the fasts are broken, the number of days must be completed afterwards, while in the case of prayer, there remains no obligation upon the traveller when the journey is over. The sick person and the traveller have therefore the option of keeping the fast if they do not find it hard, or of availing themselves of the permission and breaking the fast. The permissive nature of the words of the Holy Qur’ān is reflected in many of the most reliable ḥadīth. There are reports showing that the Holy Prophet himself kept a fast while on a journey (Bu. 30:33). In one ḥadīth it is stated that on a certain journey on a very hot day, only the Holy Prophet and Ibn Rawāhah kept the fast (Bu. 30:35). There are other ḥadīth showing that when a certain person questioned the Holy Prophet whether he should or should not break the fast, when on a journey, his own inclination being for fasting, the Holy Prophet replied: “Keep the fast if thou likest, and break it if thou likest” (Bu. 30:33). Anas relates that they used to travel with the Holy Prophet, and those who kept the fast did not find fault with those who broke it, nor did those who broke the fast find fault with those who kept it (Bu. 30:37). There is no doubt, a saying of the Holy Prophet to the effect that “it is not a virtue to fast when journeying,” but these words were spoken to a person who was in severe distress on account of the fast, and around whom people had gathered to provide shade for him (Bu. 30:36). Bukhārī’s heading of this chapter is significant: “The Holy Prophet’s saying to him who was protected with a shade and the heat was severe. It is not a virtue to fast when journeying,” the meaning evidently being that one should not fast when one finds it hard. There is a very large number of ḥadīth on this subject, and some of these seem to contradict others, but the weight of evidence lies on the side that one is given the option of keeping the fast or breaking it.
The commandments of the Holy Qur’ān are meant for those who are full-grown, and so is the injunction relating to fasts. According to Imām Mālik, minors should not fast, but the Caliph ‘Umar is quoted as saying: “Even our children are fasting” (Bu. 30:47). Probably this may have been done when the weather was not too hot, and the object may have been to habituate the children to fasting. From what has