Issue 854: The first day of a lunar month is established in one of the following four ways:

1- If a person him/her self sights the moon.

2- If a number of reliable people, whose words count as ascertaining evidence confirm that they have sighted the moon; similarly, any thing else which assures about the moon having been sighted.

3- If two just (Adil) people say that they have sighted the moon; however, the first day of the month will not be established if their reports are contradictory, or contrary to reality; for instance, if they say that the inner circle of the moon faced the horizon, their report will not be reliable; but if their reports just differ in some details, for instance, if one of them says that the moon was high but the other disagrees about that, the first day of the month will be established.

4- If 30 days pass from the first of Sha’ban, the first day of Ramadhan will be established and similarly, if 30 days pass from the first of Ramadhan, it will be the first day of Shawwal the following day.

Issue 855: The first day of a lunar month may not be established upon the verdict of the ruler, and everyone must have their own legal evidence concerning the sight of the moon and the first day of the month.

Issue 856: The first day of a lunar month may not be established upon the predictions made by astronomers, but if a person derives certitude from their findings and reports on the issue, they must act upon it.

Issue 857: If the moon is high up in the sky, or sets late, it will not be an indication of that night being the second night of the month and thus the previous night being the first.

Q858: In the case of locating the new moon and the confirmation of this by the Islamic authority and the establishment of Fitr Festival (Eid-ul-Fitr), and suppose the new moon is seen in the West of Iran, then is it possible to act upon this observation and its confirmation in other Islamic countries and count it as the beginning of Shawal?

A: Even though the edict of the Islamic authority is not valid upon such an issue (the observation of the new moon and declaration of the first day of a lunar month), based on my latest view, the observation of the new moon in a Muslim country can also count as a satisfactory proof to apply in other countries with nearly the same time zones (±3 hours time difference).