Source:
Fatāwā Muḥammadiyyah, Vol. 1, Page 578
Question:
It is known that fasting is excused during travel (safar), but what distance makes fasting permissible to leave? Please explain with authentic evidence from the Qur’an, Sunnah, and the practice of the Companions.
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
The Prophet ﷺ did not specify any fixed distance after which fasting becomes excused for a traveler. There is no authentic ḥadīth in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ defined a certain number of miles or stages for this concession.
Statement of Imām Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله
“There is no authentic narration from the Prophet ﷺ defining a specific distance for when a fasting person may break his fast. It was not from his guidance to assign such a limit.”
(Zād al-Maʿād fī Hady Khayr al-ʿIbād, Vol. 1, p. 162)
Practice of the Companions (Aṣḥāb al-Nabī ﷺ)
1. Wahīyah ibn Khalīfah al-Kalbī رضي الله عنه
He broke his fast after traveling only three miles, and said:
“Whoever keeps the fast (while traveling) has turned away from the Sunnah of Muḥammad ﷺ.”
2. General Practice of the Companions
Ibn al-Qayyim writes:
“When the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ began their journey, they would break their fast immediately, even before leaving the city limits. They used to say that this was the Sunnah and practice of the Prophet ﷺ.”
(Zād al-Maʿād, Vol. 1, p. 162)
3. The Incident of Abū Baṣrah al-Ghifārī رضي الله عنه
ʿUbayd ibn Jubayr narrates:
“I traveled with Abū Baṣrah al-Ghifārī, a Companion of the Prophet ﷺ, by boat from Fusṭāṭ to Alexandria during Ramaḍān.
Before we had even left the houses behind us, he asked for his food and began to eat.
I said: ‘Do you not see the houses still nearby?’
He replied: ‘Do you wish to turn away from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?’
I said, ‘No.’
He said, ‘Then eat!’ So we continued our journey while not fasting until we reached (our destination).”
(Musnad Aḥmad)
4. The Practice of Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه
Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb narrates:
“I came to Anas ibn Mālik in Ramaḍān when his mount was prepared for travel, and he had already put on his traveling clothes.
He called for food and ate.
I asked, ‘Is this the Sunnah?’
He said, ‘Yes, this is the Sunnah,’ and then he mounted his animal and departed.”
(Tirmidhī – graded ḥasan; Dāraqutnī)
Summary of Ibn al-Qayyim’s Discussion
From all these reports, it becomes clear that:
◈ Whoever intends to travel in Ramaḍān may break his fast as soon as his journey begins, even before leaving the populated area.
◈ This was the consistent practice of the Companions رضي الله عنهم, based on their direct knowledge of the Prophet’s ﷺ guidance.
◈ The concession of not fasting is tied to the start of travel itself, not to a specific distance.
Opinions of Other Scholars
◈ Imām al-Shawkānī رحمه الله states in Nayl al-Awṭār:
“The same distance that allows one to shorten the prayer (qaṣr al-ṣalāh) also allows one to break the fast.”
◈ However, he and other scholars clarify that there is no authentic ḥadīth fixing that distance, though some reports mention 48 miles as an approximate measure based on juristic reasoning (ijtihād).
◈ The more accurate position, held by the scholars of Ahl al-Ḥadīth and many early authorities, is that the right to break the fast begins with the actual commencement of travel, regardless of distance.
Conclusion
There is no fixed mileage or distance specified by the Prophet ﷺ for when fasting becomes excused during travel. The moment a person sets out on a legitimate journey, he may avail himself of the concession and break his fast. This ruling is supported by the practice of the Companions and the reasoned opinion of leading scholars like Ibn al-Qayyim and al-Shawkānī.هٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
This is what I hold to be correct, and Allah knows best what is right.
