Is fasting on the day of doubt makruh?

Question

It could not be determined whether the month of Sha‘ban had 29 or 30 days, because of thick cloud cover; for this reason the testimony turned out two-fold: some counted the moon as 29 days on Monday, while others counted it as 30 on Tuesday. Because of the clouds there was also a disagreement regarding Ramadan: according to the reckoning of those for whom the night of mid-Sha‘ban fell on Monday, the 30th fell on Wednesday, while for those who counted from Tuesday the 30th fell on Thursday.

Answer

When, on the 29th, the moon is not seen because of clouds or the like, and no Shar‘i testimony is obtained, the month should be counted as 30 days; declaring the next day the first of the coming month merely on the basis of probability is not correct. This ruling is general for every month — Rajab, Sha‘ban, Ramadan and others.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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