Which is preferable during travel: fasting or breaking the fast?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Fasting
Primary text
Breaking the fast while traveling is preferable according to our Imam, which is also the position of Ibn Umar, Ibn Abbas, Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, al-Awza'i, and Ishaq. This preference is supported by reports concerning the Prophet (peace be upon him) indicating that choosing ease is better, and by analogy to voluntary acts where choosing fasting is superior when one has a choice. Further evidence suggests that for the one who has the means for sustenance while traveling, the Prophet (PBUH) advised fasting where one is overtaken by the month. An additional argument is that breaking the fast allows one to exit from a difference of opinion, making it preferable, similar to shortening the prayer (Qasr).
Supporting text
Abu Hanifa, Malik, and al-Shafi'i hold that fasting is better for one who has the strength to fast, citing reports from Anas and Uthman ibn Abi al-'As. They rely on the tradition that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Whoever has a mount that can carry him to shelter, let him fast Ramadan wherever he finds it," narrated by Abu Dawud. They argue that when one is given a choice between fasting and breaking the fast, fasting is superior, like in voluntary acts.