How Long Should We Fast?

    There are cities in the world where day length is unusually long in summer time. Cities located in the northern areas of Scandinavian countries including Sweden and Norway have a day lenght of about 22-24  hours at this time of the year.  There are many more towns with lower latitude where daytime length ranges from 18 to 20 hours while in southern hampshire day time may be unusually short simultaneously.  

    If we happen to live in an area with very long hot days of summer and we find it unbearable to keep our fast so long what can we do to feel we have submitted to God's instructions on one  hand, and at the same time avoiding inflicting on ourselves an unreasonable hardship, on the other hand.   The followings are the Quranic verses about fasting.

   



2:183

"O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous "


2:184

"a limited number of days. So whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them] - then an equal number of days [are to be made up]. And upon those who are able [to fast, but with hardship] - a ransom [as substitute] of feeding a poor person [each day]. And whoever volunteers excess - it is better for him. But to fast is best for you, if you only knew."


2:185

"The month of Ramadhan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever sights [the new moon of] the month, let him fast it; and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful."


2:187

"It has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives [for sexual relations]. They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them. Allah knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He accepted your repentance and forgave you. So now, have relations with them and seek that which Allah has decreed for you. And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the sunset. And do not have relations with them as long as you are staying for worship in the mosques. These are the limits [set by] Allah , so do not approach them. Thus does Allah make clear His ordinances to the people that they may become righteous."

                                                                   صدق الله العلي العظيم

   As far as the duration of fasting is concerned the last verse above determines the start time with exact details that is when  "the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]."

Conversely, the precise time to end the fast is not stated: "Then complete the fast until the sunset."  Interestingly, sunset is not defined as precisely as the dawn time is.  I strongly believe God's use of words has profound philosophy behind it and the words have been miraculously chosen to serve a purpose throughout Quran. It then follows that since God has not purposefully specified a distinguishable ending to the fast time, it has to be meant as a flexible ending.   

   That said, there are three main reasons which could lead us to believe God has intended  an adjustable ending time for Ramadan fast, varying based on location and personal circumstances. Namely: 

• Wordings of verse 187 is not providing an explicit universal distinction for the beginning of night in contrast with the start time. 
• It is almost impossible for most people to keep their fast for any length of time above 18 hours and then repeat it for a period of 30 consecutive days.  This will be conflicting with the prior verse 185 at the end of which it reads: "Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful."  It would be an unrealistic expectation not to mention being against the earlier words of God.  In other words, it is important to fast in a way that we can complete the specified number of days, as implied in verse 185.  
• There is already a difference of about 20-30 minutes in breaking the Ramadan fast existing among the two major denominations of Islam. This proves sunset can be inferred legitimately different by believers.   

   Considering the above, if we are to choose between fasting wholeheartedly and neglecting Ramadan fast all together, I believe it would be an act purely out of God's love (="Taghva" ) to fast at a reduced length of time.   

     Last but not least, one may ask if we can define an standard way to shorten the long days to a length of time which would be universally applicable and verifiable.   One solution, as I learned, could be to end our fast based on the sunset time of Mecca.  This makes perfect sense.  I would like to conclude that perhaps Mecca timing should be the maximum hours of Ramadan fast worldwide unless one wants to keep his/hers longer voluntarily.