FatwaFederal TerritoriesAstronomy & Calendar
IRSYAD HUKUM KHAS RAMADHAN SIRI KE 112: HUKUM MEMULAKAN IBADAH PUASA DAN MENYAMBUT HARI RAYA MENGIKUT ANAK BULAN YANG KELIHATAN DI NEGARA LAIN
Can Muslims in Malaysia begin fasting and celebrate Eid according to the moon sighting in Saudi Arabia instead of the sighting in Malaysia?
Short answer
Malaysians are obliged to follow the crescent sighting in their own country to determine the start of Ramadan and Syawwal, not the sighting in Saudi Arabia.
A reference, not a fatwa. First sentence of the summary below — read the original fatwa and consult your state authority before acting.
- Authority
- Federal Territories Mufti Office
- Date
- Status
- Opinion (irsyad)
- Series
- Irsyad al-Hukum Edisi Ramadhan
- Topic
- Astronomy & Calendar
No evidence of gazettement in the source — this is not a gazetted fatwa.
Summary
Malaysians are obliged to follow the crescent sighting in their own country to determine the start of Ramadan and Syawwal, not the sighting in Saudi Arabia. In the Shafi'i school, the ruling depends on a sighting within a region sharing the same moonrise point (matla'). Malaysia lies in the Southeast Asian matla', which differs from Saudi Arabia because of the distance of about 7,000 kilometres and a time difference of roughly five hours, so sighting results may differ. This view rests on the hadith of Kuraib, in which Ibn 'Abbas did not follow the Syrian sighting.
Written in our own words from the original fatwa — check the source before acting on it.
Kesimpulannya, kita wajib mengikut hasil cerapan anak bulan di negara kita bagi menentukan masuknya bulan Ramadhan dan bulan Syawal, bukan mengikut hasil cerapan anak bulan di negara Arab Saudi
Read the full fatwa on the Federal Territories website (new tab)
How to cite
Cite the original fatwa and its authority. Rujuk Fatwa is only where you found it.
Federal Territories Mufti Office. “IRSYAD HUKUM KHAS RAMADHAN SIRI KE 112: HUKUM MEMULAKAN IBADAH PUASA DAN MENYAMBUT HARI RAYA MENGIKUT ANAK BULAN YANG KELIHATAN DI NEGARA LAIN”, 7 May 2019. https://muftiwp.gov.my/ms/artikel/irsyad-hukum/edisi-ramadhan/3372-irsyad-al-fatwa-khas-ramadhan-siri-ke-112-hukum-memulakan-ibadah-puasa-dan-menyambut-hari-raya-mengikut-anak-bulan-yang-kelihatan-di-negara-lain. Found via Rujuk Fatwa: https://rujukfatwa.com/en/fatwa/fasting-eid-follow-moon-sighting-other-country/