When Traveling Across Time Zones While Fasting, Do You Break the Fast According to the Departure City or the Arrival City?
Question
Salam Wa’laikum. I am travelling next week from Edmonton to Whitehorse and I will be fasting. My flight leaves at 10:30 AM and I will land 2:30 PM local time in Whitehorse, which will be an hour behind of Edmonton. My question is, what is the requirement of fasting while travelling, especially when I am travelling into a different time zone. Do I break my fast at Magrib following Whitehorse time or Edmonton time? I look forward to your explanation. Thank you and Jazak Allahu Khair.
Answer
Alhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmain.
1. The Shari Context
Fasting in Ramadan is tied to the observable times of the day where a person physically is. The start of the fast begins at true dawn and it ends at sunset. The Quran clearly connects fasting to these natural markers.
Allah says:
“Eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct from the black thread of night, then complete the fast until the night.”
Surat al Baqarah 2:187
Likewise, the Prophet said:
“When the night comes from this direction, the day departs from that direction, and the sun sets, then the fasting person breaks the fast.”
Sahih al Bukhari, Sahih Muslim
These texts show that the ruling of fasting follows the actual sunset where the fasting person is located. The legal cause for breaking the fast is the setting of the sun, not the time of another city.
2. Scholarly Discussion
The four madhahib agree on the principle that the fasting person breaks the fast when the sun sets in the place where they are physically located. The ruling revolves around the observable sunset that the person experiences.
This becomes particularly relevant in travel situations such as airplanes or crossing time zones. Scholars explain that the determining factor remains the actual sunset relative to the traveler’s current location. If the traveler sees the sun set while in flight or after arriving in another location, that is when the fast ends.
This ruling follows the general fiqh principle that acts of worship tied to time are determined by the actual occurrence of that time where the person is present.
3. Application to the Question
In your case, you are traveling from Edmonton to Whitehorse, which is one hour behind. This means sunset will occur later according to the local time in Whitehorse.
If you choose to continue fasting while traveling, you should break your fast when the sun sets in the place where you are at that moment.
This leads to two possible scenarios.
If you are still on the plane when sunset occurs and you can observe or confirm that the sun has set relative to your location, you may break your fast at that time.
If you have already landed in Whitehorse before sunset, then you should follow the Maghrib time of Whitehorse and break your fast when the sun sets there.
It does not matter that Edmonton may have already reached sunset earlier. The ruling follows the place where you physically are at that moment.
It is also worth noting that since you are traveling a distance that qualifies as travel in Sharia, you are permitted to break your fast during the journey and make up the day later if that is easier.
Allah says:
“Whoever among you is ill or on a journey, then an equal number of other days.”
Surat al Baqarah 2:185
This concession exists to remove hardship from the traveler.
4. Relevant Usul Principle
الحكم يدور مع علته وجودا وعدما
A ruling revolves around its effective cause, existing when it exists and ending when it ends
In fasting, the legal cause for ending the fast is the setting of the sun. When sunset occurs, the ruling of fasting ends and breaking the fast becomes permissible. Since sunset varies by location, the ruling follows the traveler’s current place rather than the place they departed from.
Final Ruling
You break your fast according to the sunset of the place where you are physically located at that moment. If you have arrived in Whitehorse before sunset, you should follow the Maghrib time of Whitehorse. If you are still traveling when the sun sets relative to your location, you may break your fast then. As a traveler, you are also permitted to break the fast during the journey and make up the day later if needed.
And Allah knows best.