Is it permissible for a fighter pilot who intends to travel for the purpose of training to break his fast on a day in Ramadan from his home?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : As for me, I am a fighter pilot; my job is a fighter pilot and an instructor in fighter aviation. When Ramadan comes, the training must continue, otherwise the skill of the pilots is lost. So the training must continue, and we must be ready to fly while fasting. If a traveler travels a distance of eight parasangs, is he allowed to break his fast, yes or no? We fly more than one thousand five hundred miles, but within a limited circle, perhaps around sixty parasangs or something like that. Our flying is divided into two sections: a section that requires effort, such as combat or simulating aerial battles, and a second section that does not require great effort. If the training is in the difficult section, meaning one breaks his fast because of this training, but if the sorties do not require great effort, some of us fast, so the majority fast, and some of us break our fast. So is fasting better if one is able to do so, or is breaking the fast better? And if breaking the fast is permissible, is it allowed for me to break my fast an hour and a half or two hours before the sortie, or should I wait? Because if I wait until the time of the sortie, the traveler, if he wants to break his fast, must break it after he leaves the town, after he starts the journey and goes outside the houses, then he breaks his fast. And if he arrives at the second town and the people are abstaining, he must abstain. But we have blood sugar levels and these things, and one must take time, from one hour until one is at full strength and completeness. So what is the ruling in this case?
The Shaykh : The flying you mentioned and confined to some parasangs, whether many or few, this is not important; the parasangs are not the issue. Rather, we say: if your flying is considered travel in the custom of the people of the town, then you are a traveler, or you are not a traveler.
The questioner : It is not considered travel.
The Shaykh : Every answer has its place. You be patient. For example, your flying from Makkah to al-Madinah, this is travel, there is no doubt in it, correct?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Your flying from Makkah to Jeddah, I say it is not travel. It is known among you that it is not travel.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, if it is necessary, we must distinguish between your departure in your plane being travel, and it not being travel, clear?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, in the case where your departure is travel, there is no problem, because[Al-Baqarah 2:184] and all the talk I mentioned regarding this scenario is not needed for us. So we address the other scenario, which is not travel. So let us assume that the training you want to perform is of this type that is not travel, whether it is in a straight line, for example, from here to Jeddah, or circling around the town, he is certainly not a traveler. Here we say it is not permissible for him except to have the pre-dawn meal, meaning to perform the obligation of fasting, because he is a resident and not a traveler. If he cannot withstand these trainings, if they are of the heavy type you described, it is permissible for him to break his fast. But to break his fast in advance, and not have the pre-dawn meal, this has no excuse in the Shari'ah at all. And the fact that he may be exposed to this is not considered in the Shari'ah, because he may be exposed to it and may not be, and this is knowledge with my Lord. And you are a resident and not a traveler, so he must treat himself as a traveler. Clear up to here?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, but there was a phrase in your speech that must be corrected, because it appears to be a common misconception in the first scenario. If you are on a long journey that is considered travel, as we mentioned earlier, you may break your fast in your home before you leave. Did you understand this benefit?
The questioner : Yes, yes.
The Shaykh : Meaning, fasting for the traveler is not like prayer. You do not enter into the ruling regarding prayer until after you leave your town. But regarding fasting, you may break your fast while you have not yet moved from your town.
The questioner : As long as the intention is to travel.
The Shaykh : As long as the intention is to travel. Whether you are a pilot or a car driver, or riding an animal, do you see how it is? But you prepared yourself from the morning and before the pre-dawn meal, wanting to travel, so you may not have the pre-dawn meal, and you may eat after Fajr as long as you are determined to travel.
The questioner : And shortening the prayer is outside the dwellings.
The Shaykh : Outside the dwellings, you cross the boundaries of the town, then the rulings of prayer begin. As for breaking the fast, you may break your fast while you are in your home. I think I have answered your question.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : And welcome, okay, why are you stingy with us? Can you give the women news that we are ready to leave in ten minutes?
The questioner : Should they prepare ten minutes after Maghrib, or from now?
The Shaykh : ... These are your diwans, they never end, O Abu Sadiq. Okay, let us take the opportunity.
The Shaykh : The flying you mentioned and confined to some parasangs, whether many or few, this is not important; the parasangs are not the issue. Rather, we say: if your flying is considered travel in the custom of the people of the town, then you are a traveler, or you are not a traveler.
The questioner : It is not considered travel.
The Shaykh : Every answer has its place. You be patient. For example, your flying from Makkah to al-Madinah, this is travel, there is no doubt in it, correct?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Your flying from Makkah to Jeddah, I say it is not travel. It is known among you that it is not travel.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, if it is necessary, we must distinguish between your departure in your plane being travel, and it not being travel, clear?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, in the case where your departure is travel, there is no problem, because
So whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them] - then an equal number of days [are to be made up]
فمن كان منكم مريضا أو على سفر فعدة من أيام آخرThe questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Okay, but there was a phrase in your speech that must be corrected, because it appears to be a common misconception in the first scenario. If you are on a long journey that is considered travel, as we mentioned earlier, you may break your fast in your home before you leave. Did you understand this benefit?
The questioner : Yes, yes.
The Shaykh : Meaning, fasting for the traveler is not like prayer. You do not enter into the ruling regarding prayer until after you leave your town. But regarding fasting, you may break your fast while you have not yet moved from your town.
The questioner : As long as the intention is to travel.
The Shaykh : As long as the intention is to travel. Whether you are a pilot or a car driver, or riding an animal, do you see how it is? But you prepared yourself from the morning and before the pre-dawn meal, wanting to travel, so you may not have the pre-dawn meal, and you may eat after Fajr as long as you are determined to travel.
The questioner : And shortening the prayer is outside the dwellings.
The Shaykh : Outside the dwellings, you cross the boundaries of the town, then the rulings of prayer begin. As for breaking the fast, you may break your fast while you are in your home. I think I have answered your question.
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : And welcome, okay, why are you stingy with us? Can you give the women news that we are ready to leave in ten minutes?
The questioner : Should they prepare ten minutes after Maghrib, or from now?
The Shaykh : ... These are your diwans, they never end, O Abu Sadiq. Okay, let us take the opportunity.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.