Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 1647
حَدَّثَنَا الْعَبَّاسُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ الدِّمَشْقِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا مَرْوَانُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الْهَيْثَمُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الْعَلاَءُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ، عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنَ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ، عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ يَقُولُ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَقُولُ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ قَبْلَ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ " الصِّيَامُ يَوْمَ كَذَا وَكَذَا وَنَحْنُ مُتَقَدِّمُونَ فَمَنْ شَاءَ فَلْيَتَقَدَّمْ وَمَنْ شَاءَ فَلْيَتَأَخَّرْ " .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Al-Abbas ibn al-Walid al-Dimashqi narrated to us; Marwan ibn Muhammad narrated to us; al-Haytham ibn Humayd narrated to us; al-Ala ibn al-Harith narrated to us, from al-Qasim Abu Abd al-Rahman, who heard Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan say from the pulpit: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say from the pulpit before the month of Ramadan: ‘Fasting will be on such-and-such a day, and we are moving ahead. Whoever wishes, let him move ahead, and whoever wishes, let him hold back.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The date and the phrase about moving ahead are left close to the source; no explanation of the timing is added.
عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ يَقُولُ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَقُولُ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ قَبْلَ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ " الصِّيَامُ يَوْمَ كَذَا وَكَذَا وَنَحْنُ مُتَقَدِّمُونَ فَمَنْ شَاءَ فَلْيَتَقَدَّمْ وَمَنْ شَاءَ فَلْيَتَأَخَّرْ " .
The sequence الصيام يوم كذا وكذا ونحن متقدمون followed by فليتقدم / فليتأخر is compressed, and the source does not explain what the movement ahead or delay refers to.
Does ‘we are moving ahead; whoever wishes, let him move ahead, and whoever wishes, let him hold back’ preserve the wording without resolving the timing reference?