{"_id":"699cc758673ea0d09516696d","title":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"Should Muslims follow Saudi Arabia’s Ramadan moon sighting?\\n\"}]}","question":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"My family lives in Malaysia, but my husband insists on following Saudi Arabia’s official moon sighting (isbat) for the start of Ramadan. This year, Malaysia announced Ramadan beginning on a different date than Saudi Arabia. My husband argues that if the moon has already been sighted in Saudi Arabia, there is no reason to delay fasting another day.\\n\\nIs it permissible for us to follow Saudi Arabia’s announcement instead of Malaysia’s official decision?\\n\"}]}","answer":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"The biggest problem with the Saudi declaration is its frequent contradiction of expert astronomical data regarding the visibility of the moon. Scholars, particularly within the Shafi'i school (which Malaysia follows), have established that if a sighting is claimed when experts say it is physically impossible, that claim must be rejected. Because Saudi Arabia’s isbat (confirmation) often reports sightings that defy global astronomical consensus and are not witnessed elsewhere, you should follow your own country's isbat.\\n\"}]}","tags":[{"_id":"668d9fde0b76658b4c232774","tag":"Fasting: Ramadan","count":97},{"_id":"668da0190b76658b4c232e19","tag":"Moonsighting","count":7}],"createdOn":"2026-02-23T21:32:08.041Z"}