Legal Commentary on the ḥadīth

Al-Tirmidhī, after quoting the report, said:
“Some scholars have interpreted this ḥadīth to mean that fasting and breaking the fast must be in harmony with the congregation and the great mass of people.”

Al-Ṣanʿānī states in Subul al-Salām (2/72):
“It proves that establishing the ʿĪd depends on conforming to the people, and that anyone who, on his own, knows the day of ʿĪd by sighting the crescent is obliged to follow the others; he is bound by their ruling concerning the prayer, the breaking of the fast, and the sacrifice.”

Ibn al-Qayyim conveys the same meaning in Tahdhīb al-Sunan (3/214), saying:
“It is taken as a rebuttal of those who claim that whoever can determine the moon’s rising by calculating its mansions may fast and break the fast even if others are unaware. It is also said that if a single witness sights the crescent yet the judge does not uphold his testimony, fasting is not required of him, just as it is not required of the people.”

Abū al-Ḥasan al-Sindī, in his marginal notes on Ibn Mājah after citing Abū Hurayrah’s ḥadīth as reported by al-Tirmidhī, writes:
“The apparent sense is that individuals have no say in these matters and may not act alone; rather, the decision rests with the imam and the community, and individuals must follow them. Accordingly, if someone sees the crescent and the imam rejects his testimony, none of these rulings apply to him and he must follow the community in that.”

I say: This is the meaning that naturally presents itself from the ḥadīth, and it is supported by ʿĀʾishah’s use of it as proof against Masrūq when he refrained from fasting on the Day of ʿArafah for fear that it might be the Day of Sacrifice. She made it clear to him that his personal view carried no weight and that he had to follow the congregation, and so she said: