The
ruling regarding hesitancy towards whether to fast or not
*Please appropriately reference
this fatwa to: www.fatwa-online.com, thankyou!*
Question: We heard the cannons tonight, (in
Saudi Arabia, the cannons indicate the beginning and ending
of Ramadhaan) more than once and we doubted whether or not
it was `Eed
or Ramadhaan so we waited until we heard something from the
imaam before Fajr. But we didn't hear anything. So what is
the ruling regarding hesitancy towards whether to fast or
not?
Response:
It is obligatory upon a person to make verification and the
basic rule ('asl) is that things remain as they were. If there
was something else it would have been openly clear so that
the people would know and hence not make sahoor nor fast.
In any case this day is considered as a day of Ramadhaan and
if the ending of the month was established the matter would
have been clear. So (based) upon this, it is obligatory upon
the person to fast in such a situation without hesitancy.
Because, the basic rule ('asl) (in this case) is that Ramadhaan
remains. If it became clear later on, that it was actually
the day if `Eed
he would break his fast.
Shaykh
Ibn 'Uthaymeen
Fataawa Ramadhaan - Volume 1, Page 167, Fatwa No.101;
Fataawa ash-Shaykh Muhammad as-Saalih al-'Uthaymeen - Volume
1, Page 476-477
|