinion of Islam is in this matter?
The Shaykh : This astronomical calculation has no value in the Shari'ah.
The questioner : Excellent.
The Shaykh : Rather, the reliance is on the sighting and the country in which you reside. If there is an Islamic community in your country and they saw the moon in their country, it is permissible for them to fast based on their sighting. But if news comes to them from an Islamic country that has confirmed the fast, either for the beginning or the end, they must fast with that country, because the sighting of one country is the sighting for all the lands of Islam.
The questioner : Excellent.
The Shaykh : So the picture is only two scenarios: either they are informed that an Islamic country has confirmed the sighting of the moon with visual sight, not a calculated sighting. In this case, they fast based on the sighting of that country. Or, if they saw the moon with their own eyes before others, they fast based on their own sighting. This is the correct view, a hundred percent.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. It means that the country that sees the moon first among the Muslim lands is followed.
The Shaykh : You have done well.
The questioner : But if they saw it in Chicago, or in any state of America, or in any European country, before this Muslim country with an Islamic community, then they fast based on their own sighting.
The Shaykh : ...
The questioner : ... Tuesday, we are here ... .
The Shaykh : Do you have it? Yes, we are talking.
The questioner : If they saw the moon in any Muslim country that saw the moon first, do those in other European countries fast according to the fasting of this Muslim country?
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : But if they saw it with their own eyes before the Muslim country.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : If they saw it with their own eyes before any Islamic state, then they fast based on their sighting and what they saw.
The Shaykh : Did you understand, Ahmad? So adhere to it.
The questioner : Excellent. May Allah bless you, and you as well.
The questioner : Now, the Shari'ah evidence for this issue.
The Shaykh : The Shari'ah evidence is His saying (peace be upon him):Sunan an-Nasa'i 2118Sahih (Darussalam), is not an address to an individual, as is apparent from the explicit plural form . Then, it is not an address to a group in a specific country, but rather it is an address to the Muslim community. However, the implementation of this command differs according to the means by which those countries can access the previous sighting. Previously, there were no means of transportation other than animals, but today you have television, you have the telephone, and you have every means that brings the far near. Therefore, it is obligatory for all Muslims to apply this general command within the limits of their means, which Allah (Mighty and Majestic) creates for them over the course of time.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: Is it clear?
The questioner : Yes, now we have finished this topic, and I understood it well.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : Regarding the Eid here, our Eid is divided into two groups. Our Eid was on Monday, just as Saudi Arabia and the people celebrated.
The Shaykh : Wait a moment, please.
The questioner : He refused to celebrate except on Tuesday.
The Shaykh : Wait a moment, yes, Ahmad.
The questioner : So he refused to celebrate except on Tuesday, and Ramadan, of course, was also delayed by one day for everyone.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So I don't know what it means. He says it is a difference in moonrise times, and regarding the difference in moonrise times, people say that in Ramadan, one follows his own situation. But in the Eid, this is a major issue. The standing at 'Arafah is known, and everyone fasts based on the standing at 'Arafah and breaks their fast when the pilgrims descend from 'Arafah, and they celebrate the next day, and so on. So he says this issue is taken from three angles: one is the difference in moonrise times, the second is that it is like the majority of Muslims celebrated, and the third is that the Hijri calculation is a mathematical calculation. So I don't know what the Shaykh's opinion and the opinion of Islam is in this matter?
The Shaykh : This astronomical calculation has no value in the Shari'ah.
The questioner : Excellent.
The Shaykh : Rather, the reliance is on the sighting and the country in which you reside. If there is an Islamic community in your country and they saw the moon in their country, it is permissible for them to fast based on their sighting. But if news comes to them from an Islamic country that has confirmed the fast, either for the beginning or the end, they must fast with that country, because the sighting of one country is the sighting for all the lands of Islam.
The questioner : Excellent.
The Shaykh : So the picture is only two scenarios: either they are informed that an Islamic country has confirmed the sighting of the moon with visual sight, not a calculated sighting. In this case, they fast based on the sighting of that country. Or, if they saw the moon with their own eyes before others, they fast based on their own sighting. This is the correct view, a hundred percent.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. It means that the country that sees the moon first among the Muslim lands is followed.
The Shaykh : You have done well.
The questioner : But if they saw it in Chicago, or in any state of America, or in any European country, before this Muslim country with an Islamic community, then they fast based on their own sighting.
The Shaykh : ...
The questioner : ... Tuesday, we are here ... .
The Shaykh : Do you have it? Yes, we are talking.
The questioner : If they saw the moon in any Muslim country that saw the moon first, do those in other European countries fast according to the fasting of this Muslim country?
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : But if they saw it with their own eyes before the Muslim country.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : If they saw it with their own eyes before any Islamic state, then they fast based on their sighting and what they saw.
The Shaykh : Did you understand, Ahmad? So adhere to it.
The questioner : Excellent. May Allah bless you, and you as well.
The questioner : Now, the Shari'ah evidence for this issue.
The Shaykh : The Shari'ah evidence is His saying (peace be upon him):
Fast when you see it and stop fasting when you see it, and if it is obscured from you (too cloudy), then count it as thirty (days).
صوموا لرؤيته ، وأفطروا لرؤيته ، فإن غُمَّ عليكم فأتمُّوا الشهر ثلاثين يومًاSo fast when you see it.
فصوموا لرؤيتهFast.
صومواFast when you see it
صوموا لرؤيتهThe questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: Is it clear?
The questioner : Yes, now we have finished this topic, and I understood it well.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.