Resolutions-of-Islamic-Fiqh-Council-1

worship on sighting the crescent. If we did not sight it and twotrusted witnesses testified, we observed our worship on the basisof their testimony.” This was reported by Abu Dawood and Al-Darqotni.Abu Omair Ibn Anas narrated: “We were unable to sight thecrescent of the month of Shawwal, so we observed the fasting,and at the end of the day, a group of travellers came and testifiedbefore the Messenger of Allah that they have sighted the crescentyesterday, so the Prophet told the people to break their fasting ofthe day and celebrate their Eid next day.” This was reported byImam Ahmad, Abu Dawood, Nassaie and Ibn Majah. Al-Hafizsaid in Talkhees: Ibn Al-Mundhir, Ibn Al-Sakan and Ibn Al-Hazm regarded it a Sahih Hadith.Rub’ie Ibn Harrash quoted one of the Prophet’s companionsas saying: “The people differed over the last day of the month ofRamadhan. After that, two Bedouin Arabs came and testifiedbefore the Prophet that they sighted the crescent last evening.Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) ordered the people tobreak their fasting.” This was reported by Imam Ahmad and AbuDawood. In one report, Abu Dawood added: “and go to their Eidprayer grounds.These Hadiths show the necessity of testimony by trustedwitnesses and it is sufficient to depend on two trusted witnessesin matters of observing the fasting and breaking it. Likewise, it issufficient to depend on one trusted witness to prove thecommencement of the month of Ramadhan, as indicated byHadith of Ibn Omar and Hadith of Ibn Abbas. These Hadiths alsoshow that it is not necessary that all the people or a group ofthem should sight the crescent. These Hadiths also show that it isnot necessary for the valid testimony of the two trusted witnessesor one trusted witness in respect of commencement of Ramadhanthat people sight the crescent in the second night because the99