The AGE OLD Ramadan Question

[ShahnazZ]

:salam2: and Ramadan Kareem to all,

My question is one that is ages-old. The whole "Do we follow Saudi Arabia or do we go by locality?" one. Now I know the majority of people are fasting tomorrow and saying that Ramadan has already started, but I would like to know what they are basing this on. Are they following Saudi Arabia or are they going by locality? Because from what I've learned, a person should go by locality but based on the weather sightings here, I know the moon has NOT been sighted in the U.S. So I would like to know what the brothers and sisters who believe Ramadan has already started are basing their information on.

 

[Shahzad]

all islamic months depend upon moon. how come one start ramzan following any other country if they can see the moon every month? Is this possible?

Shria has the rules for every thing. If thats the case , then we shud start praying according to saudi timings, shudnt we?

 

[amirah80]

:salam2:

Salam I know exactly what you mean. I called one mosque and asked if they cited the new moon and should I fast tomorrow they said fast.

Then I called another mosque to confirm they said it has not been cited and to wait because no announcement has been made.

Personally I will wait until we get the announcement based off of a citing in the USA. But that is just me.

FATWA 106487 IQA

What should I do if the moon is sighted in some Muslim countries but the country where I am working completes the month of Sha’baan and Ramadaan as thirty days? What is the cause of the people’s differences in Ramadaan?. Praise be to Allaah.

You have to stay with the people of your country. When they fast, then fast with them, and when they break the fast then break the fast with them, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The fast is the day when you fast, and the breaking of the fast (al-iftaar) is the day when you break the fast, and the sacrifice (al-adha) is the day when you offer the sacrifice.” And because dissent is evil. So you have to be with the people of your country. So when the Muslims in your country break the fast, then break the fast with them, and when they fast then fast with them.

As for the cause of differences, the reason is that some people see the new moon and some do not see it, then those who have seen the new moon may be trusted by others who follow their sighting, or they may not be trusted, and hence differences arise. One country may sight it and rule accordingly, and fast and break the fast on that basis, whereas another country may not be convinced of this sighting and may not trust the other country, for many reasons, political and otherwise.

What the Muslims must do is fast all together when they see the new moon, and break the fast when they see it, because of the general meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “When you see the new moon then fast, and when you see the new moon then break the fast, and if it is too cloudy then complete the number of days as thirty.” If they are all certain of the validity of the moon sighting, and that it is real and proven, then they must fast and break the fast accordingly, but if the people differ and do not trust one another, then you have to fast with the Muslims in your country, and break the fast with them, in accordance with the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “The fast is the day when you fast, and the breaking of the fast (al-iftaar) is the day when you break the fast, and the sacrifice (al-adha) is the day when you offer the sacrifice.”

It was proven from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that when Kurayb told him that the people of Syria had started fasting on a Friday, Ibn ‘Abbaas said: We saw it on Saturday, and we will carry on fasting until we see the new moon or we complete thirty days. He did not follow the sighting of the people of Syria because Syria is far away from Madeenah and there may be a difference in moonsighting between the two. He (may Allaah be pleased with him) thought that this was a matter that was subject to ijtihaad. You have a good example to follow in Ibn ‘Abbaas and the scholars who followed him and said that you should fast with the people of your country and break the fast with them. And Allaah is the Source of strength. End quote.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him).



Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanwwi’ah (15/100-102).

 

[Achmat_Samsodien]

:salam2:

Dear Brothers and Sisters

When determining the start of the month of Ramadaan, it is determined by location via the sighing of the new moon. Alahamdulillah here in Cape Town it's always an exciting event, but yesterday we had a terrible storm. the worst of 7 years but Alhamdulillah Ramadaan has started for us here as the moon has been sighted in Johannesburg. So whenever we determine the commencement and ending of Ramadaan it's determined by the sighting of the new moon. Remember we follow the Lunar calendar and night precedes the day.

A Ramadaan Kareem to all brothers and sisters on TTI! May Allah increase our Taqwaa and make us of the Saaliheen and may we all reap the full rewards of this month Insha Allah!

 

[amirah80]

:salam2:
Inshallah we will find out what to do soon.
Salam Amirah80

 

[Happy 2BA Muslim]

:salam2:

Ramadan mubarak again to all my Brothers and Sisters!

As you all know, we are fasting today (Monday) here in Saudi Arabia.

Abû Hurayrah relates on the authority of the Prophet (peace be upon him):

"The fast is on the day when they observe the fast, it ends on the day that they stop fasting, and `Id al-Adhâ is when the people observe it. [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (697)]

This hadîth tells us something very important with regards to determining the beginning and end of the lunar month of Ramadan. It tells us that there is one simple rule to follow: fast with the people in your locality.

It does not matter how the people in the locality decide to determine the start of Ramadan. What matters is to avoid dissention and strife in the community. Those who nurture disagreements and cause the Muslims to be divided are the ones who are doing wrong.

Today, there are numerous opinions being adopted by Muslim scholars regarding the best way to determine the start of Ramadan. This has brought about problems in non-Muslim countries as well as a number of Muslim countries.

Take Cairo, for instance. You will find a broad spectrum of opinion among the Muslims there. As an unfortunate consequence, you will find people starting and ending their fasts on different days, although they are all residents of the same city!

Some of them fast according to the decree of the government and the state-appointed mufti. Some follow their own local sighting. Others fast along with the first country in the world that announces that it has sighted the moon. These are but the most common opinions. There are many more opinions, all of which just further muddies an already confused situation.

The fast begins on the day that the people begin to fast. The completion of the month of fasting is when the people complete their month of fasting. The Hajj is when the people undertake the Hajj.

Al-Tirmidhî, in his Sunan, gives us a chapter entitled:


The fast is on the day when they observe the fast, it ends on the day that they stop fasting, and `Id al-Adhâ is when the people observe it.


Under this title, he relates a hadîth by Abû Hurayrah with the exact same text, and then says: "It is a sound but unusual narration." [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (697)]

The chain of transmission is admittedly not exceptionally strong. At the same time, none of its narrators are questionable. The hadîth's soundness is supported by a great number of scholars, including al-Khattâbî, al-Mundhirî, al-Shawkânî, and al-San`ânî.

[Al-Albânî authenticates it in al-Silsilah al-Sahîhah (223), Sahîh Sunan al-Tirmidhî (697), and Sahîh al-Jâmi` al-Saghîr (7316)]

Scholars, when discussing this hadîth, explain that it means that the determination of the fast is a community matter. It is of utmost importance that the people observe the Ramadan fast as a community. A person is not obliged to follow his or her own convictions regarding how the month is to be determined, but rather yield to the decision of the community.

Therefore, we as Muslims need to fast along with the rest of the people in our locality, even if they rely on calculations alone, or calculations corroborated with a visual sighting, or rely on a local sighting.

We do not have to agree with the opinion that the Muslims in our country adopt. However, we need to yield to their decision and avoid fragmenting the community. Allah loves the Muslims to be united. He hates discord and division. He does not want the Muslims to behave in a ridiculous manner regarding their greatest and most conspicuous public rites, like the Ramadan fast, the `Id prayers, and the Hajj.

And Allah knows best.

www.islamtoday.com

:salam2:

 

[Abu.Amirah]

W/S

We should always fast with locality and not follow saudi arabia. I dont say Saudi arabia are wrong but due to time in diff parts of the world one is strongly adviced to follow his people in his country and maybe the neighbor countries sightings. Am sure in every country there must be a muslim leader whom people can rely on the information of starting and ending of the lunar month.
Even here in my country Kenya we didnt see the moon and late at 11pm at night it was said in radios that our Kadhi got information the moon was sighted somewhere and we were told to fast today. So Allahu 3alam if our Kadhi is following saudi or they did really see the moon but we do trust him and thats why we follow his advice.May Allah guide us all to the right path!! :tti_sister:

Jazakallahu kheir

 

[ShahnazZ]

JazakAllah Khair for all your replies.

I was hoping that someone who already started fasting would tell me what their basis for doing so already was, but it's irrelevant now since the moon was also sighted in the US last night lol. However, I would still appreciate their explanations.

 

[Alessia]

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

Dear sister, please guide urself accordingly to what a someone explained to you earlyer, giving you evidence with hadeeth.Why do you want to do this matter so complicated?Allah made it easy for us.The only guidance or us is the sightning of the moon, nothing more and nothing less.

Ramadan Kareem!:muslim_child:

 

[ShahnazZ]

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

Dear sister, please guide urself accordingly to what a someone explained to you earlyer, giving you evidence with hadeeth.Why do you want to do this matter so complicated?Allah made it easy for us.The only guidance or us is the sightning of the moon, nothing more and nothing less.

Ramadan Kareem!:muslim_child:

Excuse me but what are you talking about? Yes there is hadeeth but that's not what I asked nor do you know the purpose of WHY I asked the question. It was a simple question and I just wanted a simple answer. You assume that I personally needed guidance. And if it were so easy to just read hadith there would be NO dissent in the world but there is. I am not making anything complicated. Things are the way they are without me having to complicate them. I'm glad you see things so simply but others do not. The issue is MUCH BIGGER than not following hadith.

 

[nori suja'i]

of cause every muslim must follow their mufti in anything to do with Islam (according to Al-Qur'an and Hadith/Sunnah RasoolAllah s.a.w.) even when welcoming the month of Ramadhan either by rukya or calculations.

 

[Waseem203]

Im confused now

 

[xSharingan01x]

i basically follow my Masjid and they go by locally.
We started fasting on Monday (taraweh on sunday), even though we didn't see the moon on Sunday night. We saw the moon on Monday though.