Breaking the Fast and Fasting While Traveling by Airplane and Other Means
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
I ask Allah for your sake: if the travel is not obligatory, is it better for him to break his fast?
The Shaykh:
Yes, absolutely. It is better to break the fast while traveling. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say, "Adhere to the prayer that is made easy for you," and he said, "It is not righteousness to fast while traveling." Yes. May Allah reward you. O Shaykh, if the travel is by airplane and the flight duration is one hour, may Allah reward you, is it better for him to break his fast or to abstain, may Allah reward you? If he is in the country where he lands and stays for a period that prevents fasting, then if he abstains, there is no harm, so that the day is not wasted for him. But if he is a traveler who goes for 'Umrah and takes one or two days, he is a traveler, and it is better for him to break his fast. And if he lands in the country and wants to fast, there is no harm, if there is no hardship. May Allah reward you. This is a broad matter. If there is hardship, then if he breaks his fast, there is no harm, and it is better. And if he abstains, there is no harm. Is that correct? When is the recommendation, may Allah forgive you, to break the fast? Yes. In the state of travel, absolutely, breaking the fast is better. But with severe hardship, breaking the fast becomes more emphasized. And with fear and great hardship, breaking the fast becomes obligatory, due to his saying (peace and blessings be upon him), "Whoever begins fasting and then travels..." Yes.
I ask Allah for your sake: if the travel is not obligatory, is it better for him to break his fast?
The Shaykh:
Yes, absolutely. It is better to break the fast while traveling. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say, "Adhere to the prayer that is made easy for you," and he said, "It is not righteousness to fast while traveling." Yes. May Allah reward you. O Shaykh, if the travel is by airplane and the flight duration is one hour, may Allah reward you, is it better for him to break his fast or to abstain, may Allah reward you? If he is in the country where he lands and stays for a period that prevents fasting, then if he abstains, there is no harm, so that the day is not wasted for him. But if he is a traveler who goes for 'Umrah and takes one or two days, he is a traveler, and it is better for him to break his fast. And if he lands in the country and wants to fast, there is no harm, if there is no hardship. May Allah reward you. This is a broad matter. If there is hardship, then if he breaks his fast, there is no harm, and it is better. And if he abstains, there is no harm. Is that correct? When is the recommendation, may Allah forgive you, to break the fast? Yes. In the state of travel, absolutely, breaking the fast is better. But with severe hardship, breaking the fast becomes more emphasized. And with fear and great hardship, breaking the fast becomes obligatory, due to his saying (peace and blessings be upon him), "Whoever begins fasting and then travels..." Yes.
Source
شرح كتاب المنتقى من أخبار المصطفى صلى الله عليه وسلم [ الشرح الأول ]، بداية من باب التحفظ من الغيبة واللغو وما يقول إذا شتم — islamhouse.com (49:52)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.