disliked, although the correct view is that it is not disliked, because onions are lawful.
“Whoever is observing an obligatory fast should offer supplication and depart. One observing a voluntary fast may break his fast if doing so will gratify the host, and eating is not obligatory.”
His statement, “Whoever is observing an obligatory fast should offer supplication and depart,” means that a person whose fast is obligatory should accept the invitation, but he should not eat, because it is not permissible to interrupt an obligatory fast. This includes someone making up missed fasts from Ramadan who is invited to a wedding feast while fasting; someone fasting as expiation for an oath who is invited to a wedding feast while fasting; and someone who must fast three days as compensation for committing a prohibited act, and is invited while fasting. All such people should attend, but they should not eat, because an obligatory fast may not be interrupted.
The juristic principle is that whoever begins an obligatory act must complete it, whereas whoever begins a voluntary act is not required to complete it—except for Hajj and ‘umrah, and likewise jihad according to the view of some scholars. However, he should supplicate for the host in an appropriate manner. If he knows the transmitted supplication, that is better; otherwise, he should offer whatever supplication is suitable.
His statement, “and depart”: should he leave before the meal is served, after it is served, or should he sit with the people without eating? The apparent meaning of the author’s words is that he should leave beforehand and not remain, because if he stays with the people without eating, there may be a fear of showing off. Moreover, if he tells the people that his fast is obligatory, that may not be appropriate.
But it may be said that this depends on the person’s circumstances. If his absence from the feast would be noticed, then he should sit and join the people as they begin eating, but not eat himself. Rather, he may serve those sitting with him—for example, offering stew to one, meat to another, and bread to another—so that perhaps they will not notice him. For if the person whose absence would be noticed is, for example, a neighbor, a relative, or a close friend, then if he does not come, the people will talk and say, “Why did his neighbor, relative, or friend not come? And what…”