Resolutions of Iftaa' Board



Resolutions of Iftaa' Board

Resolution No.(28): “Confirmation of Sighting the Crescents of Ramadan and Shawaal “

Date Added : 28-10-2015

 

Resolution No.(28): “Confirmation of Sighting the Crescents of Ramadaan and Shawaal“

Date: 12/11/1413 AH corresponding to 4/2/1993.

 

The Board has reviewed the issue of confirming the sighting of the crescent in general and the crescents of Ramadan and Shawaal in particular, so it decided what follows:

The new lunar month commences upon confirming the sighting of the crescent in the western horizon after sunset of the twenty-ninth of the same lunar month. If it hadn`t appeared that night, then the month of Ramadan becomes thirty days.

The testimony of a trustworthy person who testifies that he saw the new moon in the manner indicated above is accepted if the astronomical calculations confirmed that the new moon was born.

However, if these calculations proved otherwise, then his testimony isn`t accepted because there is doubt in that regard.

Moreover, if the sighting of the new moon was confirmed in any of the Islamic states in accordance the aforementioned manner, then it must be relied on, even if the new moon wasn`t seen in the rest of the Islamic states. And Allah Knows Best.

 

Chairman of the Iftaa` Board, Chief Justice Dr.Nooh Al-Qodaat
Acting Mufti General, Sheikh Saeid Hijjawi
Mufti of Jordanian Armed Forces, Mahmood Shwayaat
Dr. Abdassalam Al-Abbadi
Dr. Ahmad Hilayel
Sheikh Ratib Az-zahir
Dr. Mahmood As-sartawi
Ibrahim Khash-shaan

Decision Number [ Previous | Next ]


Summarized Fatawaa

Is it obligatory to make up all missed prayers?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Making up missed prayers (qaḍāʾ) is a sharʿī obligation, established by the practice of the Prophet ﷺ himself — when the disbelievers preoccupied him on the Day of the Trench and he missed the ʿAṣr prayer, he made it up afterward. This is further affirmed by the ḥadīth: "Fulfil what you owe to Allah, for Allah is most deserving of being fulfilled." (Reported by al-Bukhārī.)
Accordingly, a person who has missed prayers should set aside his voluntary and Sunnah prayers and replace them with make-up prayers in their stead. There is no objection to making up one missed prayer alongside each obligatory prayer that is performed — praying the equivalent missed prayer together with each current obligatory prayer as a practical and manageable way of gradually clearing one's debt of missed prayers. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Can someone break a make up fast (qada) after beginning it?

Once a person begins a make up fast (qada), it is prohibited to break it.
If they break it without a valid excuse, they are sinful, and the missed Ramadan fast remains a debt upon them.

How do I deal with whispers (waswasa) in ablution and purification?

Whispers in ablution are from Satan, and the Muslim should not pay attention to them. He is not required to re-perform ablution or repeat washing a limb because of waswasa. He should always base his purification on its being valid. It is recommended for him to frequently say "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no god but Allah), because Satan recoils when Allah is mentioned. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the virtue of Laylat al-Qadr?

It is enough to know its great status that Allah revealed an entire surah about it—Surah Al-Qadr. Moreover, the Quran was first revealed on this night.
Allah says {what means}:
"We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power: And what will explain to thee what the night of power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah's permission, on every errand: Peace!... This until the rise of morn!" [Al-Qadr/1-5]
The Prophet ﷺ taught us to observe I‘tikaf in the last ten nights of Ramadan, seeking Laylat al-Qadr. Whoever worships Allah and revives this night will receive the reward of worshiping for a thousand months—excluding Laylat al-Qadr itself.