A radio report is news, not testimony

Question

Here, in the village of Bhawalpur, Jalgaon district, the moon of the twenty-ninth before 'Id al-Fitr was not seen, and no eyewitness was found; only a report came over the radio from Bombay that the moon-sighting committee there had announced 'Id. Some people here, relying on it, did not keep the thirtieth fast, celebrated 'Id and made people break their fast, saying that today's fast is haram, while some people kept the full 30 fasts.

Answer

It is necessary for the witness to be present in the session of testimony (majlis al-shahada). The testimony of an absent person, even if he says, “I testify,” is not testimony in the Shari'a sense, because a radio report is only news. If this news becomes widely reported (khabar mustafid), then it is also correct to give a ruling on its basis.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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