حَدَّثَنَا حُمَيْدُ بْنُ مَسْعَدَةَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ حَدَّثَنِي أَيُّوبُ قَالَ کَتَبَ عُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ إِلَی أَهْلِ الْبَصْرَةِ بَلَغَنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ نَحْوَ حَدِيثِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ زَادَ وَإِنَّ أَحْسَنَ مَا يُقْدَرُ لَهُ أَنَّا إِذَا رَأَيْنَا هِلَالَ شَعْبَانَ لِکَذَا وَکَذَا فَالصَّوْمُ إِنْ شَائَ اللَّهُ لِکَذَا وَکَذَا إِلَّا أَنْ تَرَوْا الْهِلَالَ قَبْلَ ذَلِکَ
سنن ابودوٗد · Hadith 2321
Narrated Ayyub: Umar bin Abd al-Aziz wrote (a letter) to the people of Basrah: It has reached us from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, like the tradition narrated by Ibn Umar from the Prophet ﷺ. This version adds: The best calculation is that when we sight the moon of Sha'ban on such-and-such date, fasting will being on such-and-such dates, Allah willing, except they they sight the moon before that (date).
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020