For Ramadan." If they sight it, fasting becomes obligatory upon them by consensus. If they do not sight it and the sky is clear, it is not permissible for them to fast that day, unless it happens to coincide with a fast they were already in the habit of keeping, such as someone whose practice is to fast one day and break the next, or fasting on Thursdays, or fasting the last day of the month, and similar things. If it coincides with his [customary] fast, or if one had fasted for some days prior, there is no harm in his fasting. This is because Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "None of you should advance Ramadan by fasting one or two days, unless it is a man who used to observe a fast, so let him fast it." Agreed upon (2). Ammar said: "Whoever fasts on the day about which there is doubt has disobeyed Abu al-Qasim (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)." Al-Tirmidhi (3) said: "This is a hasan sahih (good, authentic) hadith." The scholars of knowledge disliked fasting on the 'Day of Doubt' and welcoming Ramadan by fasting one or two days before it, due to the prohibition of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) regarding it (4). It was narrated from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad that he was asked about fasting the last day of Sha'ban; is it disliked? He said: "No, unless the crescent is obscured (5)." Following the statement of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is more appropriate. As for welcoming the month [of fasting] by more than two days, it is not disliked, for the implication of the hadith of Abu Hurayrah is that it is not disliked, because he specifically restricted the prohibition to one or two days.
(2) Recorded by al-Bukhari, in: Chapter: Do not advance Ramadan by fasting a day or two, from the Book of Fasting. Sahih al-Bukhari 3/35, 36. And Muslim, in: Chapter: Do not advance Ramadan by fasting a day or two, from the Book of Fasting. Sahih Muslim 2/762. It was also recorded by Abu Dawud, in: Chapter: On one who joins Sha'ban to Ramadan, from the Book of Fasting. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/545. And al-Tirmidhi, in: Chapter: What has been narrated regarding not advancing the month by fasting, from the chapters on fasting. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 3/200, 201. And al-Nasa'i, in: Chapter: Advancing before the month of Ramadan, and Chapter: Mention of the disagreement regarding Yahya ibn Abi Kathir and Muhammad ibn 'Amr on Abu Salamah in that regard, from the Book of Fasting. al-Mujtaba 4/122, 123. And Ibn Majah, in: Chapter: What has been narrated regarding the prohibition of advancing Ramadan by fasting, from the Book of Fasting. Sunan Ibn Majah 1/528. And al-Darimi, in: Chapter: The prohibition of advancing in fasting before sighting [the crescent], from the Book of Fasting. Sunan al-Darimi 2/4. And Imam Ahmad, in: al-Musnad 2/234, 281, 347, 408, 438, 477, 497, 513, 521, 4/314. (3) In: Chapter: What has been narrated regarding the dislike of fasting the Day of Doubt, from the chapters on fasting. 'Aridat al-Ahwadhi 3/202. It was also recorded by al-Bukhari, in: Chapter: The statement of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): "If you see the crescent, then fast," from the Book of Fasting. Sahih al-Bukhari 3/34. And Abu Dawud, in: Chapter: The dislike of fasting the Day of Doubt, from the Book of Fasting. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/545. And al-Nasa'i, in: Chapter: Fasting the Day of Doubt, from the Book of Fasting. al-Mujtaba 4/126. And Ibn Majah, in: Chapter: What has been narrated regarding fasting the Day of Doubt, from the Book of Fasting. Sunan Ibn Majah 1/527. (4) Missing from: The Original, A, B. (5) In [copy] M: "yughma" (is obscured).
