This, then, is the ruling on fasting while travelling. The word “travel” applies equally to one who goes for ʿumrah and to one who journeys for any other purpose, whether his travelling is continuous or only occasional. On this basis, cargo-truck drivers may break the fast even though they are constantly on the road, for they still have a hometown to which they return. The moment a man leaves his hometown, he is deemed a traveller. Should someone ask, “When, then, do they fast?” our answer is: they fast during the short winter days, or once they have returned to their own town.
- Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Allah, the Exalted, has declared: ‘Every deed of the son of Adam is for him—except fasting; it is Mine, and I Myself reward for it. Fasting is a shield. So when any one of you is observing a fast, let him neither indulge in obscene speech nor raise his voice. If someone insults him or tries to fight him, let him simply say, ‘I am fasting.’ By the One in whose hand is Muhammad’s soul, the odor that comes from the mouth of a fasting person is more pleasing to Allah than the scent of musk. The fasting person has two moments of joy: when he breaks his fast he rejoices, and when he meets his Lord he will rejoice over his fasting.’” Agreed upon.
This is the wording recorded by al-Bukhari. In another of his narrations it reads: “He leaves his food, drink, and desires for My sake; fasting is for Me and I alone reward for it, and a single good deed is rewarded tenfold.”
In Muslim’s version: “Every deed of the son of Adam is multiplied; a single good deed is multiplied tenfold up to …”