Length of fasting days different due to traveling

02/08/2010| IslamWeb

Question:

I have known that Ramadan will start in Egypt at Friday 16-11-2001, Now I am in Japan at which the fasting is according to the nearest Islamic country like Malaysia, thus Friday here will be 29th of Shaban. For my case I will go back to Egypt in Ramadan which means that my Fasting will be less than in Egypt by one day. So My Question is: in which country should I follow for starting my Fast (Egypt so when I go back to my home I will be the same as my people in Egypt or I should follow here the fasting in Japan which will be delay by at least one day than that of Egypt)?

Fatwa:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

Muslims in Japan and the similar countries should cooperate to establish an Islamic committee of Muslim scholars, knowledgeable persons, and good experienced people to decide on the matters of sighting the new moon and the beginning and end of the lunar month, etc. so that Muslims in that territory will not have this dilemma every year.

If the Muslims in a country are not able to know when the month of Ramadan starts in this case they have to follow the ruling of the nearest country to them for the beginning and end of fasting. They should not rely on the calculation of astronomers.

The one who migrates from one country to another during the month of Ramadan is obliged to follow the rules of the country to which he has migrated. Thus, he has to fast and end the fast with the community of the Muslims with whom he is living.

This is based on the saying of the Prophet said: "The beginning of fasting is when all of you fast, the ending of fasting is when all of you end the fasting and 'Eed Al-Adh-Haa is when you sacrifice your animals". [Abu Daawood]

Therefore, you should fast in Japan when the community of Muslims begins the fast and when you return to Egypt you should end the fasting when the Muslims there end fasting.

If it happens that you fasted less than twenty-nine days, then you have to make up for the day or days to complete the twenty-nine days of fasting, since the days of a lunar month can not be less than twenty-nine days.

Allah Knows best.

Fatwa answered by: The Fatwa Center at Islamweb