Fasting: Can Crescent Announcements from a Government Be Trusted — Even If It’s Tyrannical?

Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei

Fasting: Can Crescent Announcements from a Government Be Trusted — Even If It’s Tyrannical?

English:

Question #845:

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?

Answer #845:

The criterion in this regard is acquiring knowledge or confidence that the crescent is sighted in a place where it is sufficient in relation to the mukallaf.

-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Importance and Conditions of Fasting