The ruling on a traveler who stays in a place for more than four days
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Question: His Eminence, Shaykh Abdul Aziz ibn Baz (may Allah preserve him, guide him, and grant him success in what He loves and is pleased with).
Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings, and after that:
We approach Your Eminence to seek a ruling on a matter we previously brought to Your Eminence and asked about, but some people objected and mentioned that you had issued a ruling on such a matter different from what you previously told us. Therefore, we were not reassured except by asking the question again. We are Bedouins who reside in the Qassim region at times and move with our herds, as is the custom of the Bedouins. We have date palms in a village on the road to the Hijaz, near Wadi al-Faraj. We descend to them when the fruit is ready until we harvest the dates, and the period lasts from one month to a month and a half. Then we go to our livestock and our families in the desert. During our stay for the summer and the harvest, we do not bring our families with us. Your Eminence previously gave us a verbal ruling that there is no objection to shortening the prayer and breaking the fast, so we acted according to that ruling for three years, especially since you did not give us the ruling until after we repeated the question and you investigated the matter with us regarding our settling and moving, and the description of our stay and travel. Some people confused the issue for us and came to us with the opposite of what you previously told us. Since the matter is great and a pillar of Islam is built upon it, we hope for a ruling from Your Eminence once again, and for the answer to be clarified after this question. May Allah preserve you.
Answer: And upon you be peace, and Allah’s mercy and blessings, and after that:
I have reviewed the letter explained on the back of this paper, submitted by the brother M. R. H. in the handwriting of Shaykh A. S. A., regarding the ruling on breaking the fast and shortening the prayer for those who travel from distances considered travel to their date palms in a village on the outskirts of the Hijaz, near Wadi al-Faraj. I had given them a verbal ruling years ago that they may shorten the prayer and break the fast, even though they stay at their date palms for between one month and a month and a half for the summer and harvesting the fruit. They heard from some people the opposite of what I had ruled for them, and they wished to verify that.
The answer: I previously believed that there is no explicit evidence from the Book or the Sunnah specifying a duration of stay for a traveler during his journey, and I used to rule on the basis of that that it is permissible for a traveler to shorten the prayer and break the fast if he stays during his journey for some needs, even if he intends to stay for more than four days. However, I do not remember that I gave you a ruling on this specific matter, and perhaps you are truthful in what you said. But I would like to inform you that I now consider it more cautious for a traveler, if he intends to stay in any place for more than four days, to complete the prayer and fast, in order to block the means by which many ignorant people have become lax in shortening the prayer and breaking the fast under the claim that they are travelers, while they are staying for a long period. This is the most cautious position in my view, to block this means, and to avoid the disagreement of the majority of scholars who say that a traveler, once he intends to stay for a period exceeding four days, has no right to shorten the prayer or break the fast in Ramadan. Caution in religion is required by the Shari'ah when the evidence is ambiguous or hidden; due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan an-Nasa'i 5711Sahih (Darussalam). And his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Bulugh al-Maram 16:32.
And I ask Allah to grant everyone success in understanding His religion and steadfastness upon it, for He is the All-Hearing, the Near.
And peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The General President of the Departments of Research
Scientific, Ifta, Da'wah, and Guidance
Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baz
Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings, and after that:
We approach Your Eminence to seek a ruling on a matter we previously brought to Your Eminence and asked about, but some people objected and mentioned that you had issued a ruling on such a matter different from what you previously told us. Therefore, we were not reassured except by asking the question again. We are Bedouins who reside in the Qassim region at times and move with our herds, as is the custom of the Bedouins. We have date palms in a village on the road to the Hijaz, near Wadi al-Faraj. We descend to them when the fruit is ready until we harvest the dates, and the period lasts from one month to a month and a half. Then we go to our livestock and our families in the desert. During our stay for the summer and the harvest, we do not bring our families with us. Your Eminence previously gave us a verbal ruling that there is no objection to shortening the prayer and breaking the fast, so we acted according to that ruling for three years, especially since you did not give us the ruling until after we repeated the question and you investigated the matter with us regarding our settling and moving, and the description of our stay and travel. Some people confused the issue for us and came to us with the opposite of what you previously told us. Since the matter is great and a pillar of Islam is built upon it, we hope for a ruling from Your Eminence once again, and for the answer to be clarified after this question. May Allah preserve you.
Answer: And upon you be peace, and Allah’s mercy and blessings, and after that:
I have reviewed the letter explained on the back of this paper, submitted by the brother M. R. H. in the handwriting of Shaykh A. S. A., regarding the ruling on breaking the fast and shortening the prayer for those who travel from distances considered travel to their date palms in a village on the outskirts of the Hijaz, near Wadi al-Faraj. I had given them a verbal ruling years ago that they may shorten the prayer and break the fast, even though they stay at their date palms for between one month and a month and a half for the summer and harvesting the fruit. They heard from some people the opposite of what I had ruled for them, and they wished to verify that.
The answer: I previously believed that there is no explicit evidence from the Book or the Sunnah specifying a duration of stay for a traveler during his journey, and I used to rule on the basis of that that it is permissible for a traveler to shorten the prayer and break the fast if he stays during his journey for some needs, even if he intends to stay for more than four days. However, I do not remember that I gave you a ruling on this specific matter, and perhaps you are truthful in what you said. But I would like to inform you that I now consider it more cautious for a traveler, if he intends to stay in any place for more than four days, to complete the prayer and fast, in order to block the means by which many ignorant people have become lax in shortening the prayer and breaking the fast under the claim that they are travelers, while they are staying for a long period. This is the most cautious position in my view, to block this means, and to avoid the disagreement of the majority of scholars who say that a traveler, once he intends to stay for a period exceeding four days, has no right to shorten the prayer or break the fast in Ramadan. Caution in religion is required by the Shari'ah when the evidence is ambiguous or hidden; due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt.
دع ما يريبك إلى ما لا يريبكSo he, who saves himself from these doubtful things, saves his religion and his honor
من اتقى الشبهات فقد استبرأ لدينه وعرضهAnd I ask Allah to grant everyone success in understanding His religion and steadfastness upon it, for He is the All-Hearing, the Near.
And peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The General President of the Departments of Research
Scientific, Ifta, Da'wah, and Guidance
Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baz
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.