A brother was travelling from Los Angeles, California to Dubai in Ramadan. The flight took off from Los Angeles airport b/w Asr and Maghrib prayer on 24/07/2013. The total duration of the flight was 17 hours, during which the sun did not set at all. The route adopted from Los Angeles was Northwest towards the North Pole, over which the flight remained for around 7 hours, then southwest towards Dubai. The flight reached Dubai just before Maghrib on 26/07/2013. The passengers lost a day and did not witness the sunset of 25/07/2013, as the sun did not set during the whole flight. The brother who is asking the question was in a state of fast (fasted 13 hours from Suhoor in Los Angeles) when the flight took off from Los Angeles. He did not break his fast until he witnessed the sunset in Dubai 17 hours later, thus making the total duration of his fast 30 hours consecutively. Before landing he also offered five prayers (for 25/07/2013), the day missed by the passengers during the flight. Now, his question is: how should a person faced with such a scenario observe his fast and prayers?
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
(Fatwa: 1808/1451/B=12/1434)
If a traveller knows such a situation already he should not keep fast, it is lawful to skip fast during journey. However, if one kept fast and the day lengthened beyond normal day that he felt unbearable hunger or thirst then such a person may break the fast during flight. Such a person will only make qadha of the missed fast, not kaffarah. He will also make qadha of the 4 or 5 salah which he missed during journey.
Allah knows Best!
Darul Ifta,
Darul Uloom Deoband