Series of Answers by the Eminent Scholar Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah, Ameer of Hizb ut-Tahrir,
to the Questions of Visitors to his Facebook Page "Fiqhi"
To Muhammad Amin al-Amiri
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu. I ask Allah Almighty, on the occasion of this holy month, that you are in good health and well-being, our honorable Ameer. In our village in Tunisia these days, the muadhin called the adhan 3 minutes before the actual time, so we broke our fast. However, after we broke the fast, a mosque official informed us that the adhan was before the time. Is our fasting here valid, or has it been spoiled?!
Answer:
Wa Alaikum السلام wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,
The answer to your question is found in the book Ahkam us-Salah (Rules of Prayer) by Ali Raghib, issued by the Party, which states:
[... If one eats or has intercourse thinking that Fajr has not yet dawned when it had dawned, or thinking that the sun had set when it had not set, the fast of that day is not counted for him and he must make it up (qada), because of what was narrated by Hanzalah who said:
كُنَّا بِالْمَدِينَةِ فِي شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ وَفِي السَّمَاءِ شَيْءٌ مِنَ السَّحَابِ. فَظَنَنَّا أَنَّ الشَّمْسَ قَدْ غَابَتْ فَأَفْطَرَ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ فَأَمَرَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ مَنْ كَانَ قَدْ أَفْطَرَ أَنْ يَصُومَ يَوْماً مَكَانَهُ
"We were in Madinah during the month of Ramadan and there were some clouds in the sky. We thought that the sun had set, so some people broke their fast. Then Umar (ra) ordered whoever had broken their fast to fast a day in its place."
And because of what Hisham bin Urwah narrated from Fatima his wife, from Asma’ who said:
أَفْطَرْنَا عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي يَوْمِ غَيْمٍ، ثُمَّ طَلَعَتْ الشَّمْسُ. قُلْتُ لِهِشَامٍ: أُمِرُوا بِالْقَضَاءِ؟ قَالَ: فَلَا بُدَّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ
"We broke our fast during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on a cloudy day, then the sun appeared. I said to Hisham: 'Were they ordered to make it up?' He said: 'That was inevitable.'"] End quote.
You broke your fast, as stated in the question, three minutes before sunset. If the matter is indeed as you mentioned, and your breaking of the fast was truly three minutes before sunset, then you must make up that day (qada) after the end of the month of Ramadan. There is no sin upon you for what you did because you did not intentionally break the fast during the day of Ramadan; rather, it was based on the muadhin's call to prayer.
However, the duty of the muadhin is to verify the sunset so as not to cause hardship to the people by calling the adhan before sunset, especially in Ramadan. Therefore, consult the muadhin regarding the matter so that the timing of the adhan may be corrected, Allah willing.
Your brother, Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah
25 Ramadan 1444 AH Corresponding to 16/04/2023 CE
Link to the answer from the Ameer's Facebook page (may Allah protect him): Facebook