begin fasting Ramadan a day early than begin late, for if I begin early, I will not miss any of it, but if I begin late, I will.” (1)
As for the report from ‘Ā’isha, Sa‘īd ibn Mansūr said (2): Abū ‘Awāna narrated to us, from Yazīd ibn Khumayr, from the messenger who came to ‘Ā’isha on the day whose inclusion in Ramadan was uncertain. He said: ‘Ā’isha said: “I would rather fast a day of Sha‘bān than leave a day of Ramadan unfasted.”
As for the report from Asmā’ bint Abī Bakr, Sa‘īd also said (3): Ya‘qūb ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmān narrated to us, from Hishām ibn ‘Urwa, from Fātima bint al-Mundhir, who said: Whenever the new moon of Ramadan was obscured, Asmā’ would begin fasting (4) a day early and instruct others to do likewise.
Ahmad said (5): Rawh ibn ‘Ubāda (6) narrated to us, from Hammād ibn Salama, from Hishām ibn ‘Urwa, from Fātima, from Asmā’, that she used to fast the day whose inclusion in Ramadan was uncertain.
All the reports we have cited from Ahmad come from al-Fadl ibn Ziyād’s record of questions put to him (7). In al-Athram’s narration, he said: “If there is a cloud or some other obstruction in the sky, he begins the day fasting; but if there is no