The crescent, however, appears and is sighted earlier in the west, for it emerges from the west, and nothing else in the sky emerges from the west. Its visibility results from its distance from the sun: the later the sun sets, the farther the crescent has moved away from it. Thus, whoever takes the distance between settlements as an absolute criterion has relied on neither a basis in Islamic law nor an observable fact.

Moreover, regarding the crescent marking the month of Hajj, Muslims have always relied on sightings reported by arriving pilgrims, even when the distance exceeded that permitting the shortening of prayers.

The second respect is this: if we adopt a boundary, such as the distance permitting the shortening of prayers or regional boundaries, then a man at the very edge of that distance or region must fast, end his fast, and perform the rites, while another man only a bowshot away does none of these things. This is not part of the religion of the Muslims. The correct view here—and Allah knows best—is that indicated by the saying:

“Your day of fasting is the day you all fast; your day of breaking the fast is the day you all break it; and your day of sacrifice is the day you all offer sacrifice.”

Thus, if a witness testifies on the night preceding the thirtieth of Shaʿbān that he sighted the crescent somewhere, whether near or far, fasting becomes obligatory. Likewise, if he testifies to the sighting during the day following that night, at any time until sunset, they must abstain from whatever invalidates the fast for the remainder of the day, whether one region or two are involved.