Fasting Ramadan and celebrating Eid with the people of the country

Question:

If someone travels during Ramadhān to a country that started fasting before or after his country, and he is going to stay in that country until ‘Eid; which of the two countries should he end his fast with?

Answer:

He ends his fast with the country he is in when Ramadhān ends whether they are behind or ahead [of his country].

For example; he [began] fasting in Yemen then went to another country that we differed with in [sighting] the moon – and that country looked for it, just like we looked for it – so fasting began for us a day before that country as they initially did not see the moon, in this case; he ends his fast with them if they end their fast after us and he ends his fast with them if they end their fast before us.

If there is an extra [day] whereby we have fasted twenty-nine days and they have fasted thirty, or the opposite; we have fasted thirty days and they have fasted twenty-nine days; he ends his fast with them and has nothing to make up:

الشَّهْرُ هَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا” يَعْنِي مَرَّةً تِسْعَةً وَعِشْرِينَ، وَمَرَّةً ثَلَاثِينَ

The month is like that and like that

meaning; sometimes twenty-nine and sometimes thirty days.

[Al-Bukhāri – 1908; Muslim – 1080]

So he should not go over twenty-nine, twenty-nine is considered complete.

As for if he arrives in the country whilst they are ending their fast but he has only fasted twenty-eight days; in this case he breaks his fast and has ‘Eid with them and then makes up the day he has outstanding afterwards.

Answered by: Shaykh Abū Bilāl – may Allāh preserve him

Source: https://t.me/abubilalhami/8447

Answered on: 1st Ramadhān1443H (2nd April 2022)

Translated by: Abū Sufyān Sāmi ibn Daniel Al-Ghāni