Rulings relating to the month of Ramadan Class [1] Assalamualaikum! Ramadancomes from the word Ramada - Strong heat of the sun. The Arabs named the months based on conditions and situations, so when they came to name Ramadan it was at a time when the heat of the sun was strong. 1) The month of Ramadan according to shariah is either 29 days long or 30 days long. 2) The month starts with the sighting of the new moon or with the completion of Shabaans 30 days. *.Ibn Umar (RA) narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said Fast after you have see the new moon, and end the fast at the end of the month when you see it. If it is hidden from you, then wait until the 30 days of Shaban have passed. Related in Bukhari and Muslim3) Can a person use binoculars or a telescope to sight the moon? *.Shaykh Uthaymeen was asked this and his reply was that it is permissible an that it was common for people to use similar practices in the early days from the minarets of the mosques.4) The sighting of the moon is only accepted by ONE trustworthy MUSLIM person who knows the moon and its phases (majority opinion). *.Imam Malik: It has to be sighted by two Men *.Imam Abu Haneefa: There has to be two male witnesses if it is cloudy or if there is a doubt about the person who sighted the moon (a total of 3 people).5) The end of the month of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid-ul-fitr is determined by the sighting of the moon of Shawal or the completion of 30 days of Ramadan. *.The witness of sighting has to be two trustworthy Muslim men (majority opinion of the scholars of fiqh). *.Few scholars such as Mohammed Ash-Shawkani had a different opinion in that he believed that the sighting of the moon by one trustworthy Muslim man was sufficient and that there was no difference between the sighting of the moon in the beginning of the month of Ramadan and the beginning of the month of Shawal.6) It is not permissible to determine the month of Ramadan by using astronomical calculations. *.The Prophet (SAW) said We are an illiterate Ummah, we dont write or calculate, so fast after you have seen the new moon. And end the fast at the end of the month, when you see it. Related in Bukhari and Muslim *.The use of calculation in regards to prayer times is different as the above hadith clearly states that the start of the month of Ramadan is to be determined by the sighting of the moon. *.Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyah said Depending on calculations in sighting the moon, as it is a deviance and innovation in religion. And it is also considered wrong by logic. *.Imam Shaafi mentioned in Ahkam al Quran: The starting of the month is determined by the moon and not by calculation. Calculation is wrong, for it is the way of the Persians and the Romans. 7) Is the sighting of the moon in one country sufficient enough for all other countries in the world? In other words if one country sights the moon does that mean the entire world can start fasting? *.There is a difference in opinion (listen to the lecture for details as I do not want to mis-quote) some say a single sighting in any country is good enough, some say each country has their own sighting and others say that close countries can go by a single sighting. *.According to the Hanafi Madhab, for each country is their own sighting.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Jun 2014 06:10:09 +0000
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