اختلاف المطالع له اعتباره
Differences in Moon Sighting Locations (Mathali’) Have Sharia Considerations
Translated by: Reza Ervani bin Asmanu
This article about how Differences in Moon Sighting Locations (Mathali’) Have Sharia Considerations is included in the Islamic Question and Answer Category
السؤال:
Question:
بعد اجتماع الدول الإسلامية بالمملكة العربية السعودية والاتفاق على توحيد بداية وانتهاء شهر رمضان على جميع الدول، لماذا لم يتم التوحيد؟ وما موقف المسلمين في الدول التي خالفت هذا الإجماع من الناحية الشرعية؟
After the meeting of Islamic countries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the agreement to unify the beginning and end of the month of Ramadan for all countries, why has this unification not been implemented? And what is the position of Muslims in countries that differ from this consensus from a Sharia perspective?
الإجابــة:
Answer:
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله، وعلى آله وصحبه، أما بعد:
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, and his companions. To proceed:
فعليك أن تعلم أن البلاد الإسلامية لم يحصل أن اتفقت على رؤية واحدة فيما يخص شهر رمضان المبارك.
You should know that Islamic countries have never reached an agreement on a single sighting regarding the blessed month of Ramadan.
وذلك أن الذي عليه المحققون من أهل العلم أن الاختلاف في المطالع معتبر، ومن المعلوم أن بين المطالع تفاوتا ملحوظا، ومما يشهد لهذا الاعتبار ما رواه مسلم في صحيحه من حديث كريب مولى ابن عباس أن أم الفضل بنت الحارث بعثته في حاجة إلى معاوية بالشام، قال:
This is because the opinion held by the verifying scholars of knowledge is that the difference in sighting locations (mathali’) is valid and considered in Sharia. It is well known that there is a significant variation between sighting locations. Evidence for this consideration includes what Muslim narrated in his Sahih from the hadith of Kuraib, the freed slave of Ibn Abbas, that Umm al-Fadl bint al-Harith sent him for a need to Muawiyah in Syria. Kuraib said:
“فقدمت الشام فقضيت حاجتها واستهل علي رمضان وأنا بالشام، فرأيت الهلال ليلة الجمعة، ثم قدمت المدينة في آخر الشهر فسألني عبد الله بن عباس ثم ذكر الهلال فقال متى رأيتم الهلال؟ فقلت رأيناه ليلة الجمعة. فقال: أنت رأيته؟ فقلت: نعم ورآه الناس وصاموا وصام معاوية فقال: لكنا رأيناه ليلة السبت فلا نزال نصوم حتى نكمل ثلاثين أو نراه، فقلت فلا تكتفي برؤية معاوية وصيامه؟ فقال: لا هكذا أمرنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم”
“I arrived in Syria and fulfilled her need. Ramadan began while I was in Syria, and I saw the crescent on Friday night. Then I arrived in Madinah at the end of the month, and Abdullah bin Abbas asked me about the crescent, saying: ‘When did you see the crescent?’ I replied: ‘We saw it on Friday night.’ He asked: ‘Did you see it yourself?’ I replied: ‘Yes, and the people saw it and fasted, and Muawiyah fasted.’ Then Ibn Abbas said: ‘But we saw it on Saturday night, so we will continue fasting until we complete thirty days or we see the crescent (of Shawwal).’ I asked: ‘Will you not be satisfied with the sighting of Muawiyah and his fasting?’ He replied: ‘No, this is how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded us.'”
The evidence derived from this hadith is clear in the following points:
١) أن المسلمين في ذلك الوقت دولة واحدة ومعاوية خليفتهم، وابن عباس ممن يقرون ذلك، فلو لم يكن اختلاف المطالع معتبرا لما وسعهم خلافه.
1) That the Muslims at that time were under one state and Muawiyah was their Caliph, and Ibn Abbas was among those who acknowledged that. If the difference in sighting locations was not considered valid, they would not have been allowed to differ from the central sighting.
٢) أن كريبا أخبر ابن عباس بأنه هو رأى الشهر ورأه الناس معه فصام وصاموا، وكريب تابعي جليل من أفضل من روى عن ابن عباس وغيره من الصحابة، وقد خرجت له أحاديث كثيرة في البخاري ومسلم وغيرهما.
2) Kuraib informed Ibn Abbas that he himself saw the crescent and the people saw it with him, so he and they fasted. Kuraib was a noble Tabi’in, among the best of those who narrated from Ibn Abbas and other companions, and many of his hadiths are recorded in Al-Bukhari, Muslim, and others.
٣) أن ابن عباس قال هكذا أمرنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فنسب الأمر لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، وهو عليم بمدلول اللفظ وبخطورة نسبة شيء إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لم يقل به نصا أو مضمونا.
3) Ibn Abbas said, “This is how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded us,” thus attributing the matter to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He was well aware of the meaning of such wording and the gravity of attributing something to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he did not explicitly or implicitly state.
وأما اجتماع الناس على رؤية واحدة بالنسبة ليوم عرفة فلأنهم في مكان واحد يجب أن تكون فيه الرؤية موحدة فلا أثر للاختلاف بين بلدك ومكة في المطلع إذا كنت أنت موجوداً في مكة، فرؤيتك برؤيتهم وليست برؤية أهل بلدك وهذا واضح.
As for the gathering of people on one sighting regarding the Day of Arafah, it is because they are in one physical location where the sighting must be unified; therefore, there is no effect of the difference in sighting locations between your country and Makkah if you are physically present in Makkah. In that case, your sighting follows theirs (the local sighting), not the sighting of the people of your country, and this is clear.
والله تعالى أعلم.
And Allah the Almighty knows best.
Source: IslamWeb
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