Fasting while Traveling

by Asma bint Shameem

🔺 If the travel is easy it is permissible and even preferred to fast.

🔺 But if the travel time is long and fasting will be difficult, then it’s better not to fast.

Allaah has given us that concession to skip fasting as long as we are traveling.

🍃 Allaah says:

“O you who believe! Observing As-Sawm (the fasting) is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious).

[Observing Saum (fasts)] for a fixed number of days, but if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up) from other days.”

(Surah al-Baqarah: 183:184)

🍃 And the Prophet ﷺ said:

“Allaah has relieved the traveler of half of the prayer and of the duty to fast, and He has relieved pregnant and nursing mothers (of the duty to fast).” (Abu Dawood and others- saheeh by al-Albaani)

🍃 Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:

As to what is better, that depends: 

1. If fasting and not fasting are the same, in the sense that fasting does not affect him, then in this case fasting is better, because of the following evidence: 

Abu’l-Darda’ Radhi Allaahu anhu said:

“We went out with the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ [on a journey] during the month of Ramadhaan when it was intensely hot, until one of us would put his hand on his head because of the intense heat, and no one among us was fasting apart from the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ and ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Rawahah.”

(al-Bukhaari 1945, Muslim 1122)

Fasting while traveling means that one fulfills one's duty more quickly, because making it up later means delaying it, but fasting in Ramadhaan means doing it sooner.

It is usually easier for the one who fulfills this duty, because fasting and breaking the fast with the people is easier than starting to fast all over again.

It makes the most of a blessed time, namely Ramadhaan, for Ramadhaan is better than other times, because it is the time when fasting is obligatory.

Based on this evidence the view of al-Shafi`i, which is that fasting is better in the case of one for whom fasting and not fasting are the same, is most likely to be correct.

2. If not fasting is easier for him, then in this case we say that NOT fasting (when traveling) is better.

If something will give him hardship, then in his case fasting becomes makrooh, because doing something that causes hardship, when there is a concession, indicates that one is spurning a concession granted by Allaah. 

3. If it causes unbearable difficulty, then in this case it becomes haraam for him to fast.

The evidence for that is the report narrated by Muslim from Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allah Radhi Allaahu anhu that the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ went out to Makkah in the year of the Conquest in Ramadhaan, and fasted until he reached Kura’ al-Ghamim.

The people were fasting, but he called for a cup of water and lifted it up so that the people could see it, then he drank it. After that, he was told that some of the people had continued to fast.

He said,

“Those are the disobedient, those are the disobedient.”

According to another report, he was told,

“The people are finding it hard too fast, and they are waiting to see what you will do.”

So he called for a cup of water after ‘Asr.”

(Saheeh Muslim 1114)

So he described those who fasted even though it was very difficult as being disobedient.”

(Al-Sharh al-Mumti’ vol. 6, p. 355). 

🔺 So for example, traveling from the US to Pakistan, the fast will be extremely short since the person will be going East.

So they can fast on the day they travel.

And they can break their fast according to the time of sunset,“wherever” they may be at that time.

They should look out the window of the airplane and when the sun sets, that’s when they should break the fast.

But on the way back from the East towards the West, the day will be too long and fasting will be difficult.

So it would be better not to fast in this situation.

And Allaah knows best.