The Shaykh’s discussion with one of the questioners regarding the disagreement that occurs in establishing the crescent of the festival and the Muslim’s position regarding this disagreement.
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The Shaykh : That the Muslims should be fasting in every Islamic country.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This is what is supposed to be the case.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : But as you know, not everything that is supposed to be the case actually happens.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : The supposed standard is to rule by what Allah has revealed.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : But what is the reality?
The questioner : They do not rule by it.
The Shaykh : So what is the action? What is the action now so that these countries rule by Islam?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : The action is that every Muslim works within the limits of his capacity and readiness.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Ah, so you are now speaking in your capacity as a Muslim, not as a Muslim in general.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Do what is in your power to do, and do not place the responsibility on others.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So now.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : We are here in Jordan today fasting, and in Saudi Arabia they are breaking their fast.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And in Syria likewise, and I do not know what the position of the other countries is?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So are we able to change the reality of these governments, which are scattered from one another and hostile to one another? Do we have the power?
The questioner : If Allah wills, we have the power.
The Shaykh : If Allah wills.
The questioner : If Allah wills.
The Shaykh : But we need to talk about the reality.
The questioner : The reality now is no.
The Shaykh : Of course, I am talking about what will come in the future, or is it now?
The questioner : Yes, we do not have the power.
The Shaykh : We do not have the power, so the solution remains that every person fasts with his country. The reason for this is that today, for example, there are about forty Muslim countries, what Allah wills.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, so these forty countries are not only different in fasting; they are also different in the system.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : In the rulings and so on. So if these countries are different from one another in their foundations, then this kind of disagreement that you are asking about now will result from them, meaning one country is fasting, one is breaking its fast, one is celebrating, one is still in the last days of Ramadan, and so on. It was supposed that all these countries should fast on one day and celebrate on one day.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : But this is due to the disagreement between them first, and due to their distance from ruling by the Shari'ah of Allah second, so disagreement occurred between them in many matters, and this is one of those matters that you are asking about today. So now, it is better for one country to remain fasting than for it to be divided against itself, for example, some Jordanians fast with their country and break their fast with their country, and some fast with Saudi Arabia and break their fast with Saudi Arabia. We are all under the rain, we will be under the gutter. We were separated, country from country, and now the one country is divided against itself, some are fasting, some are celebrating. It is not from the Islamic foundations that if a Muslim falls between two evils, he chooses the lesser of the two evils. The lesser evil now is that we fast with our country and we do not divide ourselves into two groups, a group of fasters and a group of those breaking their fast. This is the answer to what you asked, so do not delve deeper and say what are we going to do, because we as individuals cannot do anything. But we have to choose the lesser evil, and the lesser evil that is necessary is that we fast with our government, with our country. And Allah, this is a mistake; it should have been that fasting is unified. It should have been, but this did not happen. So let us not separate ourselves from one another and remain as one block, fasting together and celebrating together. This is what needed to be explained, and we have done it.
The questioner : May Allah bless you, but my dear professor.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : I mean, as we know, if for example today is considered the Festival of Breaking the Fast, meaning if for example Saudi Arabia or Syria saw the crescent truly and consider this day the Festival of Breaking the Fast as they announced in ..., it becomes religiously not permissible to fast on it. Does it not become religiously not permissible to fast on it?
The Shaykh : You did not understand me, may Allah guide you.
The questioner : By Allah, I understood you, my dear professor.
The Shaykh : What did you understand from me?
The questioner : By Allah, I understood you.
The Shaykh : What did you understand from me? What is it that you understood?
The questioner : On the basis that you do not want to increase the division more and more; you want at least to keep the remaining portion without it being scattered into new parts.
The Shaykh : What is your answer to this?
The questioner : Your words are good, but you are speaking from the standpoint of a religious ruling. I mean, if today is truly, as they announced in Saudi Arabia, whether in Syria or elsewhere, that today is the first day of the Festival of Breaking the Fast, and the crescent, as ... says, Mufassir, meaning the crescent appears on one day, then consequently, if the crescent, for example, was seen, well, in this case, fasting on this day is not permissible religiously.
The Shaykh : Well, if we go back to entering Ramadan.
The questioner : Yes, the same thing.
The Shaykh: It is the same thing.
The questioner : The same thing.
The Shaykh : The same thing, and what do you want? That we here differ with one another and fight, you are breaking your fast and you are an open sinner, and you are a wicked person.
The questioner : Hold on, hold on to that.
The Shaykh : How is it hold on to that?
The questioner : Hold on to that.
The Shaykh : This needs to happen. The people of one house, the people of one house need to be divided against one another. A father is fasting and a mother is breaking her fast, a son is fasting and a son is breaking his fast.
The questioner : Sound words, but I am asking about the religious ruling because it truly concerns me.
The Shaykh : Do not ask about the religious ruling that you know and the official knows like you or better than you, but ask about the religious ruling that you and your like do not know.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This is what we have explained to you. But if you go back to the original principle, the principle when there is correct unity, then it is said that whoever opposes the group has left the group, and this is not permissible Islamically.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : But I gave you a long and wide lecture. We are different in the most extreme disagreement in ruling by what Allah has revealed.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Today you want to speak about a religious case in the court, they will rule against you by the law, not by the Shari'ah. What do you do? You do nothing.
The questioner : I say, there is no power and no strength except by Allah.
The Shaykh : Because Allah does not burden a soul except with what it can bear. Likewise, say, there is no power and no strength except by Allah, regarding what you are asking about.
The questioner : Yes, my master, may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : And peace be upon you.
The questioner: And upon you peace.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This is what is supposed to be the case.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : But as you know, not everything that is supposed to be the case actually happens.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : The supposed standard is to rule by what Allah has revealed.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : But what is the reality?
The questioner : They do not rule by it.
The Shaykh : So what is the action? What is the action now so that these countries rule by Islam?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : The action is that every Muslim works within the limits of his capacity and readiness.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Ah, so you are now speaking in your capacity as a Muslim, not as a Muslim in general.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Do what is in your power to do, and do not place the responsibility on others.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So now.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : We are here in Jordan today fasting, and in Saudi Arabia they are breaking their fast.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And in Syria likewise, and I do not know what the position of the other countries is?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : So are we able to change the reality of these governments, which are scattered from one another and hostile to one another? Do we have the power?
The questioner : If Allah wills, we have the power.
The Shaykh : If Allah wills.
The questioner : If Allah wills.
The Shaykh : But we need to talk about the reality.
The questioner : The reality now is no.
The Shaykh : Of course, I am talking about what will come in the future, or is it now?
The questioner : Yes, we do not have the power.
The Shaykh : We do not have the power, so the solution remains that every person fasts with his country. The reason for this is that today, for example, there are about forty Muslim countries, what Allah wills.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, so these forty countries are not only different in fasting; they are also different in the system.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : In the rulings and so on. So if these countries are different from one another in their foundations, then this kind of disagreement that you are asking about now will result from them, meaning one country is fasting, one is breaking its fast, one is celebrating, one is still in the last days of Ramadan, and so on. It was supposed that all these countries should fast on one day and celebrate on one day.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : But this is due to the disagreement between them first, and due to their distance from ruling by the Shari'ah of Allah second, so disagreement occurred between them in many matters, and this is one of those matters that you are asking about today. So now, it is better for one country to remain fasting than for it to be divided against itself, for example, some Jordanians fast with their country and break their fast with their country, and some fast with Saudi Arabia and break their fast with Saudi Arabia. We are all under the rain, we will be under the gutter. We were separated, country from country, and now the one country is divided against itself, some are fasting, some are celebrating. It is not from the Islamic foundations that if a Muslim falls between two evils, he chooses the lesser of the two evils. The lesser evil now is that we fast with our country and we do not divide ourselves into two groups, a group of fasters and a group of those breaking their fast. This is the answer to what you asked, so do not delve deeper and say what are we going to do, because we as individuals cannot do anything. But we have to choose the lesser evil, and the lesser evil that is necessary is that we fast with our government, with our country. And Allah, this is a mistake; it should have been that fasting is unified. It should have been, but this did not happen. So let us not separate ourselves from one another and remain as one block, fasting together and celebrating together. This is what needed to be explained, and we have done it.
The questioner : May Allah bless you, but my dear professor.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : I mean, as we know, if for example today is considered the Festival of Breaking the Fast, meaning if for example Saudi Arabia or Syria saw the crescent truly and consider this day the Festival of Breaking the Fast as they announced in ..., it becomes religiously not permissible to fast on it. Does it not become religiously not permissible to fast on it?
The Shaykh : You did not understand me, may Allah guide you.
The questioner : By Allah, I understood you, my dear professor.
The Shaykh : What did you understand from me?
The questioner : By Allah, I understood you.
The Shaykh : What did you understand from me? What is it that you understood?
The questioner : On the basis that you do not want to increase the division more and more; you want at least to keep the remaining portion without it being scattered into new parts.
The Shaykh : What is your answer to this?
The questioner : Your words are good, but you are speaking from the standpoint of a religious ruling. I mean, if today is truly, as they announced in Saudi Arabia, whether in Syria or elsewhere, that today is the first day of the Festival of Breaking the Fast, and the crescent, as ... says, Mufassir, meaning the crescent appears on one day, then consequently, if the crescent, for example, was seen, well, in this case, fasting on this day is not permissible religiously.
The Shaykh : Well, if we go back to entering Ramadan.
The questioner : Yes, the same thing.
The Shaykh: It is the same thing.
The questioner : The same thing.
The Shaykh : The same thing, and what do you want? That we here differ with one another and fight, you are breaking your fast and you are an open sinner, and you are a wicked person.
The questioner : Hold on, hold on to that.
The Shaykh : How is it hold on to that?
The questioner : Hold on to that.
The Shaykh : This needs to happen. The people of one house, the people of one house need to be divided against one another. A father is fasting and a mother is breaking her fast, a son is fasting and a son is breaking his fast.
The questioner : Sound words, but I am asking about the religious ruling because it truly concerns me.
The Shaykh : Do not ask about the religious ruling that you know and the official knows like you or better than you, but ask about the religious ruling that you and your like do not know.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : This is what we have explained to you. But if you go back to the original principle, the principle when there is correct unity, then it is said that whoever opposes the group has left the group, and this is not permissible Islamically.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : But I gave you a long and wide lecture. We are different in the most extreme disagreement in ruling by what Allah has revealed.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Today you want to speak about a religious case in the court, they will rule against you by the law, not by the Shari'ah. What do you do? You do nothing.
The questioner : I say, there is no power and no strength except by Allah.
The Shaykh : Because Allah does not burden a soul except with what it can bear. Likewise, say, there is no power and no strength except by Allah, regarding what you are asking about.
The questioner : Yes, my master, may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : And peace be upon you.
The questioner: And upon you peace.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.