Hadithcore
Sahih Muslim, 1114 a
sahih

Jabir b. 'Abdullah (Allah be pleased with both of them) reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) went out to Mecca in Ramadan in the year of Victory, and he and the people fasted till he came to Kura' al-Ghamim and the people also fasted. He then called for a cup of water which he raised till the people saw it, and then he drank. He was told afterwards that some people had continued to fast, and he said:

These people are the disobedient ones; these are the disobedient ones.

حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ عَبْدِ الْمَجِيدِ - حَدَّثَنَا جَعْفَرٌ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، - رضى الله عنهما - أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم خَرَجَ عَامَ الْفَتْحِ إِلَى مَكَّةَ فِي رَمَضَانَ فَصَامَ حَتَّى بَلَغَ كُرَاعَ الْغَمِيمِ فَصَامَ النَّاسُ ثُمَّ دَعَا بِقَدَحٍ مِنْ مَاءٍ فَرَفَعَهُ حَتَّى نَظَرَ النَّاسُ إِلَيْهِ ثُمَّ شَرِبَ فَقِيلَ لَهُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ إِنَّ بَعْضَ النَّاسِ قَدْ صَامَ فَقَالَ ‏

‏ أُولَئِكَ الْعُصَاةُ أُولَئِكَ الْعُصَاةُ ‏

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References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 13, Hadith 116
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Book 6, Hadith 2472 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Jihad and being in a battle are among the situations that require all the meanings of good health and strength, particularly upon encountering the enemy. A traveler is given a dispensation not to fast, so that he can have the strength to travel. And there is a greater reason for refraining from fasting during Jihad, as it needs more strength. In this Hadīth, Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) set out during the year of the Conquest, in 8 A.H., intending to conquer Makkah, during Ramadan. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and the army with him were fasting, until he reached "Kurā‘ al-Ghamīm", the name of a place between Makkah and Madīnah. Al-Ghamīm: a valley 8 miles (nearly 13km) opposite ‘Usfān, and 64km away from Makkah on the way to Madīnah. It is known today as Barqā’ al-Ghamīm. Al-Kurā‘: a black mountain connected to it. When he arrived there, he called for a cup of water and raised it to his mouth until the people looked at him. In a version: "Fasting has become too difficult for the people, and indeed they are watching you to see what you will do" in terms of fasting or breaking the fast. "So, he called for a cup of water after ‘Asr." This version clarifies that fasting exhausted the people and they were waiting for the Prophet's order regarding this matter. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) called for water after ‘Asr and drank from it, so that the people would follow his example and break their fast. He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sought leniency and ease for them, in line with the verse that reads: {But if anyone is ill or on a journey, he should make up for those days. Allah wants ease for you and does not want hardship for you.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 185] Allah Almighty informs that, by breaking the fast during travel, He wants to facilitate things for His servants. Thereafter, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was told that some of the people fasted. Thereupon, he said: "Those are the disobedient ones; those are the disobedient ones." This is because when he gives a command, it must be observed. He would sometimes give commands by his statements and sometimes by his actions. So, when he broke the fast, this constituted a command, indicated by his very condition, aimed at giving a dispensation, so that he could draw strength from breaking the fast and be able to engage in the Jihad he set out for. When those people renounced his action, they were extremely wrong. If they thought that their observance of the fast was better than the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) breaking the fast, this sufficed as an error and lack of understanding on their part. And if they were not aware that their breaking of the fast would make them more capable of Jihad, this was a poor understanding from them. Hence, they were labeled as disobedient because, by doing so, they violated the Shariah and were not flexible to accept it. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) repeated his statement "those are the disobedient ones" for emphasis. The Hadīth mentions going to battle in Ramadan and the legitimacy of breaking the fast during its daytime, lest the army would be too weak to engage in the war. It indicates the Prophet's complete mercy and compassion toward his Ummah. It demonstrates the necessity of following the Prophet's commands and that whoever disobeys him, due to any standpoint, becomes a disobedient person. It shows the leniency of Islam and the ease of its obligations, as it sanctions breaking the fast for travelers. As it points to the permissibility of breaking the fast during the daytime for a person who intends to fast from the night if something unexpected occurs to him..
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