Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:

The people of the tribe of Ghifar, during the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah), used to steal and plunder the wealth of the pilgrims. After embracing Islam, Allah the Exalted forgave their sins. As for the tribe of ‘Usayyah, they are those who, after making a covenant with the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), acted treacherously and martyred the people of Bi’r Ma‘unah. The circumstances of the martyrs of Bi’r Ma‘unah have been mentioned in detail at another place.

Hadith Commentary:
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) supplicated for the tribe of Ghifar and the tribe of Aslam, asking Allah to grant them good guidance and keep them safe, because these two tribes embraced Islam without any fighting or conflict.

It was well known about the tribe of Ghifar that they used to steal from the pilgrims. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) supplicated for their forgiveness so that this accusation would no longer be associated with them in the future and their previous sins would be forgiven.

The people of the tribe of ‘Usayyah had treacherously martyred seventy reciters (qurra) at Bi’r Ma‘unah, which caused the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to be deeply grieved, and he continued to supplicate against them for a whole month. Therefore, he said:
“‘Usayyah has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger.”
(‘Umdat al-Qari: 11/261)

Hadith Commentary:
➊
Allah Ta’ala says that the affairs of people and the decisions concerning them are solely in My hands.
I do whatever I will.
Whether I grant the disbelievers the ability to repent, or I punish them with death in this world, or I inflict upon them a painful punishment in the Hereafter, all of this is within My authority.

➋
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has presented this in the Book of Holding Fast (Kitab al-I‘tisam) because if they had certainty of faith, they would have been saved from this accursedness.
This verse is synonymous with another verse; Allah Ta’ala says:
“Indeed, you cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He wills.” ()
This means that actually granting guidance to the disbelievers is not the responsibility of you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam); your responsibility is only to guide them, that is, to clarify the meaning and convey it to them—this alone is your (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) duty.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
Aghmi,
Ghumī,
Gham:
All these mean that something comes between the sighting.
Clouds,
or dust intervenes.

Benefits and Issues:
➊
In Islam, the beginning and end of Ramadan depend on the sighting of the crescent (ru’yat-e-hilal), not on any science, technology, instruments, or conjecture and analogy, so that it remains easy and convenient for people of every region and every era. This is the purpose of the statement of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) that we are an unlettered nation; we do not know calculation.

➋
It is not necessary for every individual to see the crescent themselves, such that if someone does not see the crescent, they should not fast, or should not stop fasting until the month completes thirty days. Nor does it mean that fasting will begin immediately upon sighting the crescent, or end immediately upon sighting it. The fast will begin with the pre-dawn meal (suhoor) and end with sunset.

➌
According to the majority (jumhur), if the crescent is not sighted, whether due to clouds or clear sky, in both cases the month of Sha’ban will be counted as thirty days. According to the Hanbalis, if the sky is clear, the ruling is the same, but if the sky is cloudy or dusty, then the Hanbalis have three opinions:
1. Fasting is obligatory as Ramadan.
2. No obligatory or voluntary fast is permissible, except for making up missed fasts (qada’), expiation (kaffarah), vow (nadhar), or if it is according to one’s habit, then it is permissible. This is also the opinion of Imam Shafi’i rahimahullah, and Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah. According to Imam Malik rahimahullah, it cannot be kept as Ramadan, but it is permissible otherwise.
3. It depends on the opinion of the ruler (imam) of the time; if the imam fasts, then the people should fast, and if the imam does not fast, then the people should not fast.

➍
According to the majority, for fasting, the sighting of one pious and trustworthy person is sufficient. However, according to Imam Malik rahimahullah, the sighting of two people will be considered. One opinion of Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah is the same as the majority, but the well-known and famous opinion is that if the sky is cloudy, then the testimony of one person is sufficient, but if the sky is clear and transparent, then so many people should testify that certainty is achieved from their report. However, this distinction is not mentioned in the hadith.

➎
If a person, for example, starts fasting one or two days earlier in Saudi Arabia and then comes to Pakistan in the last days, and his fasts become thirty, but the crescent has not been sighted in Pakistan, then according to some scholars, he must fast with the people of Pakistan, because the crescent has not been sighted there. And the statement of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is: (As-sawm yawma tasūmūn wal-fitr yawma tufṭirūn) — The day the people fast is the day of fasting, and the day the people celebrate Eid is the day of Eid. And it is clear that this hadith pertains to the person who was with the people at both the beginning and the end. And the month does not exceed thirty days, and fasting is for one month. However, he should not eat openly on that day, or he may keep a voluntary fast. If he started fasting in Pakistan and then went to Saudi Arabia, and there Eid was declared when he had only fasted twenty-eight days, then he will celebrate Eid there and later complete the fasts according to their count.

Commentary:
Note:
(In the chain of narration, Umar bin Hamzah bin Abdullah bin Umar is a weak narrator, but by being strengthened through the aforementioned hadith of Bukhari, this hadith is authentic.)

Explanation:
1:
In this,
there is a virtue mentioned for the tribe of Aslam
and Ghifar,
while there is censure for the tribe of 'Usayyah.

1079. Commentary: Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah has explicitly stated that "fa-anzala Allah" is an addition by the narrator, therefore this verse cannot be considered as the reason for stopping the Qunut Nazilah. See: [فتح الباري : 286/8 ، حدیث : 4560 ۔ مزید دیکھیے : فوائد حدیث : 1071]