What is the ruling on traveling during Ramadan for the purpose of breaking the fast?

The questioner : What is the ruling on traveling in the month of Ramadan for the purpose of breaking the fast, and we would like to know how that is done?

The Shaykh : Fasting is originally obligatory for a person; indeed, it is a fard (obligatory) and one of the pillars of Islam, as is well known. A thing that is obligatory in the Shari'ah is not permissible for a person to resort to a ruse to drop it from himself. So, whoever travels in order to break his fast, the travel is haram (forbidden) for him, and breaking the fast is likewise haram (forbidden) for him. He must repent to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, return from his travel, and fast. If he does not return, he is required to fast even if he is traveling. The summary of the answer is that it is not permissible for a person to resort to a ruse to break his fast in Ramadan by traveling, because resorting to a ruse to drop an obligation does not drop it, just as resorting to a ruse to commit a haram (forbidden) act does not make it mubah (permissible). It is better to hasten than to delay, because a person does not know what may befall him, and hastening to make up what he owes of the fasting debt is more cautious and more zealous for good. Were it not for the hadith of 'Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) , were it not for this hadith, we would have held that it is obligatory to hasten in making up the fast. This hadith indicates that one who has something owed from Ramadan should not delay it until the second Ramadan, and that is the case. So, it is not permissible for a person who has a make-up fast from Ramadan to delay it until another Ramadan, except for an excuse, such as if he remains ill and unable to fast, or if a woman is nursing and unable to fast, in which case there is no blame on her for delaying the make-up of the third Ramadan until after the second Ramadan.