Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (6/307)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

The seventh view: The people follow the imam: if he fasts, they fast; and if he breaks the fast, they break it, based on the Prophet’s ﷺ statement: “The breaking of the fast is the day when the people break their fast, and the sacrifice is the day when the people offer their sacrifices.” (2)

The soundest of these views is that it is prohibited. However, if the imam holds that fasting on this day is obligatory and instructs the people to fast, he is not to be opposed. One avoids opposing him by not openly breaking one’s fast; rather, one breaks it privately.

In this case, the beginning of the month has not been established. But if the ruler declares that the month has begun, then fasting is obligatory.

If it is sighted during the daytime, it belongs to the coming night.

His statement, “If it is sighted during the daytime, it belongs to the coming night”: the pronoun refers to the crescent. The author did not intend to establish the ruling that it belongs to the coming night; rather, he intended to refute the view of those who say that it belongs to the previous night. Some scholars hold that if the crescent is sighted during the daytime before sunset, it belongs to the previous night, and consequently the people must abstain from food and drink.

Some scholars distinguished between whether it is sighted before or after midday.

The correct view is that it does not belong to the previous night—unless it is sighted far from the sun, with a considerable distance between it and the place of sunset. In that case, it may

(1) See al-Insaf, 2/270. (2) Narrated by al-Tirmidhi in Kitab al-Sawm (The Book of Fasting), chapter: “What Has Been Reported Regarding When Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha Occur” (802), on the authority of Aishah. He said: “Hasan gharib, and authentic through this route.” It was also narrated by Abu Dawud in Kitab al-Siyam (The Book of Fasting), chapter: “When the People Mistake the Crescent” (2324), and by Ibn Majah in Kitab al-Siyam, chapter: “What Has Been Reported Regarding the Two Months of Eid” (1660), on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, with the wording: “Eid al-Fitr is the day on which you break the fast, and Eid al-Adha is the day on which you offer sacrifice.” Ibn Muflih said in al-Furu, 2/14: “Its chain of transmission is sound.”

القول السابع: أن الناس تبعٌ للإمام (١)، فإن صام الإمام صاموا، وإن أفطر أفطروا، لقول النبي ﷺ: «الفطر يوم يفطر الناس، والأضحى يوم يضحي الناس» (٢). وأصح هذه الأقوال هو التحريم، ولكن إذا رأى الإمام وجوب صوم هذا اليوم، وأمر الناس بصومه، فإنه لا ينابذ، ويحصل عدم منابذته بألا يظهر الإنسان فطره، وإنما يفطر سراً. والمسألة هنا لم يثبت فيها دخول الشهر، أما لو حكم ولي الأمر بدخول الشهر فالصوم واجب. وَإِنْ رُئيَ نَهَاراً فَهْوَ للَّيْلَةِ المُقْبِلَةِ. قوله: «وإن رئي نهاراً فهو لليلة المقبلة» الضمير يعود على الهلال، والمؤلف لم يرد الحكم بأنه لليلة المقبلة، ولكنه أراد أن ينفي قول من يقول: إنه لليلة الماضية، فإن بعض العلماء يقول: إذا رئي الهلال نهاراً قبل غروب الشمس من هذا اليوم فإنه لليلة الماضية، فيلزم الناس الإمساك. وفصل بعض العلماء بين ما إذا رئي قبل الزوال أو بعده. والصحيح أنه ليس لليلة الماضية، اللهم إلا إذا رئي بعيداً عن الشمس بينه وبين غروب الشمس مسافة طويلة، فهذا قد

(١) انظر: «الإنصاف» (٢/ ٢٧٠). (٢) أخرجه الترمذي في الصوم/ باب ما جاء في الفطر والأضحى متى يكون (٨٠٢) عن عائشة ﵂، وقال: «حسن غريب، صحيح من هذا الوجه»، وأخرجه أبو داود في الصيام/ باب إذا أخطأ القوم الهلال (٢٣٢٤)؛ وابن ماجه في الصيام/ باب ما جاء في شهري العيد (١٦٦٠) عن أبي هريرة ﵁ ولفظه: «الفطر يوم تفطرون والأضحى يوم تضحون» قال ابن مفلح في «الفروع» (٢/ ١٤): و «الإسناد جيد».