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Moon Sighting
'They ask thee concerning the New Moons. Say: They are but
signs to mark fixed periods of time in (the affairs of) men, and for
Pilgrimage.'
[Surah Baqarah, ayah 189]
Chapter 5: THERE IS A SIGHTING OF THE MOON FOR EVERY TOWN; THE SIGHTING AT ONE
TOWN CANNOT BE HELD VALID FOR THE OTHER TOWN SITUATED AT A CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE
FROM IT
Kuraib reported that Umm Fadl, daughter of Harith, sent him (Fadl, i. e. her
son) to Mu'awiya in Syria. I (Fadl) arrived in Syria, and did the needful for
her. It was there in Syria that the month of Ramadan commenced. I saw the new
moon (of Ramadan) on Friday. Then came back to Medina at the end of the month.
Abdullah b. 'Abbas (Allah be pleased with him) asked me (about the new moon of
Ramadan) and said: When did
you see it?
I said: We saw it on the night of Friday.
He said: (Did) you see it yourself?
I said: Yes, and the people also saw it and they observed fast and Mu'awiya also
observed fast, whereupon he said: But we saw it on Saturday night. So we would
continue to observe fast till we complete thirty (fasts) or we see it (the new
moon of Shawwal).
I said: Is the sighting of the moon by Mu'awiya not valid for you?
He said: No; this is how the Messenger of Allah (SallAllah-u-Alaihi-wa-Sallam) has
commanded us.
[Sahih Muslim: Book 006, Number 2391]
Alhamdulillah this is the practice of Jamaat-ul-Muslimeen that it practices moon
sightings according to the above mentioned hadith and even though Muslimeen may
be living in the same country but still efforts are made by everyone to sight
the moon and it may happen that Muslimeen in one country observe Ramadan
separately. This is what the above hadith teaches us. We do not follow the
observance of the government as it considers sighting of the moon in different
places as valid for the whole country which is against this hadith.
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