Hearing about the Sighting of the New Moon on the Radio

Q: Salaah-285: Radio Pakistan announced the news of the sighting of the moon for Eidul Fitr because of which people from certain rural areas did not observe the 30th fast. Others started fasting and then terminated fast when they heard the news and celebrated Eid. Is their Eid valid and do they have to repeat the fasts?

Answer: The Eid will not be valid in this case and the fast will have to be repeated. In fact, Kaffaarah may be binding in some cases. The skies were clear here in India and the moon would have been clearly sighted had it been there. No one in the large cities saw the moon and no news of any sightings were received. The course of action that the people in the rural areas took was based on ignorance and they will have to repent for it. Hearing news of the moon sightings for Ramadhaan and for Eid over the radio is valid only with certain conditions and these are not commonly met. The news over radio is therefore not valid for Eid or for the beginning of Ramadhaan.

Fatawa Rahimiyyah vol.2