Question:
I was traveling, and due to my journey, I did not fast. However, I returned home before Asr (late afternoon prayer). In this case, am I required to refrain from eating and drinking for the remainder of the day, or can I continue in the state of not fasting?
Answer:
If a person has not fasted due to a valid reason (such as travel), then once that reason ceases, he must refrain from eating, drinking, and other invalidators of fasting for the rest of the day.
Thus, if travel ends during the day, it becomes obligatory for the individual to withhold from eating and drinking for the remaining hours.
This ruling is based on the Quranic verse:
"Or if you are on a journey..."(Surah Al-Baqarah: 185)
Since the journey has ended, the person is no longer a traveler. The same ruling applies to a sick person—if someone missed fasting due to illness but recovers during the day, then he must abstain from eating and drinking for the rest of the day.
However, in both cases, the missed fast must still be made up (Qada) later like other missed fasts of Ramadan.
Shaykh Ibn Jibreen (رحمه الله)