Question:

Dear Shaykh,
In some countries the days are very long, sometimes longer than 20 hours [between fajr and maghrib]. What is the ruling on fasting during these days? What is one to do if such a fast affects one’s ability to work, and is burdensome or unbearable?

Answer:

If the day is very long but still has a clear daytime and a clear night [i.e., true night, with the disappearance of shafaq, or twilight glow, from the horizon], then there is no sharia text indicating the permissibility of breaking fast; rather, the legally capable and obliged person must remain fasting.

However, if true burden afflicts him, it is permissible to break the fast and make up his fast on another day, similar to agreed upon difficulties such as travel and illness.

This is what the Hanafis said in the case of extreme hunger and thirst, and likewise what the later Malikis held with regard to those engaged in difficult work which is indispensable [to their livelihood and/or that of others] and which they must definitely attend to. Examples such as shepherds or those those who dig wells are commonly given in the books of fiqh.

The indication of fasting, legally speaking, is the night and the day, so they must be considered.

On the whole, the issue of fasting during a long day is an individual matter and not a matter of society because it is linked to hardship [on a personal basis]. Thus whomever deems it possible for himself to fast then he must fast; whereas he who suffers from hardship begins the day fasting and only breaks his fast if and when the hardship becomes moderate to severe according to his assessment and ability (such as the inability of a worker to complete his work, for example). He is then liable to make up any fasts which he has broken (‘alayhi al-qada’).

Then, at that time, it is permissible for them to break the fast based on this hardship, and not on the basis of the length of the day.

Translated by Yusuf Lenfest

Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah, President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies in the UAE and Chairman of the Emirates Fatwa Council received on Monday April 29th the prestigious ‘Ambassador for Liberty and Peace International Award’ at the Palais Des Nations in Geneva.

The award was in recognition of the Shaykh’s role in promoting peace and human rights, in particular freedom of religion and belief; as well as preventing atrocities and violent extremism based on the abuse of religion.

The award was presented at the Second Global Summit on Religion, Peace and Security, hosted by the United Nations. The event was attended by religious actors, government officials, human rights experts and academicians who met to discuss the theme of “Building Bridges, Fostering Inclusivity and Countering Hate Speech to Enhance the Protection of Religious Minorities, Refugees and Migrants.”

“What happened in New Zealand and Sri Lanka is senseless terrorism, which every single time lays bare its barbaric and savage nature, which only serves to emphasize the fact that nothing unites terrorists except departure from religion and a spirit of hatred for humanity,” said Bin Bayyah in his ceremonial speech.

“The most powerful weapon with which to counter this is keeping the fire of hope alive in our hearts, not to allow the intractable disease of despair to take over our souls, and to be aware of the fact that we are like passengers on a ship, united by a common destiny and a common course, such that in order for some to survive all must survive,” he added.

Bin Bayyah also pointed to the Marrakesh Declaration of January 2016 as an important mechanism to make citizenship the basis of rights and duties, and its emphasis on contractual citizenship in Muslim societies.