A general address to workers who perform heavy labor in the sun during Ramadan?
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Question:
Shaykh Salih, workers who do heavy labor, especially when they are in the sun, often ask this question: Is it permissible for them to break their fast? Some of them actually break their fast because they have heard here or there that it is permissible. Is there a general word of guidance you could please give us?
Answer:
It is not permissible to break the fast due to these heavy tasks as long as they are not among those mentioned by Allah in the Qur'an: the chronically ill, menstruating women, women with post-natal bleeding, a pregnant woman for whom the pregnancy is harmful to her or her fetus, and a nursing woman for whom breastfeeding is harmful to her or her fetus. These are the ones with valid excuses. As for the intense heat, while a person is healthy and sound in body, this does not permit them to break their fast. This is a matter in which some of the common people err, and some who lack knowledge and jurisprudence in the religion may issue a ruling on it, rushing in the matter of fatwa. This is a great defect. As we mentioned in the previous answer, fasting is obligatory despite the intense heat. However, if a person reaches a dangerous state during the day, he may consume what removes the danger from him, abstain for the rest of the day, and break his fast. If, however, Allah grants him the strength to complete the day, that is what is required. We also advise that a person should adjust his work to fit the fasting, not adjust the fasting to fit the work. For example, he can work at night during the nights of Ramadan, or lighten the work by working during the cool times at the beginning and end of the day, resting during the midday nap, and seeking shade. Or he can take a leave from work, granting himself a break from work in the month of Ramadan, and work after Ramadan. The Muslim is able to adjust his work to fit the fasting, because fasting is an obligation, and work has another time for it, and it can be managed and lightened. Yes. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good
Shaykh Salih, workers who do heavy labor, especially when they are in the sun, often ask this question: Is it permissible for them to break their fast? Some of them actually break their fast because they have heard here or there that it is permissible. Is there a general word of guidance you could please give us?
Answer:
It is not permissible to break the fast due to these heavy tasks as long as they are not among those mentioned by Allah in the Qur'an: the chronically ill, menstruating women, women with post-natal bleeding, a pregnant woman for whom the pregnancy is harmful to her or her fetus, and a nursing woman for whom breastfeeding is harmful to her or her fetus. These are the ones with valid excuses. As for the intense heat, while a person is healthy and sound in body, this does not permit them to break their fast. This is a matter in which some of the common people err, and some who lack knowledge and jurisprudence in the religion may issue a ruling on it, rushing in the matter of fatwa. This is a great defect. As we mentioned in the previous answer, fasting is obligatory despite the intense heat. However, if a person reaches a dangerous state during the day, he may consume what removes the danger from him, abstain for the rest of the day, and break his fast. If, however, Allah grants him the strength to complete the day, that is what is required. We also advise that a person should adjust his work to fit the fasting, not adjust the fasting to fit the work. For example, he can work at night during the nights of Ramadan, or lighten the work by working during the cool times at the beginning and end of the day, resting during the midday nap, and seeking shade. Or he can take a leave from work, granting himself a break from work in the month of Ramadan, and work after Ramadan. The Muslim is able to adjust his work to fit the fasting, because fasting is an obligation, and work has another time for it, and it can be managed and lightened. Yes. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، كلمة عامة للعمال الذين يعملون في رمضان أعمالاً شاقة تحت الشمس؟ الشيخ صالح بن فوزان الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.