This excerpt is taken from the book of Fadhilat al-Shaykh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani, may Allah have mercy on him, Ahkam and Masail of Ramadan.
Will the moon sighted in another country be valid here as well?
Question:.
If Muslims in one country sight the moon of Ramadan, will it be obligatory for Muslims in other countries to fast based on that?
Fatwa:.
There is no doubt about the differences in the times of the moon rising in various countries, and based on this difference, the majority opinion of the scholars is that the sighting of the moon in each country will be considered for the people of that country, while there may be a difference in the timetable in different countries. As evidence for this, they narrate the incident of the freed slave of Abdullah ibn Abbas, Kuraib. When he was in Syria, the month of Ramadan began, and the people of Syria fasted on Friday, but the moon was sighted in Medina on Saturday night. Kuraib informed Abdullah ibn Abbas that: Amir Muawiya and the people of Syria had fasted on Friday. Abdullah ibn Abbas replied that they had fasted on Saturday and would continue to fast until they sighted the moon of Shawwal or completed thirty days of fasting, as commanded by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
Reference: (Sahih Muslim, Book of Fasting, Chapter on the sighting of the moon for each country, Hadith: 1087)
Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah's opinion is that in the countries where the moon has been sighted, and in those countries that are further west, fasting will be obligatory. It is established that when the moon is sighted in one country, it is necessary that it will also be seen in the subsequent countries because the moon sets after the sun, and as the delay increases, the moon moves further away from the sun and becomes more visible and apparent. For example, if the moon is sighted in Bahrain, then it will also be obligatory for the people of the countries that come after it, such as Najd, Hijaz, Egypt, and the West, to fast. However, the people of the countries that are located before Bahrain, such as India, Sindh, and the countries beyond the river (Upper Russia), will not be obligated to fast.
