He was asked—may Allah be pleased with him—about “the variation of night and day,” and the statement that it may be noon in Damascus while night has already fallen in another land: is this statement correct or not?

He replied—may Allah have mercy on him:

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Sunrise, the sun’s passage beyond the zenith, and sunset occur in the east before they occur in the west. Thus, the sun rises, passes beyond the zenith, and sets over India, China, and al-Khatt before it does so over the western lands. These events occur in Iraq before they occur in Greater Syria, and in Greater Syria before they occur in Egypt. The people of each locality are subject to the rulings determined by their own sunrise, the sun’s passage beyond the zenith, and sunset.

When dawn breaks in a locality, the time for the dawn prayer begins, and prayer and fasting become obligatory for its people, even if dawn has not yet broken elsewhere. The difference is slight between places close to one another. Between those in the farthest east and those in the farthest west, however, the difference is considerable—about half a full day. Allah, Glorified is He, has stated that the sun, the moon, the night, and the day all float