Establishing the Sighting of the New Moon by Radio

Question

We are residents of Basti district in eastern U.P. (Uttar Pradesh). It often happens that the horizon is clear but the moon is not seen. The progress of the age and the invention of the radio have made the whole world one neighbourhood. Although there has been no sighting of the new moon (ru'yat al-hilal)

Answer

Matters are of two kinds: one in which reliable news (khabar mu'tabar) suffices, and the other in which testimony (shahada) is necessary. You hear news on the radio and regard it as reliable, and you also see that people have regarded such news as reliable; but have you ever seen or heard of a magistrate taking testimony in some case over the radio and passing judgement on it,…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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