Question:

A person intends to perform 'Umrah during Ramadan. And because of traveling a long distance to Makkah, he is planning to use the relaxation of postponing the fasting during travel. My question is, is it correct to postpone an obligation for doing a Mustahib act (Umrah in Ramadan)?

Fatwa:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger, may Allah exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

During Ramadan a person who is traveling for any reason may break the fast and make it up later. So the permission of breaking the fast in not granted to obligatory type of the travel only. Rather, any one who travels for permissible reasons could break the fast, whether it is for a non-obligatory 'Umrah or for permissible business, as Allah says about fasting (interpretation of meaning): {So whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during fasting days]-then an equal number of days [are to be made up]} [2:184].

Hamza Ibn 'Amru Al-Aslami, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "O Prophet of Allah! Is there any harm on me to fast when traveling as I feel strong and able to fast?" The Prophet replied: "It is a permission from Allah, so whoever benefits from this permission there is no harm on him, and whoever wants to fast, there is no harm on him." [Muslim]

However, Imaam Al-Bukhari reported the same narration with the following wording: "Shall I fast during travel?" (And he used to fast a lot). So the Prophet told him: "If you wish you can fast, and if you wish you can break the fast."

Imaam Muslim also reported that Abu Sa'eed and Jaabir, may Allah be pleased with them, said: "We traveled with the Prophet so some of us broke the fast and some of us fasted, and none criticized or blamed the other for what he did."

So a traveler has the choice either to fast, or to break the fast and make it up later, if fasting does not cause him any harm. As regards the traveler who is harmed by fasting during his travel, then it is more appropriate for him to break the fast as the Prophet said: "It is not an act of virtue to fast during travel." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Allah knows best.

Fatwa answered by: The Fatwa Center at Islamweb