186. Whether a person should or should not fast while on a journey is left
to individual discretion. We find that among the Companions who accompanied
the Prophet on journeys some fasted whereas others did not; none objected to
the conduct of another. The Prophet himself did not always fast when travelling.
On one journey a person was so overwhelmed by hunger that he collapsed; the
Prophet disapproved when he learned that the man had been fasting. During wars
the Prophet used to prevent people from fasting so that they would not lack
energy for the fight. It has been reported by 'Umar that two military expeditions
took place in the month of Ramadan. The first was the Battle of Badr and the
second the conquest of Makka. On both occasions the Companions abstained from
fasting, and, according to Ibn 'Umar, on the occasion of the conquest of Makka
the Prophet proclaimed that people should not fast since it was a day of fighting.
In other Traditions the Prophet is reported to have said that people should
not fast when they had drawn close to the enemy, since abstention from fasting
would lead to greater strength. (See Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 3, p. 329,
and vol. 5, pp. 205 and 209: Darimi, ' Sawm', 41; Muslim, 'Siyarn', 92; Nasai,
'Siyam', 47; Bukhari, 'Maghazi', 71; Muslim, 'Siyam', 102; Ahmad b. Hanbal,
Musnad, vol. 3, pp. 21, 35, 46; Tirmidhi, 'Sawm', 18, Nasa'i. 'Siyam', 52; Bukhari
, 'Jihad', 29; Muslim, 'Siyam', 98; Abu Da'ud, 'Sawm' 42; Muslim, 'Siyam', 102,
103, 105; Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad vol. 2, 99; Tirmidhi, : 'Sawm', 19 - Ed.)
The duration of a journey for which it becomes permissible for a person to abstain
from fasting is not absolutely clear from any statement of the Prophet, (cf.
relevant Traditions Abu Da'ud, 'Sawm', 46, 47; Nasai , 'Siyam', 54, 55; Malik,
Muaatta', 'Siyam', 21, 27 - Ed.) In addition the practice of the Companions
was not uniform. It would seem that any journey which is commonly regarded as
such, and which is attended by the circumstances generally associated with travelling,
should be deemed sufficient justification for not fasting.
Jurists agree that one does not have to fast on the day of commencing a journey;
one may eat either at the point of departure or after the actual journey has
commenced. Either course is sanctioned by the practice of the Companions. Jurists,
however, are not agreed as to whether or not the residents of a city under attack
may abstain from fasting even though they are not actually travelling. Ibn taymiyah
favours the permissibility of abstention from fasting and supports his view
with vcry forceful arguments.
187. This indicates that fasting need not be confined, exclusively, to Ramadan.
For those who fail to fast during that month owing to some legitimate reason
God has kept the door of compensation open during other months of the year so
that they need not be deprived of the opportunity to express their gratitude
to Him for His great bounty, in revealing the Qur'an.
It should he noted here that fasting in Ramadan has not only been declared an
act of worship and devotion and a means to nourish piety but has also been characterized
as an act of gratefulness to God for His great bounty of true guidance in the
form of the Qur'an. In fact, the best way of expressing gratitude for someone's
bounty or benevolence is to prepare oneself, to the best of one's ability, to
achieve the purpose for which that bounty has been bestowed. The Qur'an has
been revealed so that we may know the way that leads to God's good pleasure,
follow that way ourselves and direct the world along it. Fasting is an excellent
means by which to prepare ourselves for shouldering this task. Hence fasting
during the month of the revelation of the Qur'an is more than an act of worship
and more than an excellent course of moral training; it is also an appropriate
form for the expression of our thankfulness to God for the bounty of the Qur'an.