22/47. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 2257 — Travel Fasting and Exhaustion
The reason why that was said, and mentioning the differences reported from Muhammad bin 'Abdur-Rahman In The Hadith Of Jabir Bin 'Abdullah About That
Hadith About Fasting While Traveling and Exhaustion
Sunan an-Nasai : 2257
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 2257
أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا بَكْرٌ، عَنْ عُمَارَةَ بْنِ غَزِيَّةَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَأَى نَاسًا مُجْتَمِعِينَ عَلَى رَجُلٍ فَسَأَلَ فَقَالُوا رَجُلٌ أَجْهَدَهُ الصَّوْمُ . قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لَيْسَ مِنَ الْبِرِّ الصِّيَامُ فِي السَّفَرِ " .
Jabir bin `Abdullah Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah saw some people gathered around a man, so he asked (what was happening) and they said: "It is a man who is exhausted because of fasting." The Messenger of Allah said: "It is not righteousness to fast when traveling."
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 2257In-book reference : Book 22, Hadith 168English translation : Vol. 3, Book 22, Hadith 2259
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 2257
This narration gives a clear scene behind the phrase many people search for: it is not righteousness to fast when traveling. Jabir bin 'Abdullah reported that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم saw people gathered around a man. When he asked about him, they said the man was exhausted because of fasting. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم then said, "It is not righteousness to fast when traveling." The key point in this Hadith is the link between travel, fasting, and visible hardship. The text does not speak about someone traveling with ease. It speaks about a man worn out by fasting during travel. So the teaching should be kept close to that case: hardship that harms a traveler is not praised here.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم noticed the condition of an exhausted fasting traveler.
- The Hadith connects the ruling statement with hardship during travel.
- A traveler should not treat harmful exhaustion as a sign of righteousness.
