Sighting the New Moon 17item If the Islamic scholars of a city differ regarding the new crescent and one considers all of them to be just and precise in their investigations, what is his duty? If the Leader of Muslims issues a decree announcing the next day as ‘Īd of Fiṭr and the media report that the crescent has been cited in certain cities, does it determine the ‘Īd for all the cities or only those cities and those of the same longitudes? As you know, one of the following three things occurs at the beginning or end of the each month: The crescent sets before the sunset; or the crescent sets along with sunset; or the crescent sets after the sunset. Please clear the following matters: First, which one of the three above-mentioned things could be calculated for the farthest places of the world by exact electronic calculating programs? Second, can we use theses calculations to figure out the beginning of the month in advance, or it is necessary to sight the crescent by eye? Can the night of the full moon, which is the fourteenth night of the month, be taken as a reliable basis for calculating the first day of the month so as to determine whether the Day of Doubt was the thirtieth of Ramadan and to apply its rule, for example, so that all who did not fast on that day may have evidence concerning the necessity to perform qaḍā’ for the thirtieth day of Ramadan and whoever fasted that day, considering Ramadan to continue, may know that he is free of obligation? Are the beginning and end of Ramadan determined through sighting the crescent or by means of the calendar, even if Sha‘bān was not thirty days? If it is difficult to ascertain the beginning of the month of Ramadan, or ‘Īd of Fiṭr, because of inability to observe the crescent at the beginning of the month due to clouds or for some other reason, and if the count of the month of Sha‘bān or the month of Ramadan did not add up to 30 days, is it permissible for us in Japan to go by the horizon in Iran or should we rely on the regular calendar? What is the rule? If it is permissible to follow a government announcement regarding sighting the crescent and it constitutes a scientific criterion for the new month in other regions, is it limited to an Islamic government or does it include a tyrannical government? If the twenty-ninth day of the month is ‘Īd of Fiṭr in Tehran and Khorasan, is it permissible for the residents of areas like Bushehr to break their fast too, though the horizon of Tehran and Khorasan differs from the horizon of Bushehr? Would you please tell us what your opinion is regarding i‘tikāf in masjids (whether it is a jāmi‘ masjid or not) other than the Four Masjids? Is the sighting of the new crescent through binoculars, telescope, or the like sufficient? Is the unity in horizon considered to be a condition in regards to observing the crescent? A person sees the new crescent and knows that the city’s religious authority is not able to see the crescent for some reason. Is it his duty to inform the religious authority that he has observed the crescent? Is watching out for the new moon a kifā’ī obligation or something to be done as an obligatory caution? If the crescent marking the beginning of Shawwāl is not observed in a city by the local people but the radio or television announces the beginning of Shawwāl, should the local people act upon the radio announcement, or should they ascertain by investigating whether Shawwāl has commenced? What is meant by the unity in horizon? 12