Testimony by means of the radio

Question

If the moon of 'Id or the moon of any other month is not seen and news comes over the radio of Pakistan and Bombay, will that news be reliable (mu'tabar) or not, and is it proper in such a case to break the fast? Yet most books establish that radio news is not reliable, though if the voice of the announcer is recognised, it is reliable.

Answer

If some person, having seen the moon, reports over the radio, “I have seen the moon,” his report is not testimony in the Shari'a sense; no ruling will follow from it — rather, it will be called void (laghw). If, however, a moon-sighting committee consisting of knowledgeable and trustworthy people duly obtains testimony about the moon and announces, or has it announced, that…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.