Al-Mawrid Queries

Questions and Answers on Islam

Long Fasting Hours

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July 10, 2024

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Worship Rituals

Question

I want to draw your attention to coming Ramadan. In Canada, Sehr time will be roughly 4.15 AM and Iftaar time will be around 9 pm. That means fasting time will be more than 16 hours a day. Understandably it will hard to work as with such long fasting and low glucose levels, judgment can be impaired and one decision can be made where life of other human being is concerned. I have been asking different people but no body seems to have solution and can’t deviate from Quranic “sun rise” to “sun set” rule. I am sure it is not first time, we are facing such situation. People in Scandinavian might face “sunlight” for months and night for months, it is not possible to fast for months….. Can consensus be reached to decide how many hours one has to fast instead of sunrise to sunrise rule?

Answer

There is a practical problem here that makes any new Ijtihad practically useless. That is, Muslims in west (like those in east!) are not following any agreed upon single source for controversial issues like this. If this was not the case then I think we could see scholarly views and solutions that were based on number of hours rather than time between sun dawn and sunset. However in the absence of such source, the state of the anarchy and disunity that might have been caused as the result, close the door to any such fresh views.

The best practically feasible solution therefore is to apply the directive of the Qur’an re the allowance in the state of traveling or illness in this case. Verse 2:185 makes it very clear that when we cannot fast we can leave it for when it is feasible for us to fast. Therefore where fasting hours are extremely long those who cannot bear it can simply use this allowance to fast during shorter days of the year.

In terms of the possibility of harming another person and putting his life in danger by fasting (like for example a crucial surgery), given the sanctity of human life, many scholars have rightly allowed relaxation of fasting in these cases. Accordingly if the work of a person is so sensitive that not doing it correctly may put the life of others in danger, and if fasting has considerable effect on the quality of the work of such person, then in the absence of every other solution (e.g. a better diet during night, shifting the work towards early hours of the day, being excused from the difficult tasks during the month of Ramadhan, etc.) the person should refrain from fasting and do it at another time of the year when the days are shorter.

In case of places where there is no proper day and night in 24 hours, it only makes sense to use the sun dawn and sunset time of the closest place where there is proper day and night in 24 hours.

Answered by: Farhad Shafti

Date: 2015-02-11

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