The Ruling on Fasting and Breaking the Fast for the Mujahid in Battle

Question:
A questioner has two questions. In his first question, he asks: What is the ruling on fasting for the mujahid on the battlefield in the month of Ramadan? Is it obligatory for one who fights in the path of Allah in Ramadan to fast, or not?

Answer:
A group of scholars have issued a ruling on this, and Abu al-Abbas Ibn Taymiyyah, Shaykh al-Islam, supported it, stating that the mujahid may break his fast. If it is permissible for the traveler and the sick person to break their fast, then the mujahid is even more entitled to do so, because he is in a state that does not allow him to fast. They cited as evidence for this the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to his Companions when they approached Makkah: . He ordered them to break their fast and explained that breaking the fast would give them more strength. They said that this is a cause indicating the obligation of breaking the fast in times of war, even if one is in a settled area, and even if the one being attacked is in a settled area; because they—especially in the days of summer—cannot fight while fasting.
The point is that if they need to break their fast, they do so, and then they make it up afterwards. From the perspective of the cause, considering the cause, just as if a person finds someone drowning or on fire and cannot save him except by breaking his fast, he breaks his fast, even in a settled area, to save his brother who has fallen into the fire or the water or something similar. The point is that this is a valid and lawful cause, which is their strength to fight their enemy.