Question:
He (the questioner) sends a hadith found in books like Bayhaqi, Ibn Hibban and asks if it is correct. The hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah (may Allahﷻ be pleased with him): We were discussing Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Decree) in the presence of Prophetﷺ . They were talking about the night of Laylatul Qadr, unsure which night it was. Prophetﷺ was also there. He asked, “How many days of this month have passed?” They said, “Twenty-two days have passed.” This was on the 23rd night. They were discussing on the 23rd night. He asked again, “How many days have passed?” They said, “Twenty-two.”
Answer:
This hadith is in Ibn Hibban, Bayhaqi, and many other books. He mentioned two specific books, so it is present in those two books. Its chain of narrators is correct, and the content is accurate. What is his question?
He asks: We must determine the start of the fast by sighting the crescent moon, right? So, on the 22nd day, how can one say only eight days are left, or only seven days are left? On the 22nd day, one can say 22 days have passed. When asked how many days are left, the Companions said eight days, and Prophetﷺ said seven days. 22+7=29, 22+8=30. So, what did the Companions do?
They said eight days remain. Prophetﷺ said, “No, not eight, only seven days remain. This month has 29 days.” What does this indicate? What is he asking? Does this mean one can determine the end of the month without sighting the moon? Can one say it will be 29 days? One can only reach that conclusion after sighting the moon. Saying definitively about the remaining days before the month ends, isn’t this incorrect? Is this authentic? That is what they are asking.
He includes another incident related to this that the questioner did not ask, but we will add it. What is it? When Prophetﷺ became upset with his wives and took an oath not to go near them for a month. This is called Ila. We have already explained Ila in a previous live session, its rulings. He made a vow like this to stay away from his wives and isolated himself in his room. After 29 days, Prophetﷺ came down.
The Companions asked, “You took an oath of Ila for a month but today is only 29 days.” Prophetﷺ replied, “This month has 29 days.” So, regarding the month having 29 days, this is said without sighting the moon. Normally, we say if the moon is sighted, it’s 29; if not, we complete 30. First, you need to sight the moon. If the moon is sighted, it means 29 days are complete. If not sighted, it means the month will end the next day. This is how we understand and decide. This is what Prophetﷺ said on many occasions.
There are numerous hadiths stating: “Fast upon sighting the crescent, breakfast upon sighting the crescent. If it is cloudy, complete 30 days of the previous month.” When there are so many hadiths, on this occasion as well, Prophetﷺ said similar words while seeking Laylatul Qadr, saying “only seven days remain.”
And in the incident of the oath to his wives, he also stated this beforehand. How is this? This is in Bukhari, Hadith 2468. Is it correct? If the Prophetﷺ said the month has 29 days, how could he determine the end of the month eight days prior? Shouldn’t he have said it after sighting the moon?
He asks this question from many aspects; it’s a valid question. According to the guidance of Prophetﷺ , we must decide by sighting the moon. Can we say on the 15th that the month will end in 14 days? On the 20th, can we say it will end in nine days? On the 25th, can we say it will end in four days? We should not say that. In four days, we will sight the moon. If we sight it, it ends in four days; if not, it ends in five days.
We can say that, but we should not speak without relating it to the moon sighting. Extensive guidance from the Prophetﷺ himself exists on this. However, this appears to contradict that. Even though it seems contradictory, we can understand it in a non-contradictory way. Even if there is an apparent contradiction, if you and I were to say something contradictory like this, we couldn’t provide any explanation; it would be a contradiction, and only one could be true. If I had said something like this, or if you had said something like this, one could ask, “How can you say both this and that?
How could you say it without sighting the moon?” That would be a valid question for you or me. But if it comes from the Prophetﷺ (peace be upon him), we must think. Is this authentic? Can we understand this without contradiction? It is possible. How is it possible? Even though the Messengerﷺ of Allahﷻ generally decided matters by sighting the moon, for certain special privileges as a Messengerﷺ , Allahﷻ could inform him through revelation (Wahy).
Some matters He would teach through revelation. So, if he said the month has seven days left, or made a statement without sighting the moon, it could be because Allahﷻ informed him. Aisha (may Allahﷻ be pleased with her) said in that hadith that the month turned out exactly as the Prophetﷺ had said. When they later sighted the moon, it happened accordingly. Where is this? In Bukhari, Hadith 2468.
When they later looked, it indeed ended on the 29th. So, if the Prophetﷺ said it would end on the 29th, you and I cannot say that. You and I should not make that decision. However, the Messengerﷺ , even though he usually decided by sighting the moon, sometimes, if Allahﷻ willed, He would inform him that the month in which he had made the oath of Ila would end on the 29th.
When they were discussing Laylatul Qadr that year, He could inform him that only so many days were left in that month. Since the aspect of Allahﷻ informing only the Messengerﷺ exists, if someone other than the Messengerﷺ spoke like this, it would be contradictory, and we would have to reject both. If two narrations contradict, we would have to reject one. Since the Prophetﷺ said it, looking from the perspective of his Messengerﷺ ship, we can reconcile them. It is possible to give an alternative explanation without contradiction.
Many scholars have provided such explanations. Many scholars say this should not be considered contradictory to the principle of sighting the moon to start and end the fast. This can be considered a matter of ‘Ilm al-Ghayb (knowledge of the unseen) given to the Prophetﷺ. Allahﷻ would inform the Prophetﷺ of certain things based on His will and wisdom. If they spoke based on what Allahﷻ informed them, they could say it.
He would not inform me, He would not inform you, He would not inform anyone else. So, it becomes specific to them. What is the ruling for us? We must fast based on sighting the moon and break the fast based on sighting the moon. We should not calculate and decide beforehand. That is the ruling for us.