Sighting
the Moon
Question:
Should we fast and end our fast according to the sighting
of the new moon in Saudi Arabia or should we do it according
to the sighting of the new moon in the country where we are?
Response:
There are as many as six different opinions amongst the scholars
concerning this issue. However, there are two main points
of view. The first is that everyone should sight the moon
in their own country and those countries where the moon rises
at the same time should follow them. The reason for this is
that the time at which the moon rises, varies from place to
place. The second opinion is that the beginning of the new
month need only be confirmed in any one of the Muslim countries.
If the sighting of the new moon is confirmed in any Muslim
country, it is then obligatory for all Muslims to use that
sighting to begin the fast of Ramadhaan
or end it. According to this last opinion, if the new month
is confirmed in Saudi Arabia it is obligatory upon all Muslims,
in all parts of the world, to fast if it is the beginning
of Ramadhaan
and to end their fast if it is the beginning of Shawwaal.
This is the most common opinion held by the followers of the
madhhab
of Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal.
However, the first opinion is more correct because of the
evidence in the Qur.aan, Sunnah and because of analogy. With
regards to the Qur.aan, Allaah (Subhaanahu
wa Ta'aala) says:
{The month of Ramadaan in which was
revealed the Qur.aan, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs
for guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong).
So whoever witnesses the month should fast it...},
[Soorah
al-Baqarah, Aayah
185].
This last sentence is a conditional sentence, and the ruling
contained in a conditional sentence is established for whomever
the condition applies to and it is annulled for anyone for
whom the condition does not apply. So the sentence:
((Whoever witnesses the month should
fast it)) implies that whoever does not witness
it does not fast it.
It is well known amongst astronomers that the time the moon
rises differs from place to place. The moon might be seen
in one place and not in another. Therefore, according to the
verse, whoever does not see it is not obliged to fast.
With regards to the Sunnah, the Prophet (sal-Allaahu
`alayhe wa sallam) said:
((If you sight it (the new moon of
Ramadaan), then fast and if you sight it (the new moon of
Shawaal),then end the fast. And if it is obscured from you,
then complete thirty days (of Sha'baan))).
He
(sal-Allaahu
`alayhe wa sallam) said:
((If you sight it)). He
therefore linked the ruling to the sighting and if a ruling
is linked to an effective cause, then that ruling is annulled
in the absence of that cause.
With regards to analogy, we say that in as much as the times
for beginning the fast and breaking the fast every day vary
from place to place so, in the same way, the times for the
beginning and ending of the monthly fast also vary. We here
in Riyadh, for example, begin our fast every day before the
people in Al-Hijaaz and we also break our fast before they
do. It is, therefore, obligatory upon us to start fasting
while they are still eating. On the other hand, at the end
of the day we are eating while they are still fasting. If,
therefore, each place has its own ruling due to the variation
in the time that the sun rises and sets, the same also applies
due to the variation in the time that the moon rises and sets.
Therefore, the answer to the question is clear. It is obligatory
for you to follow the sighting of the new moon in the place
where you are.
Shaykh
Ibn 'Uthaymeen
al-Aqalliyaat al-Muslimah - Page 84, Fatwa No.23
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