Sheikh Salman al-Oadah
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 discussion 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.
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:
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 discussion 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.
