❖ One Man’s Testimony for Sighting the Shawwal Moon – A Jurisprudential Analysis ❖
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
This issue has been subject to scholarly disagreement among the jurists (fuqahāʾ).
References for further study:
Al-Umm: 2/94, Al-Majmūʿ: 6/239, Tuḥfat al-Fuqahāʾ: 1/530, Fatḥ al-Qadīr: 2/250
According to Imām al-Nawawī, all scholars agree that the testimony of only one upright person (ʿādil) is not acceptable for the sighting of Shawwāl, except Imām Abū Thawr, who considered it permissible.
[Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 4/207]
Evidence Used by Imām Nawawī:
In a narration, it is stated that:
"On the last day of Ramadan, people differed about whether it was still Ramadan or not. Two Bedouins came and testified before the Prophet ﷺ, saying, 'By Allah, we saw the crescent last night.' So the Prophet ﷺ instructed the people to break their fast.”
In another version, it is stated:
"The Prophet ﷺ instructed the people to go to the Eid prayer the following day.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 2051, Kitāb al-Ṣawm: Chapter on the Testimony of Two Men for the Sighting of Shawwāl,
Abū Dāwūd: 2339, Aḥmad: 4/314, Bayhaqī: 4/250]
This indicates that two witnesses were accepted, not just one.
Imām al-Shawkānī disagreed with the blanket rejection of a single witness and stated:
“The mere acceptance of two people’s testimony in one specific event does not definitively prove that the testimony of one upright person is not acceptable in all cases.”
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 3/153]
◈ The opinion of Imām al-Shawkānī (رحمه الله) appears to be stronger and more balanced, as it avoids absolutism and considers the broader evidentiary context in Islamic jurisprudence.
✔ For Shawwāl moon sighting, the majority of scholars require two upright witnesses.
✔ Only Imām Abū Thawr allowed the testimony of one person.
✔ The hadith involving the two Bedouins is not conclusive against one-person testimony, as argued by Imām al-Shawkānī.
✔ The stronger view is one of contextual flexibility, especially where moon sighting is challenging or clarity is attainable through other supporting evidence.
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
❀ Is the Testimony of One Person Valid for Sighting the Shawwal Crescent?
This issue has been subject to scholarly disagreement among the jurists (fuqahāʾ).
References for further study:
Al-Umm: 2/94, Al-Majmūʿ: 6/239, Tuḥfat al-Fuqahāʾ: 1/530, Fatḥ al-Qadīr: 2/250
❀ Position of Imām al-Nawawī (رحمه الله)
According to Imām al-Nawawī, all scholars agree that the testimony of only one upright person (ʿādil) is not acceptable for the sighting of Shawwāl, except Imām Abū Thawr, who considered it permissible.
[Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 4/207]
Evidence Used by Imām Nawawī:
In a narration, it is stated that:
"On the last day of Ramadan, people differed about whether it was still Ramadan or not. Two Bedouins came and testified before the Prophet ﷺ, saying, 'By Allah, we saw the crescent last night.' So the Prophet ﷺ instructed the people to break their fast.”
In another version, it is stated:
"The Prophet ﷺ instructed the people to go to the Eid prayer the following day.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 2051, Kitāb al-Ṣawm: Chapter on the Testimony of Two Men for the Sighting of Shawwāl,
Abū Dāwūd: 2339, Aḥmad: 4/314, Bayhaqī: 4/250]
This indicates that two witnesses were accepted, not just one.
❀ Position of Imām al-Shawkānī (رحمه الله)
Imām al-Shawkānī disagreed with the blanket rejection of a single witness and stated:
“The mere acceptance of two people’s testimony in one specific event does not definitively prove that the testimony of one upright person is not acceptable in all cases.”
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 3/153]
❀ Preferred (Rājih) Opinion
◈ The opinion of Imām al-Shawkānī (رحمه الله) appears to be stronger and more balanced, as it avoids absolutism and considers the broader evidentiary context in Islamic jurisprudence.
❀ Summary of the Discussion
✔ For Shawwāl moon sighting, the majority of scholars require two upright witnesses.
✔ Only Imām Abū Thawr allowed the testimony of one person.
✔ The hadith involving the two Bedouins is not conclusive against one-person testimony, as argued by Imām al-Shawkānī.
✔ The stronger view is one of contextual flexibility, especially where moon sighting is challenging or clarity is attainable through other supporting evidence.
