Q: Shaykh Muhammad Mutawally Al-Sha`rawy, may Allah safeguard him, said about the Ayahs (Qur'anic verses) nos. 183-184 in Surah (Qur'anic chapter) Al-Baqarah that any one who is ill or on a journey must not observe Sawm (Fast) and must compensate for that missed Sawm. But he affirmed that this applies to any kind of illness, even if Sawm causes the patient no harm and constitutes no threat upon him. He also said that no traveler should observe Sawm and must compensate for the days that he missed. He took evidence from what Allah (Glorified be He) says: ...and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number [of days which one did not observe Saum (fasts) must be made up] from other days. He says: "The same number of days", which means making up for the missed days, and not "and if they did not observe Sawm, then the same number of days".In short, he said that any one who is ill or on a journey must not fast and must compensate for the missed days, taking evidence from the word: "The same number of days must be made up for from other days". So, it is affirmed that this must be done whether or not the patient or the traveler observes Sawm. What is the ruling on this? Is it right that any one who is ill or on a journey must not observe Sawm, taking evidence from this Ayah?

A: Any person who is ill and finds it difficult to observe Sawm, or who is on a journey, has Rukhsah (concession) not to observe Sawm on the daytime of Ramadan, according to what Allah (Exalted be He) says: ...and whoever is ill or on a journey, the same number [of days which one did not observe Saum (fasts) must be made up] from other days. (Part No. 9; Page No. 84) However, if they observe Sawm, then it is valid, according to the Hadith narrated by `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that: Hamzah Ibn `Amr Al-Aslamy (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (peace be upon him): Shall I fast while traveling? And, he used to fast a lot. He said: You may fast if you wish, and you may not fast if you wish. (Related by the Six Hadith Compilers [Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Al-Tirmidhy, Al-Nasa'y, and Ibn Majah])But, if they fear to be harmed as a result of Sawm, they must not observe Sawm, because of the Hadith narrated by Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Prophet (peace be upon him) was as on a journey and saw a crowd of people, and a man was being shaded (by them). He asked: "What is the matter?" They said: "He (the man) is fasting." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "It is not righteous that you fast while being on a journey." Allowing the traveler not to fast is generally better, due to the Hadith narrated by Hamzah ibn `Amr Al-Aslamy: He said: "O Messenger of Allah! I am capable of fasting while traveling, is there anything wrong in that?" He (peace be upon him) said: "It is a Rukhsah from Allah (Exalted be He). Anyone who takes advantage of it, it will be good for him, and anyone who prefers to fast, there will be no blame on him." (Related by Muslim) As for the problem that you encountered concerning the superficial meaning of the Ayah in Surah Al-Baqarah, it can be solved (Part No. 9; Page No. 85) In sha'a-Allah (If Allah wills) when you know that the indicated phrase is: "And he does not fast". Then, the meaning becomes: Any one who is ill or is on a journey and he does not observe Sawm, the same number of days must be made up for from other days. This has been clarified by scholars, and there are many similar examples of it in the Qur'an, the Sunnah (acts, sayings or approvals of the Prophet), and the language of the Arabs that we can not mention in detail in this respect.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.