The criterion for fasting Ramadan, its beginning and end, is the sighting of the moon
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Fatwa number ( 21800 )
Q: You know, may Allah preserve and protect you, what recurs every year, and what happened this year in particular, regarding the discrepancy among countries in the beginning and end of fasting , where some Libyans fasted (31 days), and some of their scholars issued a fatwa to break the fast in secret, and some of our scholars did the same. Then, after they broke their fast on the thirtieth day according to our count, some of them came to seek a fatwa after having already broken their fast by a ruling, which created a contradiction in the fatwas. We declined to issue a fatwa for this last group, and likewise some countries fasted after us, such as Morocco , and they came to this
country. We hope you will graciously present these issues to the specialized scientific bodies, whose issued rulings are accepted by the general public. We summarize the issues we hope to have answered as follows: 1 - If those who fasted before us did so by sighting – as some of them mentioned that they saw the moon – should they fast (31 days) following our country as long as they are in it? 2 - If their fasting was based on calculation, should they fast (31 days)? Does the ruling differ if their fasting was based on Greenwich time, as some mentioned, since the Greenwich meridian passes through Morocco at a distance of approximately (2000 km) from Libya ? 3 - What should be the future ruling for someone who broke his fast by a fatwa or without a fatwa after completing (30 days) of fasting, and what should be the ruling for someone who fasted less than (30 days, i.e., 29 days) while the country where he began fasting has completed 30 days, as happened in previous years?
A: First: The criterion for fasting the month of Ramadan – its beginning and end – is the sighting of the moon, not calculation; based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 1081b and his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Sunan an-Nasa'i 2122Sahih (Darussalam) , and the meaning is: the command to fast and break the fast when the sighting is established by the naked eye, or by means that assist the eye in seeing; based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
. Second: The valid month is the lunar Hijri month, its minimum is twenty-nine days, and its maximum is thirty days. Third: A Muslim must fast with the Muslims in the Islamic country where he is, whether he is a resident or a visitor, and break his fast with them, whether their fasting and breaking the fast is through the government, or through the country's mufti, or through the Sharia court and the Sharia judge to whom it is delegated; based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Jami` at-Tirmidhi 697Hasan (Darussalam) narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi with a good chain, and because a Muslim fasting and breaking his fast with the Muslim community in his country unites the word and avoids division and disagreement. Fourth: If Muslims are in any of the countries whose governments are not Islamic, the Islamic center there takes the place of the Islamic government in the matter of establishing the moon, for the Muslims living in that country. Fifth: The criterion for the beginning of fasting is the country from which one traveled, and for its end, the country to which one traveled. So he breaks his fast with them if they break it before the country where he began
fasting, but if he breaks it for less than twenty-nine days, he must make up one day to enforce the minimum limit. And if he has completed fasting thirty days in the country he traveled to, and the people of that country still have to fast one day, for example, he must fast with them until he breaks his fast with them on the day of the festival, and pray the festival prayer with them. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: You know, may Allah preserve and protect you, what recurs every year, and what happened this year in particular, regarding the discrepancy among countries in the beginning and end of fasting , where some Libyans fasted (31 days), and some of their scholars issued a fatwa to break the fast in secret, and some of our scholars did the same. Then, after they broke their fast on the thirtieth day according to our count, some of them came to seek a fatwa after having already broken their fast by a ruling, which created a contradiction in the fatwas. We declined to issue a fatwa for this last group, and likewise some countries fasted after us, such as Morocco , and they came to this
country. We hope you will graciously present these issues to the specialized scientific bodies, whose issued rulings are accepted by the general public. We summarize the issues we hope to have answered as follows: 1 - If those who fasted before us did so by sighting – as some of them mentioned that they saw the moon – should they fast (31 days) following our country as long as they are in it? 2 - If their fasting was based on calculation, should they fast (31 days)? Does the ruling differ if their fasting was based on Greenwich time, as some mentioned, since the Greenwich meridian passes through Morocco at a distance of approximately (2000 km) from Libya ? 3 - What should be the future ruling for someone who broke his fast by a fatwa or without a fatwa after completing (30 days) of fasting, and what should be the ruling for someone who fasted less than (30 days, i.e., 29 days) while the country where he began fasting has completed 30 days, as happened in previous years?
A: First: The criterion for fasting the month of Ramadan – its beginning and end – is the sighting of the moon, not calculation; based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Observe fast on sighting it (the new moon) and break (fast) on sighting it (the new moon)
صوموا لرؤيته وأفطروا لرؤيتهD not fast until you see it , and do not stop fasting until you see it
لا تصوموا حتى تروه، ولا تفطروا حتى تروهFasting is the day you fast, breaking the fast is the day you break the fast, and the Festival of Sacrifice is the day you sacrifice.
الصوم يوم تصومون، والإفطار يوم تفطرون، والأضحى يوم تضحونThe fast is the day the people fast, the breaking of the fast is the day the people break their fast, and the sacrifice is the day the people sacrifice.
الصوم يوم تصومون والفطر يوم تفطرون والأضحى يوم تضحونfasting, but if he breaks it for less than twenty-nine days, he must make up one day to enforce the minimum limit. And if he has completed fasting thirty days in the country he traveled to, and the people of that country still have to fast one day, for example, he must fast with them until he breaks his fast with them on the day of the festival, and pray the festival prayer with them. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.