❖ Question:
If there is a difference in the moon sighting between Islamic countries for the start of Ramadan or Shawwāl, is it obligatory for all Muslims to begin fasting or celebrate Eid based on the sighting in one of those countries?
❖ Answer:
The issue of moon sighting is a matter of scholarly difference among the people of knowledge.
① First View: Global Applicability of a Single Moon Sighting
Some scholars are of the opinion that if the moon is sighted according to Sharʿī principles in any one country, then it becomes obligatory for all Muslims to act upon that — whether for beginning Ramadan or for breaking the fast at the end of it (Eid al-Fiṭr).
This is the well-known position of Imām Aḥmad (رحمه الله).
These scholars base their view on:
The general wording of Allah’s command:
"So whoever among you witnesses the month, let him fast it."
(Surah al-Baqarah 2:185)
And the saying of the Prophet ﷺ:
"When you see it (the new moon), begin fasting, and when you see it again, break your fast."
— Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (Hadith 1080), narrated by Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما)
Based on this, for example, if Saudi Arabia announces the moon sighting, then all Muslims around the world should start or end fasting accordingly.
② Second View: Local Sighting Based on Difference in Horizons
Other scholars hold that fasting in Ramadan and breaking the fast for Shawwāl is only required for those who themselves see the moon, or whose region shares the same horizon (muṭlaʿ) with the sighting region.
This is due to the agreed-upon astronomical fact that the moonrise differs from region to region.
Therefore, each country or region should rely on its own sighting, unless its horizon coincides with the horizon of another sighting region — in which case, the ruling can be applied by extension.
This is the view adopted by Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله).
He also based his view on:
"So whoever among you witnesses the month, let him fast it."
(Surah al-Baqarah 2:185) and the Hadith:
"When you see it, begin fasting..."
However, his interpretation differs. According to him, these texts tie the obligation of fasting to personal or local sighting. Therefore, someone who has not seen the moon or is not in a region where it is visible, is not obligated to act on another region’s sighting.
This reasoning is logically strong, and analogical reasoning (qiyās) supports it.
— Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn (رحمه الله)
If there is a difference in the moon sighting between Islamic countries for the start of Ramadan or Shawwāl, is it obligatory for all Muslims to begin fasting or celebrate Eid based on the sighting in one of those countries?
❖ Answer:
The issue of moon sighting is a matter of scholarly difference among the people of knowledge.
① First View: Global Applicability of a Single Moon Sighting
Some scholars are of the opinion that if the moon is sighted according to Sharʿī principles in any one country, then it becomes obligatory for all Muslims to act upon that — whether for beginning Ramadan or for breaking the fast at the end of it (Eid al-Fiṭr).
This is the well-known position of Imām Aḥmad (رحمه الله).
These scholars base their view on:
The general wording of Allah’s command:
"So whoever among you witnesses the month, let him fast it."
(Surah al-Baqarah 2:185)
And the saying of the Prophet ﷺ:
"When you see it (the new moon), begin fasting, and when you see it again, break your fast."
— Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (Hadith 1080), narrated by Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما)
Based on this, for example, if Saudi Arabia announces the moon sighting, then all Muslims around the world should start or end fasting accordingly.
② Second View: Local Sighting Based on Difference in Horizons
Other scholars hold that fasting in Ramadan and breaking the fast for Shawwāl is only required for those who themselves see the moon, or whose region shares the same horizon (muṭlaʿ) with the sighting region.
This is due to the agreed-upon astronomical fact that the moonrise differs from region to region.
Therefore, each country or region should rely on its own sighting, unless its horizon coincides with the horizon of another sighting region — in which case, the ruling can be applied by extension.
This is the view adopted by Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله).
He also based his view on:
"So whoever among you witnesses the month, let him fast it."
(Surah al-Baqarah 2:185) and the Hadith:
"When you see it, begin fasting..."
However, his interpretation differs. According to him, these texts tie the obligation of fasting to personal or local sighting. Therefore, someone who has not seen the moon or is not in a region where it is visible, is not obligated to act on another region’s sighting.
This reasoning is logically strong, and analogical reasoning (qiyās) supports it.
— Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymīn (رحمه الله)
