"Obey those in authority over you."

A statement of wisdom and a sign of righteousness in Islam, provided of course, the people are righteous and following the orders of Allah Subhannah wa Ta'ala.

But why do some Muslims end fasting on one day and others on a day later (or earlier) to celebrate the eid?

"Addeena naseehah." said our prophet, peace be upon him. They asked him, "To whom?" He said, "To Allah; His Book; His prophet (peace be upon him); those in charge over you (imere, khalifah, etc.); and the general public."

To follow our leaders is an obligation for all the believers, as long as they are not going out of Islam or calling to something other than Quran and the teachings of Muhammad, peace be upon him.

If the leaders in our community have taken the proper opinions (made mashura) on a matter and then decided in favor of something, it is not proper for the non-scholars or laymen to try to second guess them or critisize them in the way we find so many doing today. Naturally, we can except some to critisize us for saying this, but then that will only serve to prove my point.

Finding the night to begin the fasting is based on siting of the new moon ("hilal" in Arabic). However, we know many times this is just not possible in some places and under some conditions. The idea is to watch the month prior to Ramadhan (Shabaan) and make sure you have no more than 30 days in it. If this is the case and the community leaders (those in authority over us) have decided on a particular day, even though it is in advance and not according to our opinion, it is still better not to start up arguments and cause confusion and hard feelings amongst the believers.

Best idea is to take it easy and if you have something to say, save it only for the leaders and do not share this info with the others, as this will only serve to add more fuel to the fire. And dividing up into groups against each other is certainly no way to start the month of fasting and sacrificing for our Lord, is it?

What did the companions do when there were differences of opinion? Think about the following:

I realize of course, there are different opinions and some are based on ayahs of Quran and sahih hadeeth. However, if you see you are not going to change the ruling and cannot influence the decision of the leaders, leave the topic and begin your fasting according to your best judgment, inshallah.

I have found this approach to be the best way for Muslims to stay together and pray together. That is after all, one of the main reasons for doing what we do in Ramadan, isn't it?

Let's pray for each other and our leaders too during this great month. Allah will be happy with us for that inshallah.

"When do we end the fasting and begin the Eid?"

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