When did you see it? I said: We saw it on the night of Friday. He said: (Did) you see it yourself? I said: Yes, and the people also saw it and they fasted and Mu'awiya also fasted, whereupon he said: But we saw it on Saturday night. So we will continue to fast till we complete thirty (fasts) or we see it (the new moon of Shawwal). I said: Is the sighting of the moon by Mu'awiya not valid for you? He said: No; this is how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has commanded us. Yahya b. Yahya was in doubt (whether the word used in the narration by Kuraib) was Naktafi or Taktafi.  

أَنَّ أُمَّ الْفَضْلِ بِنْتَ الْحَارِثِ بَعَثَتْهُ إِلَى مُعَاوِيَةَ بِالشَّامِ قَالَ فَقَدِمْتُ الشَّامَ فَقَضَيْتُ حَاجَتَهَا وَاسْتُهِلَّ عَلَىَّ رَمَضَانُ وَأَنَا بِالشَّامِ فَرَأَيْتُ الْهِلاَلَ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ ثُمَّ قَدِمْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ فِي آخِرِ الشَّهْرِ فَسَأَلَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ؓ ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الْهِلاَلَ فَقَالَ مَتَى رَأَيْتُمُ الْهِلاَلَ فَقُلْتُ رَأَيْنَاهُ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَقَالَ أَنْتَ رَأَيْتَهُ فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ وَرَآهُ النَّاسُ وَصَامُوا وَصَامَ مُعَاوِيَةُ فَقَالَ لَكِنَّا رَأَيْنَاهُ لَيْلَةَ السَّبْتِ فَلاَ نَزَالُ نَصُومُ حَتَّى نُكْمِلَ ثَلاَثِينَ أَوْ نَرَاهُ فَقُلْتُ أَوَلاَ تَكْتَفِي بِرُؤْيَةِ مُعَاوِيَةَ وَصِيَامِهِ فَقَالَ لاَ هَكَذَا أَمَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَشَكَّ يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى فِي نَكْتَفِي أَوْ تَكْتَفِي  

"I came to Ash-Sham. He said: "I came to Ash-Sham and complete her errand. Then the new crescent of Ramadan was sighted while I was in Ash-Sham. I saw the new crescent on the night of Friday, then I came to Al-Madinah at the end of the month. 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas asked me about the sighting of the moon and said: ' When did you see it?' I said: 'We saw it on the night of Friday.' He said; 'You saw it on the ninth of Friday?' I said: 'Yes, and the people saw it and started fasting, and so did Muawiyah. He said: 'But we saw it on the night of Saturday, so we will continue fasting until we have completed thirty days or we see it.' I said: 'Will you not be content with the sighting of Muawiyah and his companions? He said; 'No; this is what the Messenger of Allah enjoined upon us."'  

أَنَّ أُمَّ الْفَضْلِ بَعَثَتْهُ إِلَى مُعَاوِيَةَ بِالشَّامِ قَالَ فَقَدِمْتُ الشَّامَ فَقَضَيْتُ حَاجَتَهَا وَاسْتَهَلَّ عَلَىَّ هِلاَلُ رَمَضَانَ وَأَنَا بِالشَّامِ فَرَأَيْتُ الْهِلاَلَ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ ثُمَّ قَدِمْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ فِي آخِرِ الشَّهْرِ فَسَأَلَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الْهِلاَلَ فَقَالَ مَتَى رَأَيْتُمْ فَقُلْتُ رَأَيْنَاهُ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ قَالَ أَنْتَ رَأَيْتَهُ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ وَرَآهُ النَّاسُ فَصَامُوا وَصَامَ مُعَاوِيَةُ قَالَ لَكِنْ رَأَيْنَاهُ لَيْلَةَ السَّبْتِ فَلاَ نَزَالُ نَصُومُ حَتَّى نُكْمِلَ ثَلاَثِينَ يَوْمًا أَوْ نَرَاهُ فَقُلْتُ أَوَلاَ تَكْتَفِي بِرُؤْيَةِ مُعَاوِيَةَ وَأَصْحَابِهِ قَالَ لاَ هَكَذَا أَمَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ  

"Kuraib informed me that Umm Al-Fadl bin Al-Harith sent him to Mu'awiyah in Ash-Sham. He said: 'So I arrived in Ash-Sham and finished her errand, and I saw the crescent of Ramadan while I was in Ash-Sham. We saw the crescent on the night of Friday. Then I arrived in Al-Madinah at the end of the month. Ibn Abbas was questioning me, then he mentioned the crescent and he said: "When did you see the crescent?" I said: "We saw it n the night of Friday." He said: "Did you see it on the night of Friday?" I said: "The people saw it, so they fasted, and Mu'awiyah fasted." He said: "But we saw it on the night of Saturday, so we will not stop fasting until we complete thirty days or we see it." So I said: "Is not the sighting and fasting of Mu'awiyah enough for you?" He said: "This is not how the Messenger of Allah ordered us."  

أَنَّ أُمَّ الْفَضْلِ بِنْتَ الْحَارِثِ بَعَثَتْهُ إِلَى مُعَاوِيَةَ بِالشَّامِ قَالَ فَقَدِمْتُ الشَّامَ فَقَضَيْتُ حَاجَتَهَا وَاسْتُهِلَّ عَلَىَّ هِلاَلُ رَمَضَانَ وَأَنَا بِالشَّامِ فَرَأَيْنَا الْهِلاَلَ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ ثُمَّ قَدِمْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ فِي آخِرِ الشَّهْرِ فَسَأَلَنِي ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الْهِلاَلَ فَقَالَ مَتَى رَأَيْتُمُ الْهِلاَلَ فَقُلْتُ رَأَيْنَاهُ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَقَالَ أَأَنْتَ رَأَيْتَهُ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَقُلْتُ رَآهُ النَّاسُ وَصَامُوا وَصَامَ مُعَاوِيَةُ قَالَ لَكِنْ رَأَيْنَاهُ لَيْلَةَ السَّبْتِ فَلاَ نَزَالُ نَصُومُ حَتَّى نُكْمِلَ ثَلاَثِينَ يَوْمًا أَوْ نَرَاهُ فَقُلْتُ أَلاَ تَكْتَفِي بِرُؤْيَةِ مُعَاوِيَةَ وَصِيَامِهِ قَالَ لاَ هَكَذَا أَمَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ  

That Umm al-Fadl, daughter of al-Harith, sent him to Mu'aqiyah in Syria. He said: I came to syria and performed her work. The moon of Ramadan appeared while I was in Syria. We sighted the moon on the night of Friday. When I came to Median towards the end of the month (of Ramadan), Ibn 'Abbas asked me about the moon. He said: When did you sight the moon ? I said: I sighted it on the night of Friday. He asked: Did you sight it yourself ? I said: Yes, and the people sighted it. They fasted and Mu'awiyah also fasted. He said: But we sighted it on the night of saturday. Since then we have been fasting until we complete thirty days or we sight it. Then I said: Are the sighting of the moon by Mu'awiyah and his fasts not sufficient for us? He replied: No. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us to do so. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 2332)  

أَنَّ أُمَّ الْفَضْلِ بِنْتَ الْحَارِثِ بَعَثَتْهُ إِلَى مُعَاوِيَةَ بِالشَّامِ قَالَ فَقَدِمْتُ الشَّامَ فَقَضَيْتُ حَاجَتَهَا وَاسْتَهَلَّ عَلَيَّ رَمَضَانُ وَأَنَا بِالشَّامِ فَرَأَيْنَا الْهِلالَ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ ثُمَّ قَدِمْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ فِي آخِرِ الشَّهْرِ فَسَأَلَنِي عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الْهِلَالَ فَقَالَ مَتَى رَأَيْتُمُ الْهِلَالَ ؟ فَقُلْتُ رَأَيْنَاهُ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ فَقَالَ أَنْتَ رَأَيْتَهُ؟ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ وَرَآهُ النَّاسُ وَصَامُوا وَصَامَ مُعَاوِيَةُ فَقَالَ لَكِنَّا رَأَيْنَاهُ لَيْلَةَ السَّبْتِ فَلَا نَزَالُ نَصُومُ حَتَّى نُكَمِّلَ ثَلَاثِينَ أَوْ نَرَاهُ فَقُلْتُ أَوَلَا تَكْتَفِي بِرُؤْيَةِ مُعَاوِيَةَ وَصِيَامِهِ؟ فَقَالَ لَا هَكَذَا أَمَرَنَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ  

"عَنْ كُرَيْب أَنَّ أُمَّ الْفَضْلِ بِنْتَ الْحَارِثِ بَعَثَتهُ إِلَى مُعَاويَة بالشَّام قَالَ: فَاسْتَهَلَّ عَلىَّ هِلالُ رَمَضَانَ وَأَنَا بِالشَّامِ، فَرَأَيْتُ الْهلالَ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَة، وَرآهُ النَّاسُ، وَصَامُوا وَصَامَ مُعاويَةُ، فَقَدمْتُ الْمَدِينَةَ في آخِرِ الشَّهْرِ فَسَأَلَنِى عَبْدُ الله بْن عَبَّاسٍ: مَتَى رَأَيْت الْهلالَ؟ قُلْتُ: لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ، قَالَ: لَكِنَّا رَأَيْنَاهُ لَيْلَةَ السَّبْت، فَلا يَزَالُ يُكَمِّلُ ثَلاثِينَ أَوْ نَرَاهُ، فَقُلتُ: أَلا تَكْتَفِى بِرُؤْيَةِ معَاوِيَةَ وَصِيَامِهِ فَقَالَ: لا، هَكَذَا أَمَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ ".