Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| question on air travel |
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| flyboy_nz |
| 11/21/01 at 17:00:58 |
| [slm] okay I have another question. I'll be travelling to visit relatives in Sydney soon and it is a three-hour flight. I'll probably sleep for most of it as well. I know the traveller is exempt from fasting, however seated and sleeping for three hours does not seem to be a particulary taxing journey....it makes logical sense that the traveller 1400 yrs ago was exempt because of the difficulties of the journey- long slog across the desert on foot, horseback or camel comes to mind... not 30,000ft up inside a metallic bird travelling at unbelievable speed. Does anyone have an opinion whether I'd still be allowed or required to fast? [wlm] ahmed |
| Re: question on air travel |
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| BroHanif |
| 11/21/01 at 18:46:30 |
| [quote]Does anyone have an opinion whether I'd still be allowed or required to fast?[/quote] good question o kind brother, My view is Islaam will be practiced until the end of time, by the end of time our modes of transport may have improved vastly or quite the opposite. Therefore, we should always adhere to what the prophet saws did, because that way there will be no shortfall in deen. If the prophet did a certain act 1400 years ago, we too, should do the same act, regardless of whether there is technological progress or not. Its not Islaam is against science or technology but we are bringing them closer through Islaam, not bridinging the divide. The sunnah is the sunnah and it is complete. Salaams Hanif p.s. don't forget to send me the postcard. |
| Re: question on air travel |
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| Merimda |
| 11/21/01 at 22:48:25 |
| Salam, At a pre-ramadan halaqa I attended this question was dealt with. From what the br. who gave the halaqa told us there are different opinions about this question..It depends on which school of thought you follow..Some say that you should take the rahma from Allah and not fast regardless of whether you feel you are able to or not..others say that you can fast if you are able to..(I am not sure if there are scholars who say that if you feel you are able to fast when travelling then you *should* fast) As for the opinion of the br who gave the halaqa..he felt that the position of Ibn Abbas (ra) was most correct: Ibn Abbas' position was that it is preferable to take the rahma from Allah and not fast but there is no harm if you fast when travelling if you are able to... Wa Allahu Alam, salam, merimda |
| Re: question on air travel |
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| Marcie |
| 11/21/01 at 22:59:39 |
| As salamu alaykum, I just looked up your question in Fiqh us Sunnah "The jurist differ over what is preferred (that is to fast or not to fast while traveling. Abu Hanifah, ash-Shaf'i and Malik are of the opinion that if one has the ability to fast, it is better for him to do so, and if one does not have the ability to fast, it is better for him to break the fast. Ahmad said that it is best to break the fast. 'Umar ibn 'Abdulaziz says: "the best of the two acts is the easier of the two. If it is easier for one to fast than to make up the day later one, then in his case to fast is better." It goes on for 1 1/2 pages and I'm not the greatest typist. As salamu alaykum Marcie |
| Re: question on air travel |
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| Merimda |
| 11/21/01 at 23:19:17 |
| Salam, I found this on Islam-Online..this is the opinion of Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi.. http://www.islam-online.net/fatwa/english/FatwaDisplay.asp?hFatwaID=1935 The scholars have differed. Some of them prefer fasting and others prefer not fasting. Umar Bin Abdul-Aziz said: “The easier one is better.” It is easier for some people to fast along with everyone who is fasting so that they do not have to make up those days while the people are eating. For them we say: “Fast.” And some people say that eating during Ramadan is easier so they can take care of their affairs and move around easily and then make up what Allah has permitted and legislated. For them we say: “Do not fast and make up the same amount on other days.” Whichever one of these is easier on the person then it is better for him to do. Abu Dawood reported from Hamza Bin Aamir Al- Aslamy that he said: “I said 'Oh Messenger of Allah, I am a young man and I own a caravan of animals. I take care of them and ride on them. But if this month comes along and I have the ability and I find that I can fast, Oh Messenger of Allah is it better for me to do so rather than postpone it and it will then be a debt upon me? Should I fast Oh Messenger of Allah and it will then be a greater reward or should I eat?” Then Allah's Messenger (pbuh) said: “Whichever of them you want Oh Hamza.” This is taken to mean choose that which is easier for you. In a narration from An-Nasaa'ee also from Hamza, is that he said to the Allah's Messenger (pbuh): “I have strength to fast while traveling, would I be doing something wrong?” The Prophet (pbuh) said: “This is an allowance from Allah to you. So whosoever takes it has done well. And whosoever would like to fast, then there is no wrong upon him.” This is the legislation of Allah upon the traveler. And it is not a necessity or a conditional allowance that there be an overbearing hardship or that the hardship becomes apparent. Rather, traveling in itself is an allowance not to fast. Allah has not made a connection between this allowance and hardship; rather he connected it just with traveling. If hardship were connected to this ruling, then the people would have severely differed about it. The strict would suffer the harshest difficulties and would say: “This is not a difficulty.” So they would then increase upon themselves harshness while Allah does not wish to overburden His worshipers. And those who would overly use this allowance would consider the slightest struggle a hardship upon them. This is why Allah has connected the judgment of not fasting while traveling, with traveling itself. So if a person travels in an airplane, train, or car, then he is not to fast. And the issue will then be that he is indebted. He has to make up the same number on other days. The responsibility of siyaam is not totally removed; it is just delayed until he can make it up at another time. And he has the choice in this situation even if traveling is a hardship. Whoever has traveled before knows that traveling itself has some suffering in it whether the person has traveled on a pack animal or on an airplane. As soon as the person is separated from his place of residence and his family, he feels that he is not normal, not content, and not settled down. This inner spiritual meaning and not the outer physical meaning is why Allah has legislated not fasting. There are many other rulings, which we know yet do not know the meanings, but we are to stop at the well defined texts and we are not to philosophize and lose, waste, or negate what Allah has allowed for his worshipers. “Allah wishes for you ease, and does not wish for you difficulty.” (2:185) And Allah knows best. |
| Re: question on air travel |
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| MorningStar |
| 11/22/01 at 05:41:03 |
...a more personal perspective to your question... I was fortunate enough to be blessed with the opportunity to go for Umrah during Ramadhan two years ago. We left in the second week of Ramadhan, and although my husband and I knew that we did not "have to" fast while we were travelling, we both decided to fast anyway. I think we both felt that because it was Ramadhan and because of the nature of the journey (going for Umrah), it just didn't feel right not to fast. I think most airlines these days are quite accomodating to fasting travellers anyway, if the time for keeping/breaking the fast falls during the flight you shouldn't have any problems... |
| Re: question on air travel |
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| abc |
| 11/25/01 at 14:34:01 |
| Assalamalaikum wa rahmatulah from www.islam-qa.com If a person travels in Ramadaan and he is fasting, is it better for him not to fast, or should he continue fasting? Answer: Praise be to Allaah. The four Imams and the majority of the Sahaabah and Taabi’een were of the view that fasting whilst traveling is permissible and is correct and valid. If the traveler fasts, it counts and he does not have to make it up. See al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, vol. 28, p. 73 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: (a) It was narrated that Abu’l-Darda’ (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “We went out with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) [on a journey] during the month of Ramadaan 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 (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Rawaahah.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1945; Muslim, no. 1122). (b) Fasting whilst traveling means that one fulfils one's duty more quickly, because making it up later means delaying it, but fasting in Ramadaan means doing it sooner. (c) It is usually easier for the one who has this duty, because fasting and breaking the fast with the people is easier than starting to fast all over again. (d) It makes the most of a blessed time, namely Ramadaan, for Ramadaan is better than other times, because it is the time when fasting is obligatory. Based on this evidence the view of al-Shafaa’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 will case 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-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with them), that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out to Makkah in the year of the Conquest in Ramadaan, and fasted until he reached Kuraa’ al-Ghameem. 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 to fast, and they are waiting to see what you will do.” So he called for a cup of water after ‘Asr. (1114) So he described those who fasted even though it was very difficult as being disobedient. See al-Sharh al-Mumti’ by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol. 6, p. 355). Al-Nawawi and al-Kamaal ibn al-Humaam said: the ahaadeeth which indicate that it is better not to fast are to be interpreted as referring to those who will be harmed by fasting; in some of them this is clearly stated, so they must be interpreted in this manner, so as to reconcile between the ahaadeeth. That is better than neglecting some of them or claiming that they have been abrogated, without definitive evidence to that effect. In the case of those for whom fasting and not fasting are the same, they quoted as evidence the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), that Hamzah ibn ‘Amr al-Aslami (may Allaah be pleased with him) said to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Should I fast whilst traveling?” – and he used to fast a lot. He (the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) said: “if you want to, then fast; if you don’t want to, then do not fast.” (Agreed upon). |
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