How to Abstain and Break the Fast for Those Whose Days Are Long

Question: How should one act if their day lasts up to twenty-one hours? Do they estimate a time for fasting? And what should one do if their day is very short? Likewise, what about those whose day lasts six months and whose night lasts six months?

Answer: For those who have a night and a day within a twenty-four-hour period, they fast during their day, whether it is short or long, and that is sufficient for them, and praise be to Allah, even if the day is short.
As for those whose day and night last longer than that, such as six months, they estimate the times for fasting and prayer as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded regarding the day of the Dajjal, which is like a year, and likewise a day that is like a month or a week; they estimate the time for prayer in that manner.
The Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom has looked into this issue and issued Decision No. 61, dated 12/4/1398 AH, the text of which is as follows:
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger, his family, and his Companions. After that:
Presented to the Council of Senior Scholars in its twelfth session, held in Riyadh in the first days of Rabi' al-Akhir, 1398 AH, was a letter from His Excellency the Secretary-General of the World Islamic League in Makkah al-Mukarramah, No. 555, dated 16/1/1398 AH, containing what was stated in a letter from the President of the Association of Islamic Societies in the city of (Malmö) in Sweden. The letter indicates that in the Scandinavian countries, the day is long in summer and short in winter due to their geographical location. Also, in their northern regions, the sun does not set at all in summer, and the opposite occurs in winter. The Muslims there ask about how to break the fast and abstain in Ramadan, and how to determine the times of prayer in these countries. His Excellency requests that a fatwa be issued on this matter to provide it to them. End of quote.
Also presented to the Council was what was prepared by the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta, along with other statements from jurists on the subject. After reviewing, studying, and discussing, the Council decided the following:
First: For one who resides in a country where night and day are distinguished by the rising of the dawn and the setting of the sun, but whose day is very long in summer and short in winter, it is obligatory for him to pray the five prayers in their known times prescribed by the Shari'ah; due to the generality of the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Isra: 78], and His saying: [An-Nisa: 103]. And because it is established from Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that a man asked him about the time of prayer, so he said to him: meaning the two days. When the sun had passed its zenith, he ordered Bilal to call the adhan, then ordered him to give the iqamah for the Zuhr prayer, then ordered him to give the iqamah for the 'Asr prayer while the sun was high, white, and pure, then ordered him to give the iqamah for the Maghrib prayer when the sun had set, then ordered him to give the iqamah for the 'Isha' prayer when the twilight had disappeared, then ordered him to give the iqamah for the Fajr prayer when the dawn had appeared. When the second day came, he ordered him to delay the Zuhr prayer, and he was pleased that he delayed it, and he prayed the 'Asr prayer while the sun was high, delaying it beyond the previous time, and he prayed the Maghrib prayer before the twilight disappeared, and he prayed the 'Isha' prayer after a third of the night had passed, and he prayed the Fajr prayer when it was bright, then he said: The man said: I am, O Messenger of Allah. He said: Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
And from 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Narrated by Muslim in his Sahih; and other hadiths that were transmitted regarding the determination of the times of the five prayers, in words and deeds, which did not distinguish between a long day and a short day, or a long night and a short night, as long as the times of the prayers are distinguished by the signs indicated by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
This is regarding the determination of their prayer times.
As for the determination of their fasting times for the month of Ramadan, the obligated persons must abstain from food, drink, and all other things that break the fast from the rising of the dawn to the setting of the sun in their country, as long as the day is distinguished from the night in their country, and the total duration of both is twenty-four hours. It is permissible for them to eat, drink, have intercourse, and similar things only during their night, even if it is short. The Shari'ah of Islam is general for people in all countries. Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Baqarah: 187]. And whoever is unable to complete the fast of a day due to its length, or knows by signs or experience, or by the report of a trustworthy and skilled doctor, or is convinced that fasting will lead to his destruction or severe illness, or will lead to an increase in his illness or a delay in his recovery, he breaks the fast and makes up the days he did not fast in any month in which he is able to make them up. Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Baqarah: 185], and Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Baqarah: 286], and He said: [Al-Hajj: 78].
Second: For one who resides in a country where the sun does not set in summer or rise in winter, or in a country where the day lasts six months and the night lasts six months, for example, it is obligatory for them to pray the five prayers in every twenty-four-hour period, and to estimate their times and determine them by relying on the nearest country to them in which the times of the obligatory prayers are distinguished from one another; because it is established in the hadith of the Night Journey and Ascension that Allah the Exalted prescribed for this Ummah fifty prayers every day and night, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept asking his Lord for relief until He said: to the end of it.
And because it is established in the hadith of Talhah ibn 'Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: A man from the people of Najd came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) with his hair disheveled. We heard the sound of his voice but did not understand what he was saying, until he approached the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and it turned out he was asking about Islam. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He said: Is there anything else upon me? He said: The hadith.
And when it is established in the hadith of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "We were forbidden to ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about anything, and it pleased us that a man from the Bedouin, who was intelligent, would come and ask him while we listened. So a man from the Bedouin came and said: O Muhammad, your messenger came to us and claimed that you claim that Allah sent you. He said: until he said: And your messenger claimed that five prayers are obligatory upon us in our day and night. He said: 'He spoke the truth.' He said: By the One who sent you, did Allah command you with this? He said: the hadith.
And it is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed his Companions about the Messiah al-Dajjal, and they said: How long will he stay on earth? He said: It was said: O Messenger of Allah! The day that is like a year, is one day's prayer sufficient for us in it? He said: So the day that is like a year was not considered a single day in which five prayers are sufficient, but five prayers were made obligatory in it every twenty-four hours, and they were ordered to distribute them according to their times, considering the time intervals between their times in the ordinary day in their country.
Therefore, it is obligatory for the Muslims in the countries about which the determination of prayer times is asked to determine their prayer times by relying on the nearest country to them in which night is distinguished from day, and the times of the five prayers are known by their Shari'ah signs in every twenty-four-hour period.
Likewise, it is obligatory for them to fast the month of Ramadan, and they must estimate their fasting, determining the beginning and end of the month of Ramadan, and the beginning of abstaining and breaking the fast in each day of it, by the beginning and end of the month, and by the rising of the dawn and the setting of the sun in the nearest country to them in which night is distinguished from day, and the total of both is twenty-four hours; due to what preceded in the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about the Messiah al-Dajjal and his guidance to his Companions in it regarding how to determine the times of prayer in it, as there is no difference between fasting and prayer. And Allah is the guarantor of success. And may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
The Council of Senior Scholars