Ramadān - Ahmadiyya Gazette Canada

d e l i ve r a n c eis by gracealone. Onecannot winsalvation bythe strengthof his deeds.Allāh did notsay that ifthe sicknessis mild orsevere or thejourney isshort or long. The injunction iscompulsory and all concernedmust obey. If one who is sickor a traveler fasts, he will beregarded as being disobedient.(Al-Badr, October 17, 1907)Hadrat Khalīfatul Masīh II ra said:“There are certain illnesses inwhich the sick carries on his orher daily routine. Such a personis not deemed as sick. Therefore,if traveling is one’s routinebecause of his/her occupation,he/she will not be considereda traveler. There are certainillnesses in which a personkeeps on performing his routinejob. For instance, some soldiersfall prey to food poisoning,but they do not stop working.Therefore, if one can find timeand strength to engage in otheractivities, why should he notfast? People who do not like tofast use these alibis. No doubtit is divine commandment thatone is not to fast if he is sickor on a journey and we insiston it so that we should not beconsidered disrespectful toQur’ānic injunctions. But ifsomeone uses this injunction asan excuse not to fast while heis healthy, or if some fasts aremissed and had he tried enough,he could have been able to fast,then he is guilty like him whodoes not fast even without aFasting and Its ObligationsThe hardships a person faces due to his family, wealth andneighbors are expiated by Salāt, fasting, and giving charity.cause. Therefore, every Ahmadīwho did not fast because ofnegligence or without any validreason should make up laterafter the month of Ramadān.”(Al-Fazl, August 16, 1948)Therefore, he who regularly travelsas part of his duty, like a railwayguard, a locomotive driver, anairplane pilot, or a travel agent willbe considered as a stationed personand it is obligatory for them to fastduring their travels.Chronic Patients andTravelersWhen asked about fasting ofchronic patients and the travelers,the Promised Messiah as replied:“The sick or old weak andtravelers who think that theywill not get another chanceto fast, for example, an oldand weak person or a weakpregnant woman who thinksthat after delivery she willbe incapacitated because ofsuckling and the whole yearwill pass, such persons areallowed to not fast because oftheir inability. They should payFidya. Fidya is also allowed forthe elderly or someone who willnever have the strength to fast.But for others it is not permittedthat just by paying Fidya theywould be excused from fasting.Permitting Fidya for those whowill be able to fast later, is likeopening the door of mischief.The religion inwhich there isno striving is notworth anything.Similarly, toremove theo b l i g a t i o n simposed by theAlmighty is agrievous sin.Allāh says inthe Holy Qur’ānthat guidanceis given only to those whostrive in Our ways.” (FatawaAhmadiyya pg. 183)Travel and FastingIn this connection, HadratKhalīfatul Masīh II ra said:“Although some religiousscholars have different opinions,but I think that a person whostarts his journey at Sehrī andknows that he will return beforesunset may not be considered atraveler. The Sharī`ah prohibitsfasting during journey and totravel during fasting.” (Al-FazlDecember 25, 1942)There may be four possibilities offasts during traveling:• If travel is in progress, whetherit is on foot or any other modeof transportation, one shouldnot fast.• If one plans to stay overnightand the whole next day, andfacilities are available for Sehrīone may fast if he likes.• If travel is to start after Sehrīand there is a possibility ofreturning home before Iftarī, itis permissible both ways, to fastor not to fast.• During the travel, if one plansto stay at some place for 15 daysor more, he should try to fastduring those days.27