Length of Fasting

It is obligatory for a Muslim to fast during the holy month of Ramadan. According to most jurists, a capable Muslim is required to fast from dawn (fajr) until sunset (maghrib).

During the lifetime of the Prophet and his progeny, the Muslim empire was largely spread across the Middle East. Owing to the Middles East’s proximity to the equator, the length of day (between dawn and sunset) was relatively uniform across all seasons. Accordingly, the maximum length of time required for fasting would have been approximately 16.5 hours, while the minimum length of time would have been approximately 10 hours.^[1]  

Muslims have migrated beyond the Middle East and have now established communities all around the world, including in countries located at high northern latitudes. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims who live near to or at such latitudes find it harder to fast from dawn to sunset. This is because the period from dawn to sunset lasts up to approximately twenty-two hours in locations north of the Arctic Circle, including parts of Canada, Russia and Scandinavia.

The hardship of lengthy fasting raises two key questions:

1. Are Muslims required to fast if they live in an area of the world where there is either months of only sunlight (i.e. 24-hour days of sunlight) or months of only darkness?
2. How long must a Muslim fast in areas north of the Arctic Circle, where sunlight may last for up to 23 hours? In such geographical locations, the requirements of the occurrence of dawn and sunset are satisfied, and, therefore, the question that arises is whether the obligation of fasting is binding upon Muslims residing in such locations?

It is obligatory for a Muslim to fast during the holy Month of Ramadan, irrespective of what part of the world he/she resides in. Fasting should start at the time of dawn (fajr) and should not exceed 16.5 hours or be less than 10 hours.

For Muslims residing in parts of the world where there is not a distinct time of dawn, they must begin fasting at the time of dawn of a country that is closest to them.

1. The Quran states: “And [in the month of Ramadan] eat and drink until the white thread of dawn (fajr) becomes distinct to you from the black thread. Then complete the fast until night (layl).”

In accordance with this verse, fasting starts at dawn and ends at night. The verse defines what is meant by dawn (fajr) i.e. when the white thread of light becomes distinct from the black thread of darkness. However, this verse does not provide a definition of what is meant by ‘night’ (layl). Therefore, it can be said that the term ‘night’ either refers to 1) sunset, or 2) what may conventionally be considered as night.

2. In accordance with numerous traditions of the Prophet and the Imams, the term ‘night’ refers to sunset (ghurūb al-shams). For example, it is reported that Imam al-Sadiq said: “When the sun sets, it becomes lawful to break the fast and prayer becomes obligatory.”^[2] 

However, it can be said that the traditions of the Prophet and the Imams are context dependent. Given Arabia’s proximity to the equator, we know that during the Prophet’s time the length of a day was relatively uniform across all seasons. As such, during the time of the Prophet, daylight lasted between 12 and 15 hours all year round. After the demise of the Prophet and during the lifetime of the Imams, Muslim migration expanded greatly, extending to latitudes between 10°N and 40°N. At the northernmost of these latitudes (corresponding to the northern parts of Iran today), the longest day has approximately 16.5 hours of daylight, whilst the shortest day has approximately 10 hours of daylight. This indicates that during the time of the Prophet and the Imams, the maximum length of time required for fasting in the holy month of Ramadan was approximately 16.5 hours, whilst the minimum length of time was approximately 10 hours.^[3] 

Accordingly, it can be concluded that during the time of the Prophet and the Imams, there was no conflict between what was considered as ‘sunset’ and ‘a conventional understanding of night.’ This conflict only arose when Muslims migrated beyond the Middle East. Today, Muslims have established communities all around the world, including in countries located at high northern latitudes. During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims who live at high northern latitudes are required to fast a maximum of approximately 22 hours and a minimum of approximately 7 hours.

3. It is clear from the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet and his family that the objective of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan is to maximise spiritual and health benefits (see ICCI discussion: Is it obligatory to fast in the holy month of Ramadan.

Furthermore, the Quran states: “But if anyone does good of his own accord, it is better for him, and fasting is better for you, if only you knew.”^[4] 

Considering this objective and the aforementioned Quranic verse, it is necessary that an able person must fast. However, for Muslims who live at high northern latitudes of the world, keeping a long 22-hour fast may bring about hardship, whereas keeping a short 7-hour fast may bring about harm, by reducing the spiritual and health benefits of fasting available to them.

4. There are numerous juristic maxims (qawāʿid al-fiqhiyya) that are derived from the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet and his family. For instance:

•  The juristic maxim of nafī al-ḍarar (‘eliminating harm’) stipulates that causing any harm to oneself or to others is prohibited. By keeping an extraordinary short fast, an individual may cause harm to themselves, as there is the potential of missing out on the opportunity to maximise the spiritual and health benefits that they receive. Alternatively, by keeping an extraordinary long fast, they may cause harm to themselves and to others around them.

• The juristic maxim of nafī al-ḥaraj (‘eliminating hardship’) stipulates that no Sharia obligation should cause unbearable hardship. By keeping an extraordinary long fast, an individual may experience unbearable hardship.

Although juristic maxims are usually utilised to wholly drop those Sharia obligations that bring about hardship or harm, they can also be seen as meta-legal guiding principles that determine the nature of all Sharia obligations. In line with this understanding, guiding principles or juristic maxims stipulate that every Sharia obligation should be enacted so long as it keeps benefiting an individual and does not bring about unbearable hardship or harm. Therefore, if an individual finds it unbearably hard or harmful to keep extraordinary long fasts, then rather than dropping the obligation of fasting altogether, and thereby missing out on its spiritual and health benefits, it is better that the Sharia obligation of fasting is modified, so that the benefits of fasting are not lost and the level of hardship/harm is simultaneously reduced.

5. In support of the above point, most Shia scholars have agreed that the obligation of fasting should not be dropped in parts of the world that have abnormal day lengths, rather the duration of the fast should be shortened to an average day length. For instance, Ayatollah Muḥammad Kāẓim al-Yazdī (d. 1919) in his Urwat al-Wuthqā claims:

“If it is supposed that a person [or a Muslim] endowed with sharʿī responsibility (mukallaf) resides in a place where there is six months of day[light] and six months of night [or darkness], or three months of day[light] and six months of night, or similar [situations], then it is not farfetched that his duration of fasting and prayer is based on countries that are known to have average days, and hence such a person has the choice to follow an average day[length]. As for the possibility of the responsibility (taklīf) of fasting or praying being dropped, then this is something that is farfetched… It is also possible that the duration [of fasting] can be based on a country in which a person previously resided in."^[5]

A recent publication entitled ʿUrwat al-Wuthqā wa taʿlīqāt ʿalayhā goes over 41 different commentaries on Ayatollah Yazdī’s ʿUrwat al-Wuthqā by modern Shīʿī jurists. Out of 41 jurists who have commented on Ayatollah Yazdī’s work, 33 jurists agreed with his aforementioned view.^[6] 

Fasting should start at the time of dawn (fajr) and should continue until sunset (maghrib). If a Muslim resides in a part of the world that has abnormal day lengths and therefore finds it unbearably hard to fast from dawn till sunset, then they can shorten the length of fasting by following the dawn and sunset timings of Arabia (i.e. they fast as long as the Prophet use to fast).

For Muslims residing in parts of the world where there is not a distinct time of dawn, they must begin fasting at the time of dawn in Arabia.

1. The Quran states “And [in the month of Ramadan] eat and drink until the white thread of dawn (fajr) becomes distinct to you from the black thread. Then complete the fast until night (layl).”

In accordance with this verse, fasting starts at dawn and ends at night. Although the Quran defines what is meant by dawn (fajr), it does not stipulate the exact meaning of night. However, it is clear from numerous traditions of the Prophet and the Imams that the term “night” refers to sunset (ghurūb al-shams). For example, it is reported that Imam al-Sadiq said: “When the sun sets, it becomes lawful to break the fast and prayer becomes obligatory.”^[7] 

A cautious reading of the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet and the Imams suggests that in order to be completely sure that the obligation of fasting is adequately discharged, a person is required to fast from dawn to sunset.

2. If a person lives in a part of the world that has abnormally long day-lengths, and thus finds it difficult to fast, then they can shorten the length of fasting to the day-length of Arabia. This is primarily due to the legal maxim of nafī al-ḥaraj (‘eliminating hardship’) that is inferred from the Quran and the traditions of the Prophet and the Imams. In accordance with this maxim, no Sharia obligation should cause unbearable hardship.

Although juristic maxims are usually utilised to wholly drop those Sharia obligations that bring about hardship or harm, they can also be seen as meta-legal guiding principles that determine the nature of all Sharia obligations. In line with this understanding, guiding principles or juristic maxims stipulate that every Sharia obligation should be enacted so long as it keeps benefiting an individual and does not bring about unbearable hardship or harm. Therefore, if an individual finds it unbearably hard or harmful to keep extraordinary long fasts, then rather than dropping the obligation of fasting altogether, and thereby missing out on its spiritual and health benefits, it is better that the Sharia obligation of fasting is modified, so that the benefits of fasting are not lost and the level of hardship/harm is simultaneously reduced.

This understanding is further supported by the following Quranic verse that stipulates:

“If anyone does good of his own accord, it is better for him, and fasting is better for you, if only you knew.”^[8] 

And:

“The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So, whoever witnesses [the new moon of] the month, let him fast; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.”^[9] 

3. As for shortening the day-length to the day-length of Arabia, this is because we know that the Prophet used to fast the day-length of Arabia (or more precisely, the day-length of Makkah or Medina) during the holy month of Ramadan. Therefore, if a person finds it difficult to keep a long fast, then he/she can fast for as long as the Prophet used to. In support of this, the Quran explicitly commands Muslims to take the Prophets’ actions as a benchmark for performing religious acts:

“There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.”^[10] 

4. In light of point 3, if a person resides in a place that does not have a distinct time of dawn, they must again follow the example of the Prophet, and thereby commence fasting at the time of dawn in Arabia (or more precisely, the time of dawn in Makkah or Medina).

^[1] The numbers of hours in a day cited in this essay are all calculated from dawn (fajr) to sunset (maghrib) and are acquired from www.islamicfinder.org, a website that presents global ṣalāt (prayer) times. Since different schools (madhāhib) of Islamic jurisprudence make different calculations to determine the exact time for dawn and sunset, an approximate figure is given.

^[2] See Shaykh al-Ṣudūq Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad b. ʿAlī b. Bābawayh al-Qummī, Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh ḥadīth 663 1:157–8.

^[3] See footnote 1

^[4] Quran 2:184

^[5] See Muḥammad Kāẓim al-Ṭabāṭabāʿī al-Yazdī, ʿUrwat al-Wuthqā, 2 vols. (Qum: Muʾassasat al-Ismāʿīlīyān), 2: 57

^[6] Muḥammad Kāẓim al-Ṭabāṭabāʿī al-Yazdī, ʿUrwat al-Wuthqā wa taʿlīqāt ʿalayhā, 13 vols. (Qum: Muʾassasat al-Sibṭayn, 2016), 10:282

^[7] See footnote 2 Shaykh al-Ṣudūq

^[8] Quran 2:183-4

^[9] Quran 2:185

^[10] Quran 33:21