Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

How people of upper Europe perform their fast because there  sun sets around  9:30 PM. So do they have to have a very long fast.

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Answer:

Fasting hours in northern europe

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 187:

187 Permitted to you on the night of the fasts is the approach to your wives. They are your garments. And ye are their garments. Allah Knows what ye used to do secretly among yourselves; but He turned to you and forgave you; so now associate with them and seek what Allah hath ordained for you; and eat and drink until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread; then complete your fast till the night appears; but do not associate with your wives while ye are in retreat in the mosques. Those are limits (set by) Allah; approach not nigh thereto. Thus doth Allah make clear His signs to men that they may learn self-restraint.

If perchance one happens to reside in a place where the daylight hours in summer are long and the sun sets at about 9.30 pm……and one happens to witness the month of Ramadan….indeed it would be obligatory for the believers to observe their obligatory fasts, even if the daylight hours in such a place happens to be longer than normal in the summers.

If one resides in such places on the earth where the daylight hours (and thus their hours of fasting) are longer than normal in the summer months….if one resides in the place long enough, they will be able to witness Ramadan in the winter months where the daylight hours are extremely short and the sun might set before 3.00pm!

As long as one resides in a place which witnesses day and night in a span of 24 hours, the absolute majority of the scholars are of the opinion that one should observe the fasts in such places according to the movement of the sun, absolutely regardless of however long or short their fasts may happen to be. And Allah Alone Knows Best.

But if one resides in a place which have perpetual periods of days and nights for a long period of time like north or south poles, the scholars and jurists in Islam have offered two rulings regarding the observance of prayer or fast times in these places:

1.      One may align oneself to follow the start and end times of their fasts to Makkah time, or

2.      One may align oneself to follow the start and end times of fasts of the nearest geographical place which has apparent normal timings and a routine of day and night alteration in a span of 24 hours.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan