A doctor who works from early morning until near the night prayer, and whose work is tiring in surgery; where he stands for about four hours in the operating room

The questioner : A second question: A doctor who works from morning until near the night prayer, and whose work is tiring in surgery; where he stands for about four hours in the operating room; is it permissible for him to break his fast in Ramadan and then pay the expiation?

The Shaykh : It is not permissible. He must organize his work so that it does not prevent him from doing what Allah has made obligatory upon him. And we can say something else: he should fast with the Muslims and eat the pre-dawn meal. If something occurs to him during his work that compels him to break his fast, he breaks it; because in this case, his ruling is the ruling of the sick person. But he should not make that his habit and custom; meaning, if he knows from his experience that if he eats the pre-dawn meal every day, the result is that he is compelled to break his fast every day; then he must adjust his working hours at that time. And when I say this, I know that he is an employee, but I imagine two things: one is certain, and the other is doubtful, unless we assume the best. As for... as for the certain thing, it is this Muslim doctor... he does not fast except out of fear of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He); and therefore he fears that he would be disobeying Allah (Mighty and Majestic) if he breaks his fast without a legal excuse.
The excuse that justifies for the fasting Muslim to break his fast is one of two things: either illness or travel. If we assume that this doctor, previously described with the length of his working hours and his severe fatigue, this man is not traveling and is not sick, then he must, as we said, fast every day except if he is exposed to illness; then he must adjust his work and reduce his working hours. This is what I meant; because it is a certain matter; because we know that he is a fasting man.
As for the doubtful thing, it is the department in which he works. For we, with great regret, complain about many departments in which Muslim employees work that they do not consider the rights or the protection of the Muslims, and that they do not develop the methods and work systems of the employees in their departments so that the work of these people does not differ or conflict with the legal orders. So the continuation of this man for all these hours, while it is not a practical system recognized; because we know that work, however long it is, is expressed as six hours, eight hours. So how does he work from morning until evening? So one of two things: if this is imposed on him by his department, then this department must adjust what it imposed on him so that he is not compelled to break his fast if he fasts. But if it is, as occurred to me last, that he works extra hours as they say, then the treatment is in his hand at that time. He must not work these extra hours so that it does not expose him to the legal violation; which is breaking the fast.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : And beware of that.