Friday 6 March 2020

When is hardship an excuse that permits breaking one’s fast in Ramaḍān?

A selection of fatawa from Naseem al-Sham




Question:

There are people who work in quarries, under the hot sun. Their jobs are difficult and they need to drink a lot of water while they are working. Is there a solution for them in the month of Ramaḍān, as they have no alternative work? Either they stop working or they work and do not fast, so what is the solution? May Allah reward you.

Answer (Imam Rushdī Salīm al-Qalam):

If someone is able to stop working during the daytime in Ramaḍān then he should do so. If he has to provide for a wife, children, mother, father, then he should work and make the intention to fast. If it becomes hard for him then he should break his fast. It should also be noted that many harvesters work from dawn to just after sunrise and then stop in order to complete their fast. If one can do this, it is better.

Question:

I work in the oil and gas sector in a foreign country and the nature of my work is to be in the desert. My working hours are from 6:30 am until 8 pm. These days, the temperature is very high, almost 50° Celsius, and the company is not Muslim. Is it permissible for me not to fast and to make up the days afterwards, with the knowledge that I have to be at my workstation for eight hours every day and this could lead to a loss of consciousness if I become extremely thirsty (and with the knowledge that the fast is from 4 am until 9 pm, i.e. almost seventeen hours)? Please give me a fatwā and may Allah reward you.

Answer (Imam Rushdī Salīm al-Qalam):

You must begin every day by fasting, with a correct intention, and if you are not able to complete your fast because of the difficulties your work places upon you, you break it. This is the ruling for anyone who has a hard job and it has nothing to do with one’s working hours, for people are different in terms of ability and what they can bear and be patient with.

Question:

Are there any facilitations for someone who has to fast more than nineteen hours a day? I live and work in a European country (Belarus) and my working day lasts between 10 and 12 hours. If there are no facilitations then may Allah help me. May Allah allow you to remain as pillars for Islam and the Muslims.

Answer (Imam Rushdī Salīm al-Qalam):

Our Lord has said, “Any of you who are resident for the month must fast it.” [al-Baqarah 2:185] You are obligated to fast, and Allah has not placed any hardship upon you in the Religion,[1] and if, on some days, the difficulty is such that you are not able to complete your fast, break it and make it up afterwards, before the following Ramaḍān. I ask Allah to assist you and to strengthen your obedience to Him. Peace.

Question:

A man is over seventy-five years of age! Is he allowed not to fast in Ramaḍān? Please direct my question to either Sheikh Muḥammad Shuqayr or Sheikh Dr Muḥammad Tawfīq al-Būṭī, may Allah preserve them.

Answer (Imam Muḥammad Tawfīq Ramaḍān):

The issue has nothing to do with someone’s age. Rather, it has to do with the extent of one’s ability to fast. If one can bear the fast and is able to do it, he is obligated to fast. If his body cannot bear the fast and would be harmed by it, it is permissible for him not to fast and to pay the fidyah, and Allah knows best.
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[1] (tn): Please see Sūrat al-Ḥajj 22:78

More Fatawa on Ramadan and Fasting

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