a day of Ramadan to make up, and he says, “I will fast it tomorrow or the day after tomorrow,” we say: You have the choice of fasting tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

But if he fasts it tomorrow, he may not break that fast during the day in order to fast the day after tomorrow, because whoever begins an obligatory act is forbidden to discontinue it except for a legally recognized excuse.

The correct view is the first: he may break his fast if he travels during the day, for the reasons mentioned earlier. As for drawing an analogy with one who begins a make-up fast, it is an invalid analogy for two reasons. First, it conflicts with the textual evidence. Second, one who begins a make-up fast has begun an obligatory act and must therefore complete it, whereas the fast of a traveler is not obligatory, so he is not required to complete it.

But is it stipulated that he must leave his town? If he has resolved to travel and made his preparations, may he break his fast?

The answer is that there are also two views among the early generations regarding this. Some scholars held that he may break his fast once he has prepared for travel and has nothing left to do but mount his conveyance. They related this from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who used to do so (1). Yet, upon considering the verse, it becomes clear that this view is not sound, because at that point he has not yet become a traveler; he is still resident and present. Accordingly, he may not break his fast until he has left the houses of the town.

As for farms that are separate from the town, they are not considered part of it. Thus, once he has passed the houses and dwellings and the farms lie apart from them, he may break his fast. The essential point is that he must leave the town; before leaving it, he may not do so, because travel has not yet been realized.