Imam Aḥmad and his colleagues held that breaking the fast in Ramadan is preferable, even when no hardship is involved. They cite the Prophet’s words recorded by al-Bukhari (1844) and Muslim (1115), “It is not an act of righteousness to fast while travelling,” together with his statement, “Allah loves that His concessions be accepted” (Ahmad 5600).
Disagreement among the scholars:
The scholars differed over fasting in Ramadan while travelling, expressing three positions:
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The three imams maintained that fasting is superior. They argued that this was the practice of the Prophet ﷺ, that it discharges one’s obligation sooner, and that it is easier to perform since the community is fasting at the same time.
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Imam Aḥmad held that breaking the fast is preferable and that fasting while travelling is disliked, reasoning that it is a divine concession the Muslim should hasten to accept and enjoy. The Prophet ﷺ said, “It is a charity that Allah has bestowed upon you, so accept His charity” (Muslim 686).
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Some scholars considered both options permissible, citing the report in Muslim (1116) from Jābir: “We travelled with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; some of us fasted and some of us broke the fast, and neither group blamed the other.”
A further group said that the better of the two choices is whichever is easier for the traveller, invoking the verse, “Allah intends ease for you” (2:185).
The weightier view is that neither course is disliked unless fasting entails significant hardship or hinders one from performing virtuous deeds on the journey; in such circumstances, breaking the fast is better. For Anas reported in the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections: “We were with the Prophet ﷺ on a journey. Some of us were fasting, others were not. We halted on a hot day; the fasters collapsed, while the non-fasters rose, pitched the tents, and watered the mounts. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Today those who broke the fast—’”