Fasting and Breaking the Fast Follow the Country You Reside In - Shaikh Abd Al-Aziz Bin Baz
Fasting and Breaking the Fast Follow the Country You Reside In
A Question That Was Asked to Sheikh Abd Al-Aziz Bin Baz (رحمه الله)
Question:
I am an Egyptian man working in Iraq. Previously, I broke the fast on the last
day of Ramadan in Iraq after hearing on the radio that the crescent had been
sighted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in Syria, and in other places. So I
broke my fast based on that, even though I knew that the people of the country
where I reside were still fasting. What is the ruling on this, and what is the
reason people differ in Ramadan?
Answer:
You must remain with the people of the country you are in. If they fast, then
fast with them; and if they break the fast, then break the fast with them. This
is based on the saying of the Prophet ﷺ:
“Fasting is the day you all fast, and
breaking the fast is the day you all break the fast, and the Day of Sacrifice
is the day you all offer sacrifice [1].”
And because disagreement is harmful, it is obligatory for you to
be with the people of your country. So when the Muslims in your country break
the fast, you break the fast with them; and when they fast, you fast with them.
As for the reason for the differences, it is that some people see
the crescent while others do not. Then, those who see the crescent may be
trusted by others, who feel assured of their testimony and act upon it; or they
may not be trusted, and thus their sighting is not accepted. For this reason,
differences occur. A country may see the crescent and rule accordingly—fasting
or breaking the fast—while another country does not accept that sighting nor
trust the other country, for many reasons, political and otherwise.
It is obligatory upon Muslims to fast when they see the crescent
and to break the fast when they see it, due to the general statement of the
Prophet ﷺ: “When you see the crescent, then fast; and when you see the
crescent, then break the fast. If it is obscured from you, then complete the
count as thirty [2].”
So, if everyone is assured that the sighting is authentic and firmly established, then fasting and breaking the fast must be based on it. But if people differ in reality and some do not trust others, then you must fast with the Muslims in your country and break the fast with them, acting upon his ﷺ statement:
“Fasting is the day you all fast, and breaking the fast is the day you all break the fast, and the Day of Sacrifice is the day you all offer sacrifice.”
It is also authentically reported from Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be
pleased with them both) that when Kurayb informed him that the people of al‑Shām
had fasted on Friday, Ibn ʿAbbās said: “We saw it
on Saturday, so we will continue fasting until we see the crescent or complete
thirty days. [3].”
He did not act upon the sighting of the people of al‑Shām because
of the distance between al‑Shām and Madinah and the difference in moon‑rising
points between them. He (may Allah be pleased with him) viewed this as a matter
of ijtihād (scholarly judgment). So you have in Ibn ʿAbbās and those scholars
who agreed with him an example: fast with the people of your country and break
the fast with them. And Allah is the One who grants success [4].
_____________________________________________
- Reported by al Tirmidhī (Book of Fasting), chapter: “Fasting is the day you all fast…” no. 697
- Reported by al Nasā’ī (Book of Fasting), chapter: “Mentioning the differences regarding ʿAmr ibn Dīnār,” no. 2125
- Reported by al Tirmidhī (Book of Fasting), chapter: “Fasting is the day you all fast…” no. 697
- From the program Nūr ʿalā al Darb, Majmūʿ Fatāwā wa Maqālāt of Shaykh Ibn Bāz, 15/100
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الصيام والفطر تبع لأهل بلدك
السؤال: أنا رجل مصري الجنسية أعمل في العراق، سبق أن أفطرت اليوم الأخير من رمضان بالعراق بعد سماعي بثبوت الهلال في إذاعة المملكة العربية السعودية، وفي إذاعة سوريا وغيرهما. وقد أفطرت بناءً على ذلك. علمًا بأنني أعرف أن البلد الذي أقيم به مازال أهله صائمين. فما الحكم في ذلك وما السبب في اختلاف الناس في رمضان؟
أما السبب في الاختلاف فهو أن البعض يرى الهلال، والبعض لا يرى الهلال، ثم الذين يرون الهلال قد يثق بهم الآخرون ويطمئنون إليهم ويعملون برؤيتهم، وقد لا يثقون بهم ولا يعملون برؤيتهم؛ فلهذا وقع الخلاف. وقد تراه دولة وتحكم به وتصوم لذلك أو تفطر، والدولة الأخرى لا تقتنع بهذه الرؤية ولا تثق بالدولة؛ لأسباب كثيرة، سياسية وغيرها.
فالواجب على المسلمين أن يصوموا جميعًا إذا رأوا الهلال ويفطرون برؤيته، لعموم قوله عليه الصلاة والسلام: إذا رأيتم الهلال فصوموا، وإذا رأيتم الهلال فأفطروا، فإن غم عليكم فأكملوا العدة ثلاثين[2] فإذا اطمأن الجميع إلى صحة الرؤية وأنها رؤية حقيقية ثابتة، فالواجب الصوم بها والإفطار بها، لكن إذا اختلف الناس في الواقع ولم يثق بعضهم ببعض، فإن عليك أن تصوم مع المسلمين في بلدك وعليك أن تفطر معهم، عملًا بقوله ﷺ: الصوم يوم تصومون، والإفطار يوم تفطرون، والأضحى يوم تضحون[3].
وثبت عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما أن كريبًا لما أخبره أن أهل الشام قد صاموا يوم الجمعة قال ابن عباس: نحن رأيناه يوم السبت فلا نزال نصوم حتى نرى الهلال أو نكمل ثلاثين، ولم يعمل برؤية أهل الشام لبعد الشام عن المدينة واختلاف المطالع بينهما، ورأى رضي الله عنهما أن هذا محل اجتهاد، فلك أسوة بابن عباس ومن قال بقوله من العلماء في الصوم مع أهل بلدك والفطر معهم، والله ولي التوفيق[4].
- رواه الترمذي في (الصوم) باب ما جاء: الصوم يوم تصومون والفطر يوم تفطرون برقم 697.
- رواه النسائي في (الصيام) باب ذكر الاختلاف على عمرو بن دينار برقم 2125.
- رواه الترمذي في (الصوم) باب ما جاء: الصوم يوم تصومون والفطر يوم تفطرون برقم 697.
- سؤال من برنامج (نور على الدرب)، (مجموع فتاوى ومقالات الشيخ ابن باز 15/ 100).
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