Answered by Shaykh Ashraf ʿAlī Thanwī (may Allāh’s mercy be upon him)
Rendered into English by Yūsuf Badāt
Question:
Regarding the sighting of the new crescent, how far a distance can the news be considered from one city to another city? Is there a difference of opinion or not among the scholars and what is the muftā bihī (formal legal) verdict regarding this matter according to the Ḥanafī school of Islamic law?
Answer:
In Al-Dur Al-Mukhtār, it is noted, “Multiple horizons (individual local regional sightings) is not considered according to the predominantly stronger opinion of the school of Islamic law, and most scholars are of this view. The fatwa (Islamic formal legal verdict) is also in accordance to this. With reference to Al-Baḥr Al-Rāiq from Al-Khulāṣah, “it is imperative for the people of the east to consider the sighting of the people of the west, provided the sighting of those people is established in accordance to a legally reliable method” to his statement, “Kamāl ibn Al-Humām states, “Taking the predominantly stronger opinion is more cautious.” volume 2 page 154 & 155. From this it is evident that the muftā bihī (Islamic formal legal verdict) is indeed, that multiple horizons is not considered.
(Reference: Ḥakīm al Ummah, Shaykh Ashraf ʿAli Thānwī, Imdād al Fatāwa, volume 2 page 138)
And Allāh Knows Best