Fasting by a traveler
1723. A traveler for whom it is obligatory to shorten a four Rak'ats prayers to two Rak'ats, should not fast. However, a traveler who offers full prayers, like, a person who is a traveler by profession or who goes on a journey for a haraam purpose, should fast while traveling.
1724. There is no harm in traveling during the month of Ramadhan, but it is Makrooh to travel during the month to evade fasting. And similarly, it is Makrooh to travel before the 24th of Ramadhan unless traveling is undertaken for the purpose of Hajj or Umrah or for some important work.
1725. If it is obligatory on a person to observe a particular fast other than the fasts of Ramadhan, like, if he has undertaken to fast on behalf of someone against payment, or if it is the fast of the third day of I'tekaf, he cannot travel on that day, and if he is already on journey then he should make a Niyyat to stay there for ten days, if possible, and keep the fast.
And if it is an obligatory fast of Nadhr, traveling on that day is permissible, and it is not necessary to make an intention of staying there for ten days. Though, it is better not to travel unless it is absolutely necessary, and if he is already on a journey, he should have the Niyyat to stay there for 10 days.
1726. If a person makes a vow to observe a Mustahab fast and does not specify any day for it, he cannot keep the fast while traveling. However, if he makes a vow that he will observe fast on a particular day during a journey, he should observe that fast during the journey. Also, if he makes a vow that he will observe a fast on a particular day, whether he is journeying on that day or not, he should observe the fasts on that day even if he travels.
1727. A traveler can observe Mustahab fasts in Madinah for three days with the Niyyat of praying for the fulfilment of his wish, and as a precaution, those three days be Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
1728. If a person does not know that the fast of a traveler is invalid and observes fast while journeying, and learns about the rule during the day, his fast becomes void, but if he does not learn about the rule till Maghrib, his fast is valid.
1729. If a person forgets that he is a traveler or forgets that the fast of a traveler is void, and observes fast while journeying, is fast is invalid.
1730. If a fasting person travels after Zuhr, he should, as a precaution, complete his fast. If he travels before Zuhr and had an intention from the previous night to do so, he cannot fast on that day. As a precaution, he cannot fast on that day even if he had no intention to travel from the previous night. In both the cases, he cannot break the fast till he has reached the limit of Tarakkhus. If he does, he will be liable to give Kaffarah.
1731. If a traveler in the month of Ramadhan, regardless of whether he was traveling before Fajr, or was fasting and then undertook the journey, reaches his hometown before Zuhr or a place where he intends to stay for ten days, and if has not committed an act which invalidates a fast, he should fast on that day. But if he has committed such an act, it is not obligatory on him to fast on that day.
1732. If a traveler reaches his hometown after Zuhr, or a place where he intends to stay for ten days, he cannot fast on that day.
1733. It is Makrooh for a traveler and for a person who cannot fast owing to some excuse, to have sexual intercourse or to eat or drink to his fill, during the day time in Ramadhan.
1706. If a person did not fast on certain days because of some excuse and later doubts about the exact date on which the excuse was over, it will not be obligatory on him to offer qadha basing his calculation on the higher number. For example, if a person travelled before the commencement of the month of Ramadhan, and now does not remember whether he returned on the 5th of Ramadhan or on the 6th, or if he travelled in the last days of the month of Ramadhan and returned after Ramadhan, and now does not remember whether he travelled on the 25th of Ramadhan or on the 26th, in both the cases, he can observe qadha based on the lesser number of days, that is, five days. However, the recommended precaution is that he should offer qadha for the higher number of days, that is, six days.
Suppose someone commutes daily to the place where they work, study, or go about their business; the place happens to be over 22 km. away from where they live. What form of prayer should they perform, and do they have to fast?
- The prayer shall be tamam and they should fast too.
* Should the journeying be irregular, say three times a week the year round, and the nature of business of the person concerned was not of that which involves travel?
- Such people should say their prayer in full and the same goes for fasting, because they fit the description of people who are “constantly on the move”, or (katheeris-safar). If, however, such people make the trip twice a week, they [should combine both, praying tamam and qasr. So do their fasting, i.e. they should fast Ramadhan and fast again later].
* What shall become of the obligatory fasting of someone on a day when they travelled after zawal?
- [They carry on with their fast], i.e. they are not required to make up for that day.
* Should they make the journey before zawal, having intended to do so the night before, can they still fast?
- [No, fasting should be observed on that day]; they should, therefore, break their fast upon getting to heddet-tarakhus (the point at the periphery of a town where, for example, adhan could be heard. This concerns distances to determine whether prayer should be said tamam or qasr). They should fast later to make up for that day. The same ruling applies to such people as making the journey without niyyah the night before.
* Someone returning from a trip arrived in their hometown after zawal. Do they have to observe abstinence (imsak) for the rest of the day?
- Although not obligatory, it is advisable for them to abstain from food and drink for the rest of the day. The same applies to him who arrived before zawal and was not fasting because of travel.
* If such people returned to their town of domicile before zawal and were observing fast, how should they go about it?
- They should make niyyah of fasting and abstain from any acts that render fast that day invalid. They are, therefore, not required to fast in lieu.
What about the person who is on a journey?
- If he sets out for a journey after zawaal, [he should continue with his fast]. Should he set out before dawn, he should not fast.