Secondly, it also runs contrary to the way the scholars who transmitted the report understood it. Abū Dāwūd, for example, heads the chapter with the words, “Chapter: When does a traveler break the fast after setting out?”—plainly indicating that Abū Baṣrah had departed while still fasting and only then broke his fast. Al-Majd Ibn Taymiyyah gives it the title, “If a person commences a journey in the middle of the day, may he break his fast that day, and when may he do so?” Still clearer is the heading used by al-Bayhaqī, which will be cited shortly, God willing.

Thirdly, had Abū Baṣrah left home before dawn—as the Shaykh contends—this would mean he began his journey before the fast had become obligatory, for the condition of residence was not present. It is well established by explicit Qur’anic text and the consensus of the Muslims that such a traveler is allowed to eat after dawn; some scholars even hold that he must do so. If that were the case, could ʿUbayd b. Jubayr have objected to him with the words, “Do you not still see the houses?” Clearly, this remark proves that Abū Baṣrah set out while fasting, ate after dawn, and thereby broke the fast; ʿUbayd—may Allah have mercy on him—was merely drawing his attention to what he assumed was an impediment