“When you see the new crescent then fast, and when you see itthenstop fasting. If it is cloudy then fast thirty days.”

‘When you see the new crescent, fast, and when you see it, stopfasting. If it is cloudy then calculate it (as thirty days).” Ibn‘Umar used to fast one day before the new crescent was seen.

“My paternalunclesamong the Ansar who were among the Companions of the MessengerofAllah (ﷺ) told me: ‘The new crescent of Shawwal was covered withclouds, so we fasted the next day. Then some riders came at the endof the day and testified to the Prophet (ﷺ) that they had seen thenew crescent the night before. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commandedthem to break their fast and to go out to offer the ‘Eid prayer thefollowing morning.’”

“A Bedouin came to the Prophet(ﷺ) and said: ‘I have seen the new crescent tonight.’ He said:‘Doyou bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped butAllahand that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?’ He said:‘Yes.’ Hesaid: ‘Get up, O Bilal, and announce to the peoplethat they shouldfast tomorrow.’” Abu 'Ali said: "This is how itwas narrated from Walid bin AbuThawr and Hasan bin 'Ali. It wasalso narrated from Hammad binSalamah, but he did not mentionIbn 'Abbas. He said: 'And heannounced that they shouldperform the prayer and that theyshould fast.'"

‘When it is the middle of Sha’ban, do not fast until Ramadancomes.”

‘Do not anticipate Ramadan by fasting one or two days before,except for a man who has a habitual pattern of fasting, in which caselet him fast.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)usedto join Sha’ban to Ramadan.”

“He used to fast all ofSha’ban, until he joined it to Ramadan.”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)usedto say from the pulpit, before the month of Ramadan: ‘Fastingwillbegin on such and such a day, but we are going to start fastingearlier, so whoever wants to start fasting earlier (i.e., inSha’ban),let him do so, and whoever wants to wait until Ramadanbegins, let himdo so.’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)forbade anticipating the fast by fasting one day before sighting (ofthe crescent).”

“We were with ‘Ammar ontheday concerning which there was some doubt. A (roasted) sheep wasbrought and some of the people moved away. ‘Ammar said: ‘Whoeverisfasting on this day has disobeyed Abu Qasim (ﷺ).’”

“Ramadan began, and theMessenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘This month has come to you, and initthere is a night that is better than a thousand months. Whoever isdeprived of it is deprived of all goodness, and no one is deprived ofits goodness except one who is truly deprived.’”

“Atevery breaking of the fast Allah has people whom He frees (fromtheFire), and that happens every night.”

“InParadise there is a gate called Rayyan. On the Day of Resurrectionthecall will go out saying: ‘Where are those who used to fast?’Whoeveris among those who used to fast will enter it, and whoeverenters itwill never experience thirst again.”

‘Whoever fasts Ramadan out of faith and the hope of reward willbeforgiven his previous sins.”

“When the first night of Ramadan comes, the satans andmischievousjinns are chained up, and the gates of the Fire areclosed, and noneof its gates are opened. The gates of Paradise areopened and none ofits gates are closed. And a caller cries out: ‘Oseeker of good,proceed, O seeker of evil, stop.’ And Allah has necks(people) whomHe frees (from the Fire), and that happens every day.”

“I am fasting.”‘Uthman said: “Iheard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Fastingis a shield againstthe Fire just like the shield of anyone of youagainst fighting.’”

“Every good deed of the son of Adam will be multiplied manifold.Agood deed will be multiplied ten times up to as many as sevenhundredtimes, or as much as Allah wills. Allah says: ‘Except forfasting,which is for Me and I shall reward for it. He gives up hisdesire andhis food for My sake.’ The fasting person has two joys, onewhen hebreaks his fast and another when he meets his Lord. The smellthatcomes from the mouth of a fasting person is better before Allahthanthe fragrance of musk.”