In addition the practice of the Companions was not uniform. It would
seem that any journey which is commonly regarded as such, and which is
attended by the circumstances generally associated with traveling,
should be deemed sufficient justification for not fasting.
Jurists agree that one does not have to fast on the day of commencing
ajourney; one may eat either at the point of departure or after the
actual journey has commenced. Either course is sanctioned by the
practice of the Companions. Jurists, however, are not agreed as to
whether or not the residents of a city under attack may abstain from
fasting even though theyare not actually traveling. Ibn Taymiyah
favors the permissibility of abstention from fasting and supports his
view with very forceful arguments.
5. This indicates that fasting need not be confined, exclusively, to
Ramadan. For those whofail to fast during that month owing to some
legitimate reason God has kept the door of compensation open during
other months of the year so that they need not be deprived of the
opportunity to express their gratitude to Him for His great bounty in
revealing the Qur'an.
It should be noted here that fasting in Ramadan has not only been
declared an act of worship and devotion and a means to nourish piety
but has also been characterized as an act ofgratefulness to God for
His great bounty of true guidance in the form of the Qur'an. In fact,
the best way of expressing gratitude for someone's bounty or
benevolence isto prepare oneself, to thebest of one's ability, to
achieve the purpose for which that bounty has been bestowed. The
Qur'an has been revealedso that we may know the way that leads to
God's good pleasure, follow that way ourselves and direct the world
along it. Fasting is an excellent means by which to prepare ourselves
for shoulderingthis task. Hence fasting during the month of the
revelation of the Qur'an is more than an act of worship and more than
an excellent course of moral training; it is also an appropriate form
for the expression of our thankfulness to God for the bounty of the
Qur'an.
Excerpted from "Towards Understanding the Qur'an".Translated and
edited by Zafar Ishaq Ansari. English version of Tafhim al-Qur'anby
Sayyid Abul Ala Mawdudi.
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