Q: We here in the Western Cape are split on the issue regarding the sighting of the moon for Eid. My wife and her family have Eid with Makkah and my family and I celebrate it with the local sighting of the moon.
My wife’s father is adamant that what I’m following is the wrong thing, I wish not to argue with him because the knowledge that I have regarding this issue is unfortunately very limited. Please enlighten me on this issue.
A: The Hadith commands us to decide the commencement and the ending of every month and of Eid and Ramadhaan with the sighting of the moon. Hence, with the sighting of the moon we will commence every month of the year, end the month, and similarly we will commence the month of Ramadhaan and Eid in this very procedure. There is no reason why we should exclude the Eid from this procedure.
عن أبي هريرة قال قال النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم لا تقدموا الشهر بيوم ولا بيومين إلا أن يوافق ذلك صوما كان يصومه أحدكم صوموا لرؤيته وأفطروا لرؤيته فإن غم عليكم فعدوا ثلاثين ثم أفطروا (جامع الترمذي 1/147)
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