Is One Just Witness Enough for Moon Sighting in Ramadan?

❖ Moon Sighting Testimony: Validity of a Trustworthy Witness ❖
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori

❀ One Trustworthy Witness: Is His Testimony Acceptable?​

➊ Narrated by Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما):


“The people began looking for the moon. I informed the Prophet ﷺ that I had seen it, so he fasted and commanded the people to fast.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 2052, Kitāb al-Ṣawm: Chapter on the Testimony of One Person for the Sighting of the Ramadan Moon, Abū Dāwūd: 2342, Dārimī: 2/4, Dāraquṭnī: 2/156, Ḥākim: 1/423, Bayhaqī: 4/218]


➋ Narrated by Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهما):
A Bedouin came to the Prophet ﷺ and said:
"I have seen the crescent of Ramadan."
The Prophet ﷺ asked:
"Do you testify that there is no god but Allah?"
He said, "Yes."
Then he asked:
"Do you testify that Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah?"
He said, "Yes."
The Prophet ﷺ then said:
"O Bilāl! Announce to the people that they should fast tomorrow."


[Ḍaʿīf: Ḍaʿīf Abū Dāwūd: 507; Ḍaʿīf Tirmidhī: 108; Ḍaʿīf Ibn Mājah: 364; Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl: 907; al-Mishkāh: 1978
Abū Dāwūd: 2340; Tirmidhī: 676; Nasāʾī: 4/123; Ibn Mājah: 1652; Ibn Khuzaymah: 1923]


Although the chain of this narration is weak, it indicates the permissibility of relying on a single upright witness, as confirmed through stronger reports such as the narration of Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما).

❀ Scholarly Opinions​

◈ Accepted View:
The Hadith of Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) supports that one just (ʿādil) Muslim’s testimony is sufficient for beginning Ramadan. This is also the view of:

• Imām Aḥmad (رحمه الله)
• Imām Ibn al-Mubārak (رحمه الله)
• One narration from Imām al-Shāfiʿī (رحمه الله) also agrees

◈ Opposing View:

• Imām Mālik (رحمه الله)
• Imām al-Thawrī (رحمه الله)
• Another narration from Imām al-Shāfiʿī, as well as Imām al-Awzāʿī and Imām al-Layth, hold that two witnesses are necessary.

❀ Position of Ḥanafī School​

According to the Ḥanafīs:

• If the sky is clear, testimony from a large group is required.
• If the sky is overcast, the testimony of one adult, sane, just Muslim is acceptable.

References:
Nayl al-Awṭār: 3/152, Al-Fiqh al-Islāmī wa Adillatuh: 3/1651, Al-Umm: 2/124, Sharḥ al-Muhadhdhab: 6/283, Al-Kāfī li Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr: p. 119, Al-Khurashī: 2/235, Al-Mughnī: 4/416, Kashshāf al-Qināʿ: 2/304, Subul al-Salām: 2/216

❀ Evidence for the Requirement of Two Witnesses​

➊ Hadith:
"If two Muslim witnesses testify, then fast and break the fast (accordingly)."
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl: 909; Vol. 4, p. 16; Nasāʾī: 4/132; Aḥmad: 4/321]


➋ Another Report:
"If the moon is not seen, and two trustworthy witnesses testify, then fast based on their testimony."
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 2050, Kitāb al-Ṣawm: Chapter on Two Men Testifying for the Shawwāl Moon, Abū Dāwūd: 2338, Dāraquṭnī: 2/167, Bayhaqī: 4/247]

❀ Rebuttal to the Two-Witness Requirement​

These narrations carry the implication that two witnesses are accepted, but do not definitively exclude the possibility of accepting one witness — especially when explicit narrations, like that of Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما), affirm it.


Moreover, principles of Uṣūl al-Ḥadīth prioritize clear text (manṭūq) over inferred meaning (mafḥūm) when a conflict arises. Thus, the narration of one witness should be given precedence.

❀ Supported by Scholars​

• Imām Nawawī (رحمه الله) supports this position
  [Sharḥ Muslim: 4/207]
• Imām al-Shawkānī (رحمه الله) also gives preference to this view
  [Al-Sayl al-Jarrār: 2/114]

❖ Conclusion​

✔ The testimony of a single, trustworthy Muslim is sufficient for sighting the Ramadan moon, especially under cloudy conditions or limited visibility.
✔ The evidence for requiring two witnesses applies more strongly to the Eid moon (Shawwāl).
✔ The stronger view (rājih), upheld by Ibn ʿUmar, Imām Aḥmad, Imām Nawawī, and Imām al-Shawkānī, supports accepting one just person’s testimony.