Is it a condition to sight the crescent moon with the naked eye, or is it permissible to use telescopes, modern instruments, and observatories?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The apparent meaning of the legal evidence is that people are not obligated to seek the crescent moon with instruments; rather, sighting with the naked eye suffices. However, if someone sights the crescent moon with an instrument and is certain that they saw it through it after sunset, and they are a just Muslim, then there is no objection to acting upon their sighting, because it is considered a sighting with the eye, not a calculation.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/13850
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 13850
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy