What`s the ruling on the fasting of manual laborers?

Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds ; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions. Islam is the religion of mercy and ease. It came to lift harm and minimize hardship. Allah, The Almighty, described our beloved Prophet(PBUH){what means}: “He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. “{Al-A`raf/167}. For instance, manual laborers, who have to provide for themselves and their dependants, are obliged to make the intention to fast from night time, then head to their work. If they experience hardship, then they may break their fast and make up for it later. However, breaking fast from the beginning of daytime isn`t permissible based on the Fiqh principle, which reads: “The easy work doesn’t fall by the difficult one: if that laborer was able to fast from the beginning of daytime without experiencing hardship, then he isn`t permitted to break his fast because of a hardship that hasn`t inflicted him yet. Therefore, our Muslim scholars(May Allah have mercy on them) said: “ It is incumbent upon them to make the intention to fast from the night time because they may not encounter severe hardship. “ On our part, we recommend that people who do hard work intend the fast from the night time and commence their fast because Allah, The Exalted, is well acquainted with their situation and He will multiply their reward in the Hereafter. Our Prophet(PBUH) said: “ The reward is equal to your hardship “ {Al-Hakim}. And Allah knows best.