Fast when you see it, and break the fast when you see it, but if the sky is overcast and you cannot see it, then act on estimation
Narrator in the source: Ibn ‘Umar reported: The Messenger of Allah
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Fast when you see it, and break the fast when you see it, but if the sky is overcast and you cannot see it, then act on estimation."- Grade in the source
- Authentic
- Reported by
- Agreed upon
- Source entry
- HadeethEnc · 4549 ↗
Original Arabic wording
عَنْ ابْنَ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُوهُ فَصُومُوا، وَإِذَا رَأَيْتُمُوهُ فَأَفْطِرُوا، فَإِنْ غُمَّ عَلَيْكُمْ فَاقْدُرُوا لَهُ».Understand this hadith
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) pointed out the sign that marks the beginning and end of the month of Ramadan, saying: Fast when you see the crescent of Ramadan, but if the clouds prevent you from seeing it, then count thirty days for the month of Sha‘bān. Break your fast when you see the crescent of Shawwāl, but if the clouds prevent you from seeing it, then count thirty days for the month of Ramadan.
Lessons from the hadith
- Sighting the crescent, not the calculations, is what counts in affirming the beginning of the lunar month.
- Ibn al-Mundhir reported scholarly consensus that fasting is not obligatory if the beginning of the month of Ramadan is determined only by calculations without sighting the crescent.
- It is obligatory to complete Sha‘bān thirty days in case the crescent of Ramadan cannot be seen due to clouds or the like.
- The lunar month is either twenty-nine or thirty days.
- It is obligatory to complete Ramadan for thirty days in case the crescent of Shawwāl cannot be seen due to clouds or the like.
- Whoever finds himself in a place where there is none to check on Muslims' affairs in fasting, or he does not pay attention to this, then he should be careful about it and should seek it through someone who affirms it either by sighting it himself or by sighting it by one whom he trusts, and he can thus fast and break his fast accordingly.
References (original Arabic)
صحيح البخاري (3/ 25) (1900). صحيح مسلم (2/ 760) (1080). تيسير العلام، لعبد الله البسام (ص314). تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لابن عثيمين (3/ 414). الإفهام في شرح عمدة الأحكام، لابن باز (ص385). خلاصة الكلام على عمدة الأحكام، لفيصل آل مبارك (ص146). الموسوعة الفقهية الكويتية (23/ 142).
