Hazrat Qaza’ah narrates that I came to Sayyiduna Abu Sa’id (may Allah be pleased with him) while there was a crowd of people around him. When the people dispersed, I said to him,“I will not ask you about those things which these people were asking you about.”And I asked him about fasting during travel. He replied,“We traveled with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) towards Makkah while fasting. Then we stopped at a place to rest, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Indeed, you have drawn near to your enemy, and not fasting will give you strength.’ So this was a concession, and thus some of us kept the fast and some of us did not. Then we stopped at another place, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘You will reach your enemy in the morning, and now not fasting will give you strength against the enemy. Therefore, do not fast.’ In this way, this was a mandatory command, so we left the fast.”He further says,“After this journey, I saw the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) that we would sometimes fast with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) during travel.”

Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that this narration clearly shows that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) declared them disobedient at the time when he gave them the obligatory command to break the fast so that they could gain strength against the enemy, because they had drawn near to the enemy and there was a need for battle. But they did not comply with his command (so the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, declared them disobedient), because the narration of Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) and this narration both relate to the journey in the year of the conquest of Makkah. Then, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) made breaking the fast necessary for them so that it would be a source of strength for them, and they did not break the fast until one person fainted and had to be shaded and water sprinkled on him, and they became weak in facing the enemy, then at such a time declaring them disobedient was correct and permissible, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had commanded them to gain strength for facing the enemy, and they neither obeyed him nor gained strength for the enemy. It is correct to declare as disobedient the one who abandons the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) out of lack of interest. Merely abandoning the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) does not make one disobedient, because abandoning the Sunnah is not a sin or disobedience, while acting upon it is a means of virtue.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not from me."

Imam Abu Bakr, may Allah have mercy on him, says that in the chapter regarding the permissibility for a pregnant woman and a nursing woman to break the fast in the blessed month of Ramadan, I have mentioned later the hadith of Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik Qushayri, may Allah be pleased with him.

Sayyiduna Hamzah bin Amr Aslami رضي الله عنه reports that I asked, "O Messenger of Allah, I have the strength to fast while traveling, so will there be any sin on me (if I fast)?" The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "It is a concession from Allah, so whoever benefits from this concession, it is good. And whoever prefers to fast, there is no sin upon him." In the narration of Sayyiduna Jabir رضي الله عنه, it is mentioned that the Noble Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "Accept the concession given by Allah, accept the concession that Allah has granted you."

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) narrates from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: "Indeed, Allah Almighty loves that His concessions be accepted just as He loves that His disobedience be abandoned."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Hamzah bin Amr Al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him) that he asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) about fasting while traveling, and he used to fast continuously. So the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You have the choice; if you wish, then fast, and if you wish, then leave the fast."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri and Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them) that both of them traveled with the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him), so the one who wished to fast would fast, and the one who wished to break the fast would do so. Then, the one who broke the fast would not object to the fasting person, nor would the fasting person find fault with the one who broke the fast. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that this chapter is very lengthy. I have explained it in detail in Kitab al-Kabir.