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.