𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 8 | 8 Sha’bān 1444H

Continuing on from where we left off last lesson, we are going to mention some important issues related to the moon sighting (inshāAllāh). And to make things easier, we have chosen to present these issues in a Q&A format. Q1. Are men and women equal when it comes to moon sighting? What's correct is that men and women are equal in this regard, because this is from the angle of reporting/relaying news about a religious matter - it is NOT considered a religious testimony (where the testimony of 1 man is equal to that of 2 women). It's no different to informing someone of the Qiblah direction, or the prayer timings, or narrating a ḥadīth; matters concerning which men and women are equal. Q2. What are the conditions for someone's testimony to be accepted? There are 5 conditions that must be met before anyone's testimony is accepted; they are: 1 - Islam 2 - Maturity 3 - Sanity 4 - Good eyesight 5 - Uprightness Sheikh ’Uthaymīn raḥimahullāh said: “An upright individual is someone who establishes the obligations, avoids major sins and is not persistent upon minor sins.” [Ash-Sharhul Mumti' 6/323]. Q3. If someone sees the crescent on their own but their testimony is not accepted, what must they do? If they are certain, then it is obligatory upon them to act on the basis of this, because Allāh said (translated meaning): “So whoever witnesses the month, must observe fasting.” [Sūrah Baqarah: 185] Likewise the Prophet ﷺ said: “Start fasting when you see it and stop fasting when you see it.” [Bukhāri & Muslim] Q4. If the crescent is sighted in one region, must all other regions act on the basis of this? This is a highly contentious issue amongst the people of knowledge. In fact, Ṣiddīq Ibn Ḥasan Khān raḥimahullāh mentioned that there are upto eight different opinions in this regard. [Ar-Rawdhah An-Nadiyyah (1/224)] However, the strongest view (and Allāh knows best) is that, one sighting is sufficient for the whole Ummah. This is the opinion held by most of the scholars. This is proven by the following: 1. The Prophet's command ﷺ was addressed to the Ummah as a whole, wherever they may be. Also, the word 'رؤية' (sighting), i.e. “Fast when it is sighted”, applies to any sighting, whether it occurs in the east or the west. So it's incorrect to restrict this command to a particular region or country. 2. The scholars are in agreement that this command is not directed to Muslims on an individual basis, such that everyone must act according to their own personal sighting. Rather, it is a communal obligation, as is evident from the ḥadīth of Ibn ’Umar when he informed the Prophet ﷺ that he had sighted the new moon of Ramaḍhān, so the Prophet ﷺ fasted and ordered the people to fast. And this communal obligation includes the whole Ummah and not one particular group/region. 3. If one region has to accept the sighting of one or two individuals, the remaining regions must also act on the basis of this sighting, especially as there's no evidence to differentiate between the two. 4. Everyone is looking out for the same moon, so if the moon appears in one part of the world, that is sufficient for everyone else, whether they see it or not. Thus, if one region has a clear sighting of the moon and others are obstructed from seeing it, if the latter regions disregard the former's sighting, they may end up fasting only 28 days, which happens quite often. Q5. Some people use the Athar (report) of Ibn ’Abbas to support the view that every region must follow its own sighting, or the sighting of those countries which share the same Maṭla’ (moon rising times) as it. So how do we understand the Athar of Ibn ’Abbas? The Athar of Ibn ’Abbas: Kurayb reported that Umm Al-Faḍhl Bint Al-Ḥārith sent him to Mu’āwiyah in Shām; he said: “I arrived in Shām and did business for her. It was there in Shām that the month of Ramaḍhān commenced. I saw the new moon of Ramaḍhān on Friday.