Taysīr al-ʿAllām - Abd Allah al-Bassam - (327)

Taysīr al-ʿAllāmAbd Allah al-Bassam

Hadith 3
On the authority of Abū al-Dardāʾ (Allah be pleased with him):
“We set out with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ during the month of Ramadan in scorching heat—so intense that one of us would place his hand on his head because of its severity—and none of us was fasting except the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and ʿAbdullāh ibn Rawāḥah.”

Overall meaning
The Prophet ﷺ marched out with his Companions in Ramadan on days of extreme heat. Because of the oppressive temperature, no one fasted except the Prophet ﷺ and the Anṣārī ʿAbdullāh ibn Rawāḥah (Allah be pleased with him). These two endured the hardship and kept the fast, demonstrating that fasting while travelling is permissible even when there is difficulty, provided the hardship does not reach the point of endangering one’s life.

Hadith 4
On the authority of Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh (Allah be pleased with him):
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was on a journey when he saw a crowd and a man over whom shade had been set up. He asked, ‘What is this?’ They said, ‘He is fasting.’ He replied, ‘It is not an act of righteousness (birr) to fast while travelling.’”

In another wording recorded by Muslim: “Accept the concession Allah has granted you.”

Overall meaning
During one of his journeys, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ noticed people clustering around a man they had covered with a shade. When he inquired, they told him the man was fasting and thirst had brought him to that state. The compassionate Prophet ﷺ explained that fasting on a journey is not an act of piety in and of itself; rather, you should make use of the concession Allah has granted, for He did not intend worship to become self-torment.

Points derived from the hadith
1- The permissibility of fasting while travelling and of availing oneself of the concession to break the fast.
2- Fasting on a journey is not, by itself, an act of virtue; it merely fulfils and discharges the obligation.
3- It is preferable to accept the concessions Allah Most High has lightened the burden of His servants with.

Scholarly disagreement
The scholars have differed over the ruling of fasting in Ramadan while travelling.

الحديث الثالث عَنْ أبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ ﵁ قال: خَرَجْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ الله ﷺ في شَهْرِ رَمضَانَ في حَرِّ شَدِيدٍ، حَتَّى إنْ كَانَ أحَدُنَا لَيَضَعُ يَدَه عَلَى رَأسِهِ مِنْ شِدَّةِ الْحَرِّ، ومَا فِيْنَا صَائِمٌ إلا رَسُولُ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، وعبْدُ الله بْنُ رَوَاحَة. المعنى الإجمالي: خرج النبي ﷺ بأصحابه في رمضان، في أيام شديدة الحر. فمن شدة الحر، لم يصم منهم إلا النبي ﷺ، وعبد الله بن رواحة الأنصاري ﵁. فهما تحمَّلا الشدة وصاما، مما يدل على جواز الصيام في السفر وإن كان ذلك مع المشقة التي لا تصل إلى حَدِّ التهلكة. الحديث الرابع عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَه ﵁ قال: كانَ رَسُوْلُ الله ﷺ فِي سَفَرٍ، فرَأى زِحَاماً، ورَجُلاً قَدْ ظُلِّل عَلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ: "ما هذا؟ " قالوا: صائم. قال: لَيْسَ مِنَ البِرِّ الصيامُ في السَّفَرِ". وفي لفظٍ لمسلم "عَلَيْكُم بِرُخْصَةِ الله الَّتي رَخَصَ لَكُمْ". المعنى الإجمالي: كان رسول الله ﷺ في أحد أسفاره، فرأى الناس متزاحمين ورجلا قد ظلل عليه، فسألهم عن أمره. قالوا: إنه صائم وبلغ به الظمأ هذا الحد. فقال الرحيم الكريم ﷺ: إن الصيام في السفر ليس من البر، ولكن عليكم برخصة الله التي رخص لكم. فهو لم يرد منكم بعبادته تعذيب أنفسكم. ما يؤخذ من الحديث: ١- جواز الصيام في السفر. وجواز الأخذ بالرخصة بالفطر. ٢- أن الصيام في السفر ليس براً، وإنما يجزئ ويسقط الواجب. ٣- أن الأفضل إتيان رخص اللَه تعالى، التي خفف بها على عباده. اختلاف العلماء: اختلف العلماء في صوم رمضان في السفر.