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:

MY QUESTION IS THAT WHAT IS THE RULE OF TRAVELLING IN RAMADAN IF WE WANT TO REACH IN LIGHT ITSELF? WHAT TIME SHOULD WE LEAVE THE PLACE AND WHAT WE SHOUD REACH OUR DESTINATIONS? CAN WE DO SIHORI IN WAY?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Fasting while travelling

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 no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) 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 185 (part):… Therefore from now on, whosoever witnesses it, it is obligatory on him to fast the whole month. But if one be ill, or on a journey, he should make up the same number by fasting on other days. Allah desires to show leniency to you, and does not desire to show any hardship……

The best person to understand and implement the above, and any aayah of the Quran in his life, was the Messenger of Allah (saws). The above verse, of not fasting while one is on a journey, was understood and implemented by the Messenger of Allah (saws) as a permission that if the journey is easy and the person wants to fast, he may do so. And if the person finds the journey difficult, he may choose not to fast, and make up the fast later. This permission was a leniency and a mercy from Allah to the believers.

The time of the travel, or the time of reaching the destination (whereby one must reach before sunset, etc.) have absolutely no bearings on the validity of the fast. If one thinks that the travel is easy, he may keep his fasts; and if one thinks that his travel is difficult and tiring, and he will not be able to keep his fast, he can abstain from fasting, and make up the fast later.

If he intends to fast, and the time of ‘suhoor’ is in the way; he should eat the ‘suhoor’. There are absolutely no restrictions in fasting while traveling. If one wants to keep his fasts, he should do everything like he would do, when he is not traveling.

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

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan