Moon Sighting in Ramadan and Shawwal – Ruling on Fasting in Different Regions
Source: Fatawa Arkan-e-Islam
If a fasting person travels from one region to another, and the Shawwal moon has been sighted in the first region but not yet in the second, should he break his fast following the first region's announcement, even though the new region has not sighted the moon?
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh. Ammā baʿd:
➊ When a Muslim migrates from one Islamic country to another, and the Shawwal moon has not been sighted in the new country, then it is obligatory for him to fast along with the local people until the moon is sighted in that country.
This is based on the following principles:
◈ The day of fasting is the day when the people fast.
◈ Eid al-Fitr is the day when the people celebrate Eid.
◈ Eid al-Adha is the day when the people offer sacrifice.
Therefore, he must adhere to the local moon sighting and fasting calendar of the new region, even if it results in fasting additional days.
This is similar to a person traveling to a region where sunset occurs later; in that case, his fasting day may be longer by two, three, or more hours.
The reason is that when he arrived in the second country, the moon had not yet been sighted there, and the Prophet ﷺ commanded:
«أَفْطِرُوا لِرُؤْيَتِهِ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Ṣawm, Bāb: The Saying of the Prophet: “When you see the crescent…” Ḥadīth: 1909;
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Ṣiyām, Bāb: The Obligation of Fasting Upon Seeing the Crescent, Ḥadīth: 1081 [18])
“Break your fast upon sighting the moon.”
If a person moves from a region where Ramadan began later to a region where the month had already begun earlier, then he must end his fasts with the local population.
In this case, he must make up (qadā') the missed fasts later:
◈ A lunar month cannot be less than 29 days or more than 30 days.
◈ The sighting of the moon has proven the start of Shawwal.
◈ It becomes obligatory to stop fasting, even if the person has not completed 29 days of fasting.
Therefore, if your fasts are fewer than 29, you are obligated to complete at least 29, because a month cannot be shorter than that.
In contrast, in the first case (arriving in a region where the moon has not yet been sighted), you must continue fasting until the local moon sighting occurs. If the moon is not sighted, then you are still considered to be in Ramadan, and breaking the fast is not allowed.
ھٰذَا مَا عِنْدِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
Source: Fatawa Arkan-e-Islam
❀ Question:
If a fasting person travels from one region to another, and the Shawwal moon has been sighted in the first region but not yet in the second, should he break his fast following the first region's announcement, even though the new region has not sighted the moon?
❀ Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh. Ammā baʿd:
➊ When a Muslim migrates from one Islamic country to another, and the Shawwal moon has not been sighted in the new country, then it is obligatory for him to fast along with the local people until the moon is sighted in that country.
This is based on the following principles:
◈ The day of fasting is the day when the people fast.
◈ Eid al-Fitr is the day when the people celebrate Eid.
◈ Eid al-Adha is the day when the people offer sacrifice.
Therefore, he must adhere to the local moon sighting and fasting calendar of the new region, even if it results in fasting additional days.
This is similar to a person traveling to a region where sunset occurs later; in that case, his fasting day may be longer by two, three, or more hours.
The reason is that when he arrived in the second country, the moon had not yet been sighted there, and the Prophet ﷺ commanded:
«أَفْطِرُوا لِرُؤْيَتِهِ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Ṣawm, Bāb: The Saying of the Prophet: “When you see the crescent…” Ḥadīth: 1909;
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Ṣiyām, Bāb: The Obligation of Fasting Upon Seeing the Crescent, Ḥadīth: 1081 [18])
“Break your fast upon sighting the moon.”
❖ The Opposite Case:
If a person moves from a region where Ramadan began later to a region where the month had already begun earlier, then he must end his fasts with the local population.
In this case, he must make up (qadā') the missed fasts later:
➊ If he ends up fasting one day less, he must make up one fast.
➋ If he misses two days, he must make up two fasts.
❖ Reason for Qadā':
◈ A lunar month cannot be less than 29 days or more than 30 days.
◈ The sighting of the moon has proven the start of Shawwal.
◈ It becomes obligatory to stop fasting, even if the person has not completed 29 days of fasting.
Therefore, if your fasts are fewer than 29, you are obligated to complete at least 29, because a month cannot be shorter than that.
In contrast, in the first case (arriving in a region where the moon has not yet been sighted), you must continue fasting until the local moon sighting occurs. If the moon is not sighted, then you are still considered to be in Ramadan, and breaking the fast is not allowed.
ھٰذَا مَا عِنْدِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
