Bidāyat al-Mujtahid - Ibn Rushd - (2/58)

Bidāyat al-MujtahidIbn Rushd

—of other days, should he break his fast.
Both sides bolster their preferred reading with transmitted reports that testify to each understanding, although the basic rule is to keep words upon their literal sense until evidence requires that they be taken figuratively.

The majority support their opinion with the authentic ḥadīth of Anas:
“We journeyed with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) during Ramadan, and the one who was fasting did not censure the one who broke his fast, nor did the one who broke his fast reproach the one who was fasting.”
They also cite his statement:
“The Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would travel; some of them would fast and others would break the fast.”

The Ẓāhirīs, for their part, appeal to the sound report from Ibn ʿAbbās:
“The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) travelled to Mecca in the year of the Conquest during Ramadan. He fasted until he reached al-Kadīd, then he broke his fast, and so the people broke theirs.”
Holding fast to the most recent directives of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), they argue that this shows the fasting of a traveler has been abrogated.

Abū ʿUmar replied: “The rebuttal to the Ẓāhirīs is their own consensus that if a sick person fasts, his fast is valid and discharges the duty.”

The second issue is whether fasting or breaking the fast is superior. If, following the majority, we say that the traveler is among those permitted to break the fast, the jurists then split into three positions:
• Some held that fasting is better; this was the view of Mālik, Abū Ḥanīfah, and others.
• Others maintained that breaking the fast is better; among them were Aḥmad and a number of scholars.
• A third group considered the matter a true choice, with neither option intrinsically superior.

Their disagreement stems from two tensions: the inferred rationale seems to conflict with the outward sense of certain transmitted texts, and those texts themselves appear to clash with one another. The discernible wisdom behind allowing a traveler to break the fast is that it is a concession meant to remove hardship, and with concessions the better course is usually to forego them. This is supported by the narration of Hamzah ibn ʿAmr al-Aslamī, recorded by Muslim, in which he said:
“O Messenger of Allah, I find myself strong enough to fast while travelling; would I be at fault if I did so?” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, “It is a concession from Allah: whoever avails himself of it has done well, and whoever prefers to fast incurs no blame.”

As for the Prophet’s statement, “Righteousness is not that you fast while travelling,” and the fact that his last recorded practice was to break the fast, these might lead one to think that breaking the fast is superior. Yet, because breaking the fast is merely the exercise of a permissible option rather than a commanded act, the majority found it difficult to deem what is merely permissible superior to what is governed by a legal ruling.

أُخَرَ إِذَا أَفْطَرَ. وَكِلَا الْفَرِيقَيْنِ يُرَجِّحُ تَأْوِيلَهُ بِالْآثَارِ الشَّاهِدَةِ لِكِلَا الْمَفْهُومَيْنِ. وَإِنْ كَانَ الْأَصْلُ هُوَ أَنْ يُحْمَلَ الشَّيْءُ عَلَى الْحَقِيقَةِ حَتَّى يَدُلَّ الدَّلِيلُ عَلَى حَمْلِهِ عَلَى الْمَجَازِ. أَمَّا الْجُمْهُورُ فَيَحْتَجُّونَ لِمَذْهَبِهِمْ بِمَا ثَبَتَ مِنْ حَدِيثِ أَنَسٍ قَالَ: «سَافَرْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فِي رَمَضَانَ فَلَمْ يَعِبِ الصَّائِمُ عَلَى الْمُفْطِرِ وَلَا الْمُفْطِرُ عَلَى الصَّائِمِ» . وَبِمَا ثَبَتَ عَنْهُ أَيْضًا أَنَّهُ قَالَ: كَانَ أَصْحَابُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - يُسَافِرُونَ فَيَصُومُ بَعْضُهُمْ وَيُفْطِرُ بَعْضُهُمْ. وَأَهْلُ الظَّاهِرِ يَحْتَجُّونَ لِمَذْهَبِهِمْ بِمَا ثَبَتَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: «أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - سَافَرَ إِلَى مَكَّةَ عَاَمَ الْفَتْحِ فِي رَمَضَانَ، فَصَامَ حَتَّى بَلَغَ الْكَدِيدَ ثُمَّ أَفْطَرَ فَأَفْطَرَ النَّاسُ» . وَكَانُوا يَأْخُذُونَ بِالْأَحْدَثِ فَالْأَحْدَثِ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -. قَالُوا: وَهَذَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى نَسْخِ الصَّوْمِ. قَالَ أَبُو عُمَرَ: وَالْحُجَّةُ عَلَى أَهْلِ الظَّاهِرِ إِجْمَاعُهُمْ عَلَى أَنَّ الْمَرِيضَ إِذَا صَامَ أَجْزَأَهُ صَوْمُهُ. وَأَمَّا الْمَسْأَلَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ: وَهِيَ هَلِ الصَّوْمُ أَفْضَلُ أَوِ الْفِطْرُ؟ إِذَا قُلْنَا: إِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْفِطَرِ عَلَى مَذْهَبِ الْجُمْهُورِ; فَإِنَّهُمُ اخْتَلَفُوا فِي ذَلِكَ عَلَى ثَلَاثَةِ مَذَاهِبَ: فَبَعْضُهُمْ رَأَى أَنَّ الصَّوْمَ أَفْضَلُ، وَمِمَّنْ قَالَ بِهَذَا الْقَوْلِ مَالِكٌ وَأَبُو حَنِيفَةَ. وَبَعْضُهُمْ رَأَى أَنَّ الْفِطْرَ أَفْضَلُ، وَمِمَّنْ قَالَ بِهَذَا الْقَوْلِ أَحْمَدُ وَجَمَاعَةٌ. وَبَعْضُهُمْ رَأَى أَنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى التَّخْيِيرِ، وَأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَفْضَلَ. وَالسَّبَبُ فِي اخْتِلَافِهِمْ: مُعَارَضَةُ الْمَفْهُومِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ لِظَاهِرِ بَعْضِ الْمَنْقُولِ، وَمُعَارَضَةُ الْمَنْقُولِ بَعْضِهِ لِبَعْضٍ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْمَعْنَى الْمَعْقُولَ مِنْ إِجَازَةِ الْفِطْرِ لِلصَّائِمِ إِنَّمَا هُوَ الرُّخْصَةُ لَهُ لِمَكَانِ رَفْعِ الْمَشَقَّةِ عَنْهُ، وَمَا كَانَ رُخْصَةً فَالْأَفْضَلُ تَرْكُ الرُّخْصَةِ، وَيَشْهَدُ لِهَذَا حَدِيثُ حَمْزَةَ بْنِ عَمْرٍو الْأَسْلَمِيِّ خَرَّجَهُ مُسْلِمٌ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَجِدُ فِيَّ قُوَّةً عَلَى الصِّيَامِ فِي السَّفَرِ فَهَلْ عَلَيَّ مِنْ جُنَاحٌ؟ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: هِيَ رُخْصَةٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ فَمَنْ أَخَذَ بِهَا فَحَسَنٌ، وَمَنْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَصُومَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ» وَأَمَّا مَا وَرَدَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ - عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ -: «لَيْسَ الْبَرَّ أَنْ تَصُومَ فِي السَّفَرِ» ، وَمِنْ أَنَّ آخِرَ فِعْلِهِ - عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ - كَانَ الْفِطْرُ، فَيُوهِمُ أَنَّ الْفِطْرَ أَفْضَلُ، لَكِنَّ الْفِطْرَ لَمَّا كَانَ لَيْسَ حُكْمًا وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ مِنْ فِعْلِ الْمُبَاحِ عَسُرَ عَلَى الْجُمْهُورِ أَنْ يَضَعُوا الْمُبَاحَ أَفْضَلَ مِنَ الْحُكْمِ.