to breaking the fast—namely, his thinking that he was still treated as a resident because they had not yet passed beyond the houses. Abū Baṣrah, however, informed him that leaving the built-up area is not a condition and that clinging to it contradicts the Sunnah.

Such is the meaning that can be gleaned from the report once we set aside caprice and blind conformity, and it is the meaning the scholars understood, as I noted in the first point. Al-Bayhaqī’s own heading for the narration bears this out: “Chapter: One who says the traveler may break the fast even if he leaves after dawn.”

This explicit wording decisively refutes the sense the Shaykh forced upon the hadith. It also shows that—contrary to the appearance he gives—the Shaykh is exerting himself to interpret the traditions in a manner that, may Allah guide us all aright, effectively dismantles them and nullifies their purport so that they do not conflict with his school. For him the madhhab is primary and the hadith secondary, which is the opposite of how a Muslim should proceed, as was pointed out earlier ⦗37⦘ and contrary to the practice of fair-minded scholars, even among those known for their strong adherence to a particular school.