Is it permissible for me—given that I work nights in a factory in France with long fasting hours—to fast according to the time in Mecca, Morocco, or any Arab country on workdays, especially since my husband does not face the same circumstances?

A fasting person must abstain from all things that break the fast from the break of dawn until sunset in their own country, even if the fasting hours are long, as long as day and night alternate within 24 hours. A woman is not permitted to fast according to the timing of another country. Work is not a justification for breaking the fast. If her expenses are covered by her husband and fasting with work becomes difficult for her, she should prioritize fasting over work. If her expenses are not covered, she is permitted to work, but she is not allowed to break the fast initially. Instead, she should fast each day, and if the effort reaches an unbearable hardship, then she is allowed to break the fast and is obliged to make up for it.

The Permanent Committee emphasizes that fasting Ramadan is an obligation and a pillar of Islam, and one must reconcile between acts of worship and worldly work. If strenuous work conflicts with fasting, the worker should make the night a time for their work, or take a leave of absence, or look for another job where they can combine both duties, and not let their worldly life affect their afterlife.

If a Muslim cannot find work except strenuous work that causes hardship, they should fast until they feel the beginning of hardship, then eat what satisfies their hunger and prevents them from falling into hardship, then abstain for the rest of the day, and they must make up for it on other days. If none of that is possible, then they must emigrate from that land to another land where they can fulfill the obligations of their religion and their worldly life.