Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) instructed Muslims to avail themselves of the concessions and exemptions Allah (swt) has allowed them.
A number of reported incidents illustrate the Prophet’s attitude towards the exemption from fasting in Ramadan while travelling. These give us a glimpse of how the early Muslims received and implemented such rules, long before scholars introduced legal technicalities. These reports reflect a realistic and dynamic approach to Islam which gives it, and life under it, a vigorous and agreeable meaning.
1. Jābir reports that it was in the month of Ramadan that the Prophet (pbuh) left Madinah for Makkah, the year it fell to Islam. He observed the fast until he reached Kurā` al-Ghamīm, and so did those who marched with him. Then he called for a glass of water, raised it for everyone to see, and drank from it. Later he was told that some people continued to fast. He said, “They are disobedient! They are disobedient!” [Related by Muslim and al-Tirmidhī]
2. Anas reports: “A group of us were once travelling with the Prophet (pbuh) in Ramadan. Some of us were fasting and some were not. On a hot day, we stopped to rest, with little or no shade available. The one who had maximum shade was a person who had a shirt to cover himself. Some used their hands as a cover from the sun. Those who were fasting collapsed of exhaustion while those who were not pitched the tents and gave water to the animals. Commenting, the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Those who are not fasting have run away with the whole reward today.” [Related by al-Bukhārī, Muslim and al-Nasā’ī]
3. Jābir reports: “Once on a journey, the Prophet (pbuh) saw a group of people gathered to shade a fellow traveller. When he enquired what was wrong with him, he was told that the man was fasting. The Prophet (pbuh) said, “It is not righteous to fast while on a journey.” [Related by Mālik, al-Bukhārī, Muslim, Abū Dāwūd and al-Nasā’ī]
4. `Amr ibn Umayyah al-Đamarī reports: “On arriving from a journey, I reported to the Prophet (pbuh) who invited me to stay for lunch. I apologised because I was fasting. The Prophet (pbuh) said, ‘Then let me tell you about the traveller: Allah (swt) has exempted him from fasting and half his prayers.’“ [Related by al-Nasā’ī]
5. A man from the clan of `Abdullāh ibn Ka`b ibn Mālik, called Anas ibn Mālik, quotes the Prophet (pbuh) as saying, “Allah (swt) has reduced the prayer for the traveller by half and exempted him from fasting. He has also exempted from fasting the nursing mother and the pregnant woman if they fear for their babies” [Related by Abū Dāwūd, al- Tirmidhī, al-Nasā’ī and Ibn Mājah]
6. `Ā’ishah reports that Ĥamzah ibn `Amr al-Aslamī, who was frequently fasting, once asked the Prophet (pbuh) about fasting while travelling, to which the Prophet replied: “You may fast if you wish, or you may not.” [Related by Mālik, al-Bukhārī, Muslim, Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī and al-Nasā’ī] Another version of this ĥadīth describes the man as ‘one who had no difficulty with fasting’.
7. Anas reports: “A group of us were travelling with the Prophet (pbuh) : some were fasting and others were not. No fasting person criticized anyone for not fasting, nor did any criticize others for fasting.” [Related by Mālik, al-Bukhārī, Muslim and Abū Dāwūd]
8. Abū al-Dardā’ reports: “We travelled with the Prophet one very hot day in Ramadan. We would even cover our heads with our hands because of the intense heat. None of us was fasting except the Prophet and Ibn Rawāĥah.” [Related by al-Bukhārī, Muslim and Abū Dāwūd]
9. Muĥammad ibn Ka`b reports: “I went in Ramadan to see Anas ibn Mālik as he was about to leave on a journey. When Anas was dressed and had his horse saddled and ready, he requested some food and ate. I asked whether this was the practice of the Prophet. Anas said, ‘Yes.’“ [Related by al-Tirmidhī]
10. ‘Ubayd ibn Jubayr reports: “I was travelling from Fusţāţ by boat during Ramađān with Abū Başrah al-Ghifārī, a Companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him). As he set off on his journey, Abū Başrah asked for lunch to be brought to him. He said to me, ‘Come and join me.’ I said, ‘We can still see the buildings on the shore,’ (meaning they had not gone past the city, the Nile). Abū Başrah said, ‘Are you unwilling to follow the Prophet’s example, or Sunnah.’ He then started eating and I joined him.” [Related by Abū Dāwūd]
11. Manşūr al-Kalbī reports that Diĥyah ibn Khalīfah, a Companion of the Prophet (pbuh), was travelling a distance of about five kilometres from a suburb of Damascus during Ramađān. Neither did he fast, nor did many of the people with him. Some, however, were reluctant to break the fast. When he returned to his home village, Diĥyah said, “By Allah (swt), I have today seen something I thought I would never see: people unwilling to follow the example of Allah (swt)’s Messenger and his Companions. My Lord, gather me to You!” [Related by Abū Dāwūd]
Implicit in this ruling is the requirement that the missing days must be compensated for at a later date, with no requirement to make the compensatory fasting days consecutive.
The purpose of this detailed discussion to highlight two important aspects in understanding rulings relevant to matters of personal worship:
A paramount objective is to create a healthy attitude, in order to cultivate the worshipper’s conscience, improve his performance, and raise the standards of his behaviour in life generally.
Islam must be adopted in its totality and as Allah (swt) has intended. All its instructions, the hard as well as the lenient, must be accepted in equal measure.
They should be taken in total confidence in Allah (swt)’s mercy and wisdom, always aiming to enhance our God-fearing sense.
Old, Decrepit People
Elderly people who reach an age in which they cannot physically bear to fast and have no chance of being able to fast in the future are excused from fasting.
They are required to pay an expiation (fidya) of feeding a needy, poor person for each missed day of Ramadan.
The Sick Person
Not every sickness will prevent one from the ability to fast.
It depends on one’s symptoms and overall physical state.
Slight headaches and minor discomfort are expected, especially during the first week of Ramadan.
A person who is ‘not feeling well’ or ‘hungry’ cannot unconditionally break the fast.
However, certain illnesses can excuse a person from fasting if it will cause undue hardship because one reasonably fears that the act of fasting will increase the sickness or slow the recovery process.
Pregnant And Nursing Women
Pregnant and nursing women are required to fast all of Ramadan. However, an exception is made for a woman who fears that the act of fasting will harm her or her baby.
Women In A State Of Menstruation Or Lochia
It is unlawful for a woman who is in a state of menstruation or lochia to fast.
Note: If interest girls can know more about this information, Menstruation Rulings Related To Ramadan (https://www.muslimacoaching.com/menstruation-rulings-during-ramadan/)
Pre-Pubescent Children
Children who have not physically reached puberty (or 15 lunar years) are not required to fast. If a child decides to fast, it counts as a voluntary fast (nafl) and the parents are rewarded for it.
It should be noted that it is the parents’ duty to teach their children how to fast and act like religious Muslims. At the age of seven, it is recommended for children to start fasting and at the age of ten, they are treated like adults with regards to being personally responsible for their prayers, fasts, and outward dress.
If it so happens that in certain generations people’s behaviour tends to become corrupt, reform will not be achieved through a stricter application of religious rules. A better chance of reform would come through enlightenment, education and motivation in order to instil the quality of fearing Allah (swt) in people’s hearts. At times of social decline, a stricter application of religious rules would, indeed, be desirable as a deterrent in matters relating to public or collective behaviour. But the fulfilment of personal religious obligations is largely a matter between Allah (swt) and each individual, with little or no direct influence on the public interest. In public duties — unlike personal religious duties which are based on faith — appearance and form have considerable significance.
Once taqwā, or the fear of Allah (swt), takes its roots, one would not resort to concessions except when absolutely necessary, and with a clear conscience.
A concession is thus exercised only when one is fully satisfied that it is conducive to achieving a higher degree of obedience to Allah (swt). Strictness in the application of the rules relating to acts of worship generally, and the tendency to restrict unqualified exemptions, can be counter-productive. Besides causing hardship and discomfort, they have little effect in dissuading those who want to evade the rules. It is far more appropriate to approach Islam and understand it within the terms and the framework in which it is presented by Allah (swt), who is wiser and more aware of all the advantages to be gained from fulfilling its obligations.
Rest Allah knows best.
Source: Quran, Sunnah, Tafseer, In the shade of the Quran