The Book of Fasting
كتاب الصيام
Chapter 2: The obligation to fast Ramadan when the crescent is sighted, and to break the fast when the crescent is sighted, and that if it is cloudy at the beginning or end of the month, then the month should be completed as thirty days.
Whenever you sight the new moon (of the month of Ramadan) observe fast. and when you sight it (the new moon of Shawwal) break it, and if the sky is cloudy for you, then observe fast for thirty days.
Observe fast on sighting it (the new moon) and break (fast) on sighting it (the new moon), but if the sky is cloudy for you, then complete the number (of thirty).
Observe fast on sighting it (the new moon) and break it on sighting it. But if (due to clouds) the actual position of the month is concealed from you, you should then count thirty (days).
Observe fast when you see it (the new moon) and break fast when you see it (the new moon of Shawwal), but when (the actual position of the month is) concealed from you (on account of cloudy sky), then count thirty days.
Chapter 3: Do not start fasting one or two days before Ramadan
Do not observe fast for a day, or two days ahead of Ramadan except a person who is in the habit of observing a particular fast; he may fast on that day.
This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Yahya b. Abi Kathir with the same chain of transmitters.
Chapter 4: The month may be twenty-nine days
When twenty-nine nights were over, which I had counted, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to me (he came to me first of all). I said: Messenger of Allah, you had taken an oath that you would not come to us for a month, whereas you have come after twenty nine days which I have counted. Whereupon he said: The month may also consist of twenty-nine days.
) He came to us on the twenty-ninth day, whereupon we said: It is the twenty-ninth (day) today. Thereupon he said: So far as the month is concerned, (and he, with a view to explaining it) flapped his hands thrice, but held back one finger at the last turn.
The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) separated himself from his wives for a month. (His wives said: ) He came to us on the morning of the twenty-ninth. Upon this some, of the people said: It is the morning of twenty- ninth (according to our calculation). Upon this the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: The month. may also consist of twenty-nine days. The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) then flapped his bands thrice, twice with all the fingers of both his hand (to indicate twenty-nine) and by the third time with nine (fingers).
Apostle of Allah, you took an oath that you would not come to us for a month, whereupon he said: The month may also consist of twenty-nine days.
A hadith like this has been narrated on the authority of Ibn Juraij with the same chain of transmitters.
The month is thus, thus (two times). He then withdrew (one of) his fingers at the third turn.
Tho month is thus and thus, and thus, i. e. ten, ten and nine.
This hadith has been narrated by Ibn Abu Khalid with the same chain of transmitters.
Chapter 5: Each land has its own sighting of the moon, and if they see the crescent in one land, that does not necessarily apply to regions that are far away from it
When did you see it? I said: We saw it on the night of Friday. He said: (Did) you see it yourself? I said: Yes, and the people also saw it and they fasted and Mu'awiya also fasted, whereupon he said: But we saw it on Saturday night. So we will continue to fast till we complete thirty (fasts) or we see it (the new moon of Shawwal). I said: Is the sighting of the moon by Mu'awiya not valid for you? He said: No; this is how the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) has commanded us. Yahya b. Yahya was in doubt (whether the word used in the narration by Kuraib) was Naktafi or Taktafi.
Chapter 6: Clarifying that it does not matter whether the crescent is large or small, for Allah, the Most High, causes it to appear for long enough that people can see it, and if it is cloudy then thirty days should be completed
We went out to perform Umra and when we encamped in the valley of Nakhla, we tried to see the new moon. Some of the people said: It was three nights old, and others (said) that it was two nights old. We then met Ibn 'Abbas and told him we had seen the new moon, but that some of the people said it was three nights old and others that it was two nights old. He asked on which night we had seen it; and when we told him we had seen it on such and such night, he said the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) had said: Verily Allah deferred it till the time it is seen, so it is to be reckoned from the night you saw it.
We saw the new moon of Ramadan as we were at Dhit-i-'Irq. We sent a man to Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with both of them) to ask him (whether the sighting of a small moon had something of the nature of defect in it). Upon this Ibn 'Abbas (Allah be pleased with both of them) said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had said: Verily Allah deferred its sight, but if (the new moon) is hidden from you, then, complete its number (thirty).
Chapter 7: The meaning of the Prophet's words: "The two months of 'Id cannot both be incomplete"
The two months of 'Id, Ramadan and Dhu'l-Hijja (are not incomplete).
The months of 'Id are not incomplete. And in the hadith narrated by Khalid (the words are):" The months, of 'Id are Ramadan and Dhu'l-Hijja."
Chapter 8: Clarifying that fasting begins at dawn, and a person may eat and other than that until dawn begins; And clarifying the dawn which has to do with the rulings concerning the beginning of fasting and the beginning of the time for the Subh Prayer, and other than that, which is the Second Dawn, which is called the True Dawn. The First Dawn, which is the False Dawn, has nothing to do with the rulings
" Until the white streak of the dawn becomes distinct from the dark streak" (ii. 187) Adi b. Hatim said: Messenger of Allah, verily I keep underneath my pillow two strings, one white and the other black, by which I distinguish night from dawn. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Your pillow seems to be very large. For the word khait implies the blackness of the night and the whiteness of the dawn.