Storyline

The appearance of fajr sadiq (the true dawn), that is the horizontal whiteness at the east horizon during dawn, is necessary to determine the start of Fajr (Subh) time. Sunrise is necessary to determine the end of Fajr time. The highest position of the sun during the day (or the shortest shadow of an object during the day) is necessary to determine Duhr time. The existence of one time or two times shadow is necessary to determine Asr time. Sunset is necessary to determine the Maghrib time. Finally, the disappearance of the red light or the whiteness at the west horizon is necessary to determine the Isha time.

The summer extreme period occurs when the day is very long, the area experiences sunrise and sunset, but the sun never goes below 18 degree. Strictly speaking, the redness or whiteness never disappear from the horizon. According to standard shariah ruling, there is no Isha time. Furthermore, it would be difficult to determine Fajr time. If we forced to, then Fajr time should be at the middle of the night, merging together with Isha time.

Sunrise and sunset at some part of high latitude areas during summer extreme period also never occurs, which means the sun disk never disappear from the sky. This phenomenon is called as "midnight-sun". According to standard shariah ruling, there is no Maghrib, Isha and Fajr times, because there is no sunset, no true dawn and no disappearance of the red light at the west horizon. The only prayer time available is Duhr time, i.e. when the sun reaches its peak (even though it will be very low anyway). During this period, it will also be difficult to determine Asr time (which ever method used). Either one shadow or two shadow methods gives very close time to Duhr time (maybe in the order of minutes, if not in seconds).

During winter time, the day tends to shorter and the night becomes longer. The short day can be problematic for performing Duhr and Asr times. As a rule of thumb, it is decided that whenever the day (from sunrise to sunset) is less than 4 hours, then the day is considered as winter extreme period. A day of four hours long gives Duhr and Asr times one hour each. During Friday, one hour should be sufficient to perform Friday sermon and prayer.

This reality gives two options. First, strongly hold on to the natural phenomena necessary to determine prayer times and skip all prayers when they do not exist. Second, whenever one or more natural phenomena necessary to determine prayer times do not exist, then disregard them all together and define solution/method to re-arrange the prayer times (independent of local natural phenomena).

We understand that the first option is not an option at all. We do know that five times obligatory prayers in a single day (24 hours) are absolute. We have to perform the five times prayers no matter what. Therefore, we only left with the second option. The second option is based on the analogy to the Hadith which mentions about how long Dajjal will stay on earth and how we supposed to salat when the day is very long or very short.

In Sahih Muslim (5228) narrated from An Nawwas bin Sam'an, Rasulullah SAW was asked about how long Dajjal will stay on earth. Rasulullah SAW replied:

أَرْبَعُونَ يَوْمًا يَوْمٌ كَسَنَةٍ وَيَوْمٌ كَشَهْرٍ وَيَوْمٌ كَجُمُعَةٍ وَسَائِرُ أَيَّامِهِ كَأَيَّامِكُمْ

which means, "Forty days, one day will be like a year, one day will be like a month, one day will be like a week, and the rest of the days will be like your days."

And then someone asked: "O Rasulullah, for one day which equals to one year, will it be sufficient for us to perform salat once in a day?"

Rasulullah SAW replied:

لَا اقْدُرُوا لَهُ قَدْرَهُ

which means, "No, but you should estimate the timing."

Other similar hadith is mentioned in Sunan Abu Daud 3764 (shahih), Sunan Tirmidzi 2166 (shahih, here the one who asked about this issue was An-Nawwas), Sunan Ibnu Majah 4065 (shahih), and Musnad Ahmad 16971.

According to another similar hadith in Sunan Ibnu Majah 4067 (dhaif according to Al-Albani), similar estimation is also valid when the day is very short. In the hadith, Rasulullah SAW said:

وَإِنَّ أَيَّامَهُ أَرْبَعُونَ سَنَةً السَّنَةُ كَنِصْفِ السَّنَةِ وَالسَّنَةُ كَالشَّهْرِ وَالشَّهْرُ كَالْجُمُعَةِ وَآخِرُ أَيَّامِهِ كَالشَّرَرَةِ يُصْبِحُ أَحَدُكُمْ عَلَى بَابِ الْمَدِينَةِ فَلَا يَبْلُغُ بَابَهَا الْآخَرَ حَتَّى يُمْسِيَ

which means, "Verily that his (Dajjal's) days will be 40 years, a year will be like half year, a year will be like a month, a month will be like a week, and the rest of the day will be like sparkling fire. A man walks from one gate of Madinah in the morning, and not yet he arrived at the other gate, the day is already set".

And then someone asked:"O Rasulullah, how we supposed to perform salat during those short days?"

Rasulullah SAW replied:

تَقْدُرُونَ فِيهَا الصَّلَاةَ كَمَا تَقْدُرُونَهَا فِي هَذِهِ الْأَيَّامِ الطِّوَالِ ثُمَّ صَلُّوا

which means, "Estimate your days to perform salat just like you estimate salat during the long days, and then perform salat".

Whatever method implemented should always be in the corridor of the purpose of shariah (maqasid al-Shariah), i.e. the preservation of:

• Religion/Faith (din)
• Life (nafs)
• Lineage/Progeny (nasl)
• Intellect (‘aql)
• Property/Wealth (mal)

Whatever method implemented should aim to give the solution to the Muslims, not to induce other problems. It is definite that there are a number of solutions available (or proposed) throughout the history. Any method cannot invalidate any other method. However, any able and knowledgeable Muslims may evaluate each solution on its implementation and assess its practicality, benefits and disadvantages. Comparing between various available valid solutions, a criteria that might help to select a method to implement is taking the easier one. This is according to the example that Rasulullah SAW has given his ummah.

In Sahih Bukhari (4295) narrated from Aishah RA, she said:

مَا خُيِّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَا أَيْسَرُ مِنْ الْآخَرِ إِلَّا اخْتَارَ أَيْسَرَهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ إِثْمًا

which means: “Whenever Rasulullah SAW was offered two options, an option easier than the other, then he always chose the easier one, as long as it is/was not a sin.”

Similar hadiths to the one above are mentioned in Sahih Bukhari (3296, 5661, 6288), Sahih Muslim (4294, 4295), Sunan Abu Daud (4153), Musnad Ahmad (23410, 23686, 23702, 24127, 24310, 24403, 24574, 24686, 25061), and Muwatha Malik (1401).

This problem affects all groups of age, i.e. children, teenager, young and productive people, as well as old people, in different ways in relations to social, behavior-change, educational, and health dimensions. Therefore, whatever method implemented should give consideration on the full spectrum of demography of Muslims living in the area. This means that the solution is not only targetting the strongest ones and leave out the weak ones. The solution shall not only target the young and productive ones and leave out the old ones and children.

What happens when Ramadhan occur during the summer extreme period and the time table used is the one which force people to fast longer than 18 hours? Some people (mainly young and productive people) are indeed strong and their body could adapt to such situation. This group most likely only eats once in a 24 hours period, mainly due to full (the food is not yet finished to be processed) and the very short time available to do it.

In order to keep up with the Isha and tharawih prayers as well as Fajr prayer, they tend to awake during the night (or more precisely during the vicinity of midnight, let say between 22:00 and 03:00). The night sleep is then changed into the beginning (let say between 18:00-22:00) and end (between 03:00-07:00) of the night. So basically they divide the night sleep into two parts, i.e. before Maghrib and after Fajr. During this period, they experience abnormal night activities.

It is interesting to see that even the Quran mentions about when people should sleep/rest and when people should work (being active on doing major activities) in a number of verses.

Quran Surat Yunus verse 67:

هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ لِتَسْكُنُوا فِيهِ وَالنَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَسْمَعُونَ

He it is Who has appointed for you the night that you may rest therein, and the day to make things visible (to you). Verily, in this are Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) for a people who listen (i.e. those who think deeply).

Quran Surat Al-Furqan verse 47:

وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ لِبَاسًا وَالنَّوْمَ سُبَاتًا وَجَعَلَ النَّهَارَ نُشُورًا

And it is He Who makes the night a covering for you, and the sleep (as) repose, and makes the day Nushur (i.e. getting up and going about here and there for daily work, etc. after one's sleep at night or like resurrection after one's death).

Quran Surat An-Naml verse 86:

أَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا جَعَلْنَا اللَّيْلَ لِيَسْكُنُوا فِيهِ وَالنَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ شَيْءٍ فَصَّلْنَاهُ تَفْصِيلًا

Do they not see that We made the night that they may rest therein and the day giving sight? Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe.

Quran Surat Al-Qasas verse 73:

وَمِن رَّحْمَتِهِ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ لِتَسْكُنُوا فِيهِ وَلِتَبْتَغُوا مِن فَضْلِهِ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ شَيْءٍ فَصَّلْنَاهُ تَفْصِيلًا

It is out of His Mercy that He has put for you night and day, that you may rest therein (i.e. during the night) and that you may seek of His Bounty (i.e. during the day), and in order that you may be grateful.

Quran Surat Ghafir verse 61:

اللَّهُ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ اللَّيْلَ لِتَسْكُنُوا فِيهِ وَالنَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ

Allah, it is He Who has made the night for you that you may rest therein and the day for you to see. Truly, Allah is full of Bounty to mankind, yet most of mankind give no thanks.

Quran Surat Al-Isra verse 12:

وَجَعَلْنَا اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ آيَتَيْنِ ۖ فَمَحَوْنَا آيَةَ اللَّيْلِ وَجَعَلْنَا آيَةَ النَّهَارِ مُبْصِرَةً لِّتَبْتَغُوا فَضْلًا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَلِتَعْلَمُوا عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالْحِسَابَ ۚ وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَصَّلْنَاهُ تَفْصِيلًا

And We have appointed the night and the day as two Ayat (signs etc.). Then, We eliminated the sign of the night and We have made the sign of day being illuminating, that you may seek bounty from your Lord, and that you may know the number of the years and the reckoning. And We have explained everything (in detail) with full explanation.

It is clear that six verses above indicates that Allah SWT created day for working and night for resting. Then, what is the definition of day? And what is the definition of night? For many centuries when Muslims have not been settled beyond 45deg North, the indicator of the daytime is the sun and the indicator of the night is the darkness. The border between day and night is sunset and sunrise. This definition have been suffice so far.

By living for so long under 45deg North made us easily ignored the very important message about the definition of day and night, which was emphasized by Quran Surat Al-Isra verse 12 above 14 centuries ago. This verse mentions about "Ayat" (الآية), means clear sign. Sign is the indicator of something. "We have made the night and the daytime two signs" shows that each is an indicator; thus without the daytime and the night, the day would not be complete. As an analogy, for areas beyond 45deg North including at the pole too, the daytime and the night are also repeated everyday.

Mubsir (مبصر) is the word we translate as "illuminating". It is derived from the root "basar" (بص) which means "seeing with the eye". Mubsir (مبصر) means "the one who makes you see". For "mubsir" to be an indicator of the daytime, the environment should be illuminated enough to be visible to the eye and to allow comprehension.

The elimination of the indicator of the night and ‘being illuminating’ becoming the indicator of the daytime, changes all definitions. Since the sun is not the indicator of the daytime and darkness is not the indicator of the night, some daytime could be without the sun and some nights could be with the sun. See Bayindir (2011).

Some weaker people, including children and old people, and due to various reasons related to health (such as indigestion or dyspepsia) and occupasional (job/work) issue, tend to skip the fasting during the extreme period. If fortunate, they might try to compensate in the other days. If they indeed do so, nevertheless they lose the atmosphere of Ramadan.

Some people with sufficient money, they could afford to "escape" to more moderate climate for the whole month of Ramadan and then back again when everything is normal.

What happen when Ramadhan occurs during the summer extreme period and the time table used is the one which forces the people to fast longer than 18 hours? As consequence of daily behavior-change as described previously, social relation between members of family and between Muslims and others outside the family also changes.

As mentioned before that people tends to sleep at the beginning and at the end of the night. This means all of their usual activities in the afternoon have to be ceased during the month of Ramadan, such as shopping for household logistics, sending kids to sport club and martial art, refresh walking with family in the neighborhood, tidy up the garden, tidy up the house, cooking for dinner, and any other activities people usually do after working hours. Maybe the only thing that has to be done no matter what is cooking for dinner.

This also means that there are many people who cannot sleep at the beginning of the night due to work related issue, such as shop keeper, they have very little time to sleep. And any less sleep than needed will have detrimental effect on physical and psychological health.

Due to very long day and very short night (or even maybe no night), husband and wife have no chance to make an intimate relationship throughout the month of Ramadan. This fact is against the nature of Islam's law which tends to channel the basic human need into halal means, not suppress it. This issue is very important, such that it is mentioned in the Quran Surat Al-Baqarah verse 187.

أُحِلَّ لَكُمْ لَيْلَةَ الصِّيَامِ الرَّفَثُ إِلَىٰ نِسَائِكُمْ ۚ هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَّكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لِبَاسٌ لَّهُنَّ ۗ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَخْتَانُونَ أَنفُسَكُمْ فَتَابَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَعَفَا عَنكُمْ ۖ فَالْآنَ بَاشِرُوهُنَّ وَابْتَغُوا مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۚ وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ ۖ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ ۚ

It has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives [for sexual relations]. They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them. Allah knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He accepted your repentance and forgave you. So now, have relations with them and seek that which Allah has decreed for you. And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the nightfall.

The cause of revelation of this particular verse was as follows. At that time, there was an assumption that in the month of Ramadan it is forbidden (haram) for eating, drinking and having intimate relation between husband and wife after falling asleep at night until he breaks the fast the next day. One day Umar bin Khaththab RA came home from the Prophet's home after a late night. He wanted to have intimate relation with his wife, but his wife said: "I'm asleep." Umar said: "You are not sleeping", and he did that to his wife. Likewise Ka'b did so. The next day Umar told about that to the Prophet SAW. Then the above verse (QS. Al-Baqarah verse 187) was revealed from the beginning to the end of the verse. (Narrated by Ahmad, Ibn Jarir, and Ibn Abi Hatim from Abdullah bin Ka'b bin Malik, who came from his father.)

For a Muslim family home is the first school of the children, where the first effort to forge them into better future Muslims generation is done. The best method of education is without doubt by example (role model). During the long day in summer period, children usually go to bed even before sunset. If we cling on to the principle of using sunset to determine Maghrib time eventhough it is very close to mid-night, while children usually go to bed few hours before mid-night, then children will skip the Maghrib and Isha prayers or at least they will not observe their parent performing Maghrib and Isha prayers during summer period. This is in a long run will affect the effectiveness of enjoin them to perform salat. The tendency is that parents have harder time to dicipline their children to perform salat.

Moreover, parents might violate the advice of Rasululah SAW about salat education to the children. In a hadith in Sunan Abu Dawud (417, hasan sahih), Rasulullah SAW said:

مُـرُوْا أَوْلاَدَكُمْ بِالصَّـلاَةِ وَهُمْ أَبْنَاءُ سَبْعِ سِنِيْنَ، وَاضْرِبُوْهُمْ عَلَيْهَا، وَهُمْ أَبْنَاءُ عَشْرٍ،.

which means, "Enjoin your kid to perform salat when he is 7 years age. And if he leaves salat when he is 10 years old, then beat him.".

Another similar hadith is also narrated in Musnad Ahmad (6402, 6467), Sunan Darimi (1395, hasan) and Sunan Tirmidzi (372, hasan).

Many Islamic scholars took this hadith as analogy also for fasting, that is children should be enjoined to fast when they are 10 years old. During summer extreme period, when the day becomes very long, this will be problematic for the children.

Fasting for very long time, let say up to 18 hours or more may be possible for people with less activities, such as unemployed people. This might not be true for pensionist, due to the old age.

An imam in the masjid (regularly paid) may also be strong enough to perform such a long fasting. He can lead all the prayers, including tharawih in the night. He is able to wake up the whole night. But then, he sleeps after Fajr time, which is quite close to mid-night, until few hours before Duhr.

Some people working under the shade with minimum physical activities, such as working in the office dealing with computers and papers, may also be strong enough to perform such a long fasting.

However, the greater number of people who relies on physically related jobs, such as cleaning service, teacher, construction worker, carpenter, driver, shop keeper, delivery man, porter, sailor, laundry, etc, tends to skip the fasting. They then might or might not compensate the fasting in another day.

While majority of the people are able to fast 15-16 hours long, only few are able to fast 18 hours or more for extended days due to health issue. These few are mostly comprised of healthy young men, see Nugraha etal. (2017)

Very long fasting strongly correlates with very short sleep. Very short sleep for extended days may harm physically and mentally, see Banks & Dinges (2007). Very short sleep may increase the risk of mortality, see Kripke etal. (2011).

The waking up during the whole night and shifting the sleep into other abnormal time to sleep can be analagous to shiftwork. Research shown that shiftwork has detrimental effect (tending to cause harm) w.r.t quality of sleep, general health, and work performance, see e.g. Gordon etal. (1986) and Fido & Ghali (2008).

Technically, this problem is not difficult to solve, once collective decision is made. All computation tools and astronomical formulas necessary to calculate prayer times are available.

Various fatawa offer their proposed solution. Each of these solutions has to be implemented into a time table. An assessment is then made to decide if the time table based on the respective proposed solution is able to solve all problems surrounding this issue. The aim is then to get a solution which does not create another problem.

Needless to say that problems surrounding this issue might make Non Muslims and prospective Muslims to run away. It would be hard for them to see the beauty of Islam, the justice of Islamic Shariah, and the concept that Islam is rahmatan lil 'alamin (mercy to the worlds), when the rule for fasting during summer period seems to be devastating.

This problem affects Muslims for several days in a year at around 48deg up to more than 200 days in a year at around 75deg. The phenomena of long fasting time and Maghrib, Isha and Fajr times compressed in just few hours in the vicinity of mid-night, these difficulties tumble upon Muslims living in the high latitude areas every year. While all Muslims living in the other part of the world enjoy the ability to fast (wajib and sunnah) throughout the year peacefully, Muslims living in the high latitude areas tend to skip the sunnah fasting and seeing the Ramadan as dreadful experience.

If all of the earth belongs to Allah SWT. It would be far from fairness if Muslims living in the high latitude areas must accept the difficulties they are facing every year as inevitability. There must be solution for these problems, because Allahu Al-'Adl (العدل), Allah The Just.