a cloud, complete the count of Sha‘bān.”
Simāk narrated from ‘Ikrima, from Ibn ‘Abbās: People disputed the sighting of Ramadan’s crescent. Some said, “Today,” while others said, “Tomorrow.” A Bedouin came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said that he had seen it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, “Do you testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “Yes.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then instructed Bilāl, who proclaimed to the people: “Fast.” He then said: “Begin fasting upon sighting the crescent, and end the fast upon sighting it. If it is obscured from you, count (1) thirty days and then begin fasting; do not fast a day before it” (2).
All these hadiths are authentic. Some are found in the two Sahīh collections, and others in Sahīh Ibn Hibbān, al-Hākim’s collection, and elsewhere. Although some have been criticized for defects, these do not undermine the validity of citing them collectively as evidence, interpreting them in light of one another, or using them to corroborate one another. They all confirm one another, and their intended meaning is the same.
If it is objected (3): If this was the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), how could ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb, ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib, ‘Abd Allāh ibn ‘Umar, Anas ibn Mālik, Abū Hurayra, Mu‘āwiya, ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās, al-Hakam ibn Ayyūb (4) al-Ghifārī, and ‘Ā’isha have acted contrary to it