RNA - A question which arrises in the minds of many Muslims - especially the youth - is in regards to the issue of fasting and its relationship to time. That is, what is the ruling in regards to fasting in regions where day and night are not standard such as the north and south poles and the countries which are located close to them? In some countries close to the poles the distance between the adhan for Fajr prayers and the adhan for Maghrib prayers are no more than two hours. Now in these conditions how can one conform to rulings which are based on a specified time - such as prayers and fasts?
Below, you will find some questions that have been asked regarding prayer and fasting in these regions, and the answers of some of the sources of emulation:
Imam Khomeini (RA):
The ẓuḥr and ‘aṣr prayers are not correct at night, although at ẓuḥr our horizons coincide and fasting during a portion of the day or night is not correct, even if it is in the quantity of our day.
- (Taḥrīr al-Wasīlah, Volume 2, pg. 638)
What this means is that at the earth's poles where a day and night cycle will last for an entire year, only the five daily prayers (17 raka‘āt) are obligatory and the fasts of the month of Ramadhan are void.
His Eminence Ayatollah Khamenei:
The mukallaf (a sane person who has reached the age of shar‘ī puberty) must observe the local horizons of his place of residence; however if due to the exessive length of the day, fasting becomes impossible or extremely difficult, the adā’ of it becomes void and their qaḍā’ becomes obligatory.
- (Ajwabah al-Istifta‘āt, Question 357).
His Eminence Ayatollah Sistani:
The obligatory precaution is that one should observe the closest place where a day and night cycle is 24 hours. They should perform their five daily prayers according to the prayer times of that place with the intention of al-Qurbah al-Muṭlaqah (generally seeking nearness to Allah). However in regards to fasting, if possible during the month of Ramadhan they must travel to a place where they can fast, and if that is not possible then after the holy month of Ramadhan they must travel to another place to observe its qaḍā’. If neither of these options are possible (to fast during the month of Ramadhan or outside the month) then in place of fasting it is obligatory for them to pay the fidyah (the kaffārah of one who has a legitimate excuse).
- (Minhāj al-Ṣāliḥīn, Volume 1, pg. 469, Matter 88).
His Eminence Ayatollah Nasir Makarim Shirazi:
The number of rak'aat of the daily prayers does not change in areas where the sun does not set, or the length of the day is extremely long and outside of the standard of the various regions of the world, or in the north and south poles. Only in regards to the time of prayer one must compare and determine the appropriate time for prayer with the temperate zones. Meaning that if - for example - in the temperate zones (in the same meridian) they have a day which lasts for 14 hours and a night which lasts for 10 hours, you can adjust your prayers and fasts to that timing. We have written a more detailed explanation of this topic in the book: "Miʿrāj, Shaqq al-Qamar, 'Ibadāt dar Quṭbayn" (Ascension, the splitting of the moon, worship at the two poles).
One can take the standard regions and cities in which the day and night are roughly equal (such as Makkah and Madinah) as the standard for his prayers and fasts, meaning that he prays his ẓuḥr and ‘aṣr prayers simultaneous to those cities, and prays the maghrib and ‘ishā’ rayers six hours later and the fajr prayer eleven hours after the ẓuḥr prayer. He should also observe his fasts according to this time standard.
If one is a traveller he can take his own watan (place of permanent residence) as the standard, for example if one travelled from Tehran he can - by listening to the radio - pray the ẓuḥr and ‘aṣr prayers according to the adhān of Tehran, and also discern the time for fajr and maghrib/‘ishā’ prayers according to the adhāns of Tehran, and act upon them.
- (Istifta‘āt Jadīd, Volume 2, pg. 73).
His Eminence Ayatollah Ja‘afar Subhani:
If the mukallaf lives in a place where six months of the year are day and the other six months are night, or three months are day and nine months are night, etc... it is probable that the standard for the times of prayers and fasts are the standard zones surrounding the two poles, and this person has the freedom to choose one of these lands as a foundation. However the possibility of the voidance of the prayers and fasts of this individual is improbable, as is the possibility of the voidance of fasts and the obligation of praying only one day and one night during this period.
- (Majale Fiqh Ahle Bayt, No. 30, Summer 1381, pg. 50-57, Article: Prayer and Fasting at the poles).
His Eminence Ayatollah Fadhil Lankarani:
If one is a traveller he can take his own watan as the standard, for example if one travelled from Tehran he can - by listening to the radio - pray the ẓuḥr and ‘aṣr prayers according to the adhān of Tehran, and also discern the time for fajr and maghrib/‘ishā’ prayers according to the adhāns of Tehran, and act upon them.
- (Jāmi‘ al-Masā'il, Ayatollah Fāḍil, Volume 1, pg. 77).
His Eminence Ayatollah Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakīm:
"The possibility of prayers and fasts being void in these regions is more in line with the legal evidence, even though this possibility is off-topic."
His Eminence also states: "The third possibility (regarding the obligation of prayer in one day and one night during the entire year) is in accordance with the greater evidence."
- (Mustamsak al-‘Urwah al-wuthqā, Sayyid Muḥsin al-Ṭabāṭabāī al-Ḥakīm, Volume 8, pg. 480).
His Eminence Ayatollah Sayyid Abul-Qassim al-Khoei
"In the event that one is forced to live in those areas, the adā’ of those fasts are void and the qaḍā’ does not become obligatory, even though according to precaution one should observe prayers and fasts within every 24 hour period, and abandoning them is not worthy."
- (Kitāb al-Ṣawm, al-Sayyid al-Khoeī, pg. 145).
His Eminence Sayyid Muhammad Hussein Fadhlallah:
"In the regions which have days and nights which last for a few months, the mukallaf must pray his five daily prayers every 24 hours and he has the authority to perform them at any time he wishes. Otherwise, he can take the closest region which has a normal day and night cycle as his standard for the prayer times and the second option is better."
- (al-Masa`il al-Fiqhīyah, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥussein Faḍlallah, First Edition, Beirut, 1415 AH, pg. 190, Issue 533).
Sayyid Muḥammad Kaẓim Ṭabāṭabā'ī Yazdī is the first jurist to address this issue and in regards to the duty of the mukallaf of praying and fasting in the polar regions, proposed four possibilities:
A) The standard is the other regions which have a standard day and night cycle;
B) The obligation to perform prayers and fasts is void;
C) Fasting is void and in regards to the prayers during the months where it is only day, the prayers of only one day are obligatory and during the months where it is only night, the prayers of only one night are obligatory;
D) The standard is one's previous watan, if they have one.
From amongst these four possibilities, His Eminence considered the second and third (complete voidance of duty to perform prayers or praying only one day and night during the year) to be unlikely, and announced the first and fourth possibilities as being closer to the truth.
Overall, by summarising the opinions of the esteemed scholars one can derive the view that one should perform their obligations on the basis of the temperate zones.
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