Source: Fatāwā Amanpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri
Is the testimony of two just witnesses necessary to establish moon sighting?
No, even the testimony of one just witness is sufficient to establish moon sighting.
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما reported:
((تراني الناس الھلال، فأخبرت رسول اللہ صلى اللہ عليھ وسلم، أني رأيتھ فصامھ، وأمر الناس بصيامھ))
“People sighted the crescent, and I informed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that I had seen it. So the Prophet ﷺ fasted (the next day) and ordered the people to fast as well.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd 2342, Sunan al-Dāraqutnī 2156 – with an authentic chain)
Imām Ibn Ḥibbān رحمه الله (3447) authenticated this narration.
Imām al-Ḥākim رحمه الله (1/324) declared it ṣaḥīḥ on the conditions of Imām Muslim, and Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī رحمه الله agreed.
Ḥāfiẓ Khaṭṭābī رحمه الله (d. 388H) said:
“The Prophet ﷺ accepting the statement of only one person in the matter of fasting is evidence that it is obligatory to act upon khabar al-āḥād (the report of a single trustworthy person). It makes no difference whether the informer is one person or a group of people.”
(Maʿālim al-Sunan 2/102)
Moon sighting for Ramadan can be established by the testimony of a single just and trustworthy witness. For other months, however, fuqahāʾ have discussed stricter requirements, but the Sunnah proves one witness suffices for Ramadan.
❖ Question
Is the testimony of two just witnesses necessary to establish moon sighting?
❖ Answer
No, even the testimony of one just witness is sufficient to establish moon sighting.
◈ Evidence from Ḥadīth
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما reported:
((تراني الناس الھلال، فأخبرت رسول اللہ صلى اللہ عليھ وسلم، أني رأيتھ فصامھ، وأمر الناس بصيامھ))
“People sighted the crescent, and I informed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that I had seen it. So the Prophet ﷺ fasted (the next day) and ordered the people to fast as well.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd 2342, Sunan al-Dāraqutnī 2156 – with an authentic chain)
Imām Ibn Ḥibbān رحمه الله (3447) authenticated this narration.
Imām al-Ḥākim رحمه الله (1/324) declared it ṣaḥīḥ on the conditions of Imām Muslim, and Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī رحمه الله agreed.
◈ Scholarly Explanation
Ḥāfiẓ Khaṭṭābī رحمه الله (d. 388H) said:
“The Prophet ﷺ accepting the statement of only one person in the matter of fasting is evidence that it is obligatory to act upon khabar al-āḥād (the report of a single trustworthy person). It makes no difference whether the informer is one person or a group of people.”
(Maʿālim al-Sunan 2/102)
Conclusion
Moon sighting for Ramadan can be established by the testimony of a single just and trustworthy witness. For other months, however, fuqahāʾ have discussed stricter requirements, but the Sunnah proves one witness suffices for Ramadan.
