In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful,

All praise is due to Allah and may peace and blessing be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, companions and true followers.

To proceed:

Allah has enjoined the prayer on the believers and made it incumbent on them at fixed hours [ref: Q 4:103]. In the Pure Sunnah, there are ahadith which specify their number; they are five in action and fifty in reward. Also in the Sunnah is found specification of their fixed times, beginning and end, in such as way that leaves no room for confusion. Muslims have agreed on this in every age and in every place, except in some minor details which do not interfere with the accuracy of this general topic.

Of course, it goes without saying that these specifications are based on the moderate regions in which day is distinguishable from night, and this includes the vast majority of Allah's lands, especially since the Law of Allah, the Glorious and Exalted - Shari`ah - extends in validity to all eras, just as it extends to all places. Therefore, in the regions in which some of the times for prayer overlap or those places in which the night or the day last for more than the regular time span for day or night – where night or day may last for several months as is the case in the polar regions – there must be a ruling for these people in Allah's Law by which their situation would be set right and with which they would be able to perform the rites of their religion and to worship with ease. So, how do Muslims offer their prayers and fast in these regions despite the difference of environmental conditions?

1. The Prayer

Case #1: When prayer times overlap

In some places, a certain amount of overlap in the times for prayer may occur. The time for `isha prayer may overlap the time for the fajr prayer in some regions, for instance, because the red glow of twilight (al-shafaq al-ahmar) may not disappear until after the time for fajr has come. So, how do you offer the `isha prayer in these locations? The scholars have different opinions on the matter: the most preferred of which is that a period of shafaq should be estimated for them relative to the period of shafaq others have in the night. Thus, if it takes one hour for the red glow (shafaq) to vanish below the horizon in the closest location to them, and the night in that place, from sunset (maghrib) to the break of dawn (fajr), lasts for eight hours, and it takes one-eighth of that time for the red glow to disappear – meaning one hour – or if the night, from sunset to the break of dawn, in that place lasts twelve hours, then the time for the `isha prayer after sunset (maghrib) would be an hour and a half, and so on. This is perhaps the best of what has been said on the matter because it sets a specific standard on one hand and it prevents the `isha prayer from being offered after the time for the fajr prayer has arrived on the other hand, since, if the `isha for them is considered by the closest place where the red glow (shafaq) actually disappears, that may still be after the start of fajr for them, which would result in the `isha prayer being performed after its time has finished and that opposes the established rules, in terms of fiqh (jurisprudence) and usool (legal principles). In this case, their prayer would be performed on time, for they have taken a scholarly position (ijtihad) and fulfilled their duty, so their prayer would be considered to have been performed on time, and, as such, they would not be deprived of the reward for it. This is the most considered opinion of the Shafi`i madhhab and it is the stance of some of the Hanafi and Maliki scholars.

Case #2: When night is indistinguishable from day

This is when the night and the day exceed the normal length of time for a day and night. The night may last for several months or the day might likewise last for a similar period. The correct, reliable stance in this situation is that which the majority of Muslims, in times of old and recently, have adopted, which is that their prayer times should be estimated for them based on the location nearest to them in which night can be distinguished from day. Among the scholars there are those who said that the estimation should be on the basis of the temperate regions in which the law-making occurred, such as Mecca and Medina. The basis for the principle of estimation is the hadith about the Dajjal (the Antichrist) which was transmitted by Muslim and others on the authority of Al-Nawwas ibn Sam`an, in which the Messenger of Allah (saws) was asked, "And how long did he stay on the earth? He replied, 'Forty days; one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a Friday [week] and the rest of the days like your days.' We asked, 'O Messenger of Allah, that day which is like a year, will it suffice us in it the prayer[s] of a day?' He replied, 'No, estimate for it its length.'" This hadith is unequivocal, textual evidence that the five daily prayers must be performed according to the times estimated from the previous era before the coming of the Dajjal. It is also understood from it clearly that the five prayers are obligatory on the people of these regions in the span of a day and night (meaning twenty-four hours), and that they are to estimate the times for the prayer. So, if the length of time passes after the break of dawn (fajr) which approximates what was usually between it and the dhuhr (midday prayer) every day, then you should pray the thuhr. Then, if the length of time passes after that which approximates what was usually between it and the `asr (midafternoon prayer), then you should pray the `asr. And if the length of time passes which approximates what was usually between it and the maghrib (sunset prayer), then you should pray the maghrib; and likewise, the `isha, the fajr, then the dhuhr, then the `asr, then the maghrib, and so on until the day is concluded.

The reasoning of those who held the opinion that the estimation should be based on one of the two Holy Cities is that Mecca is the original location of the Revelation, the center of the earth and the median point in terms of temperateness [in time], especially since the polar lands do not have a day at all; rather the day or the night lasts for six months and in reality, this is one day composed of a long day, containing 4380 hours, and a long night, containing the same number of hours. Therefore, the sum total of hours in that day is 8760. This is exactly like the day of the Dajjal which is like a year, about which the Prophet (saws) told them to "estimate for it its length". As such, there is no reason to consider the closest location; rather, it should be to mind the five daily prayers which Allah Almighty has made obligatory in every twenty-four hours. That is why they connected it with the Holy City of Mecca, for its prayer schedule is better.

It appears to us, however, that the matter is one of ijtihad and that each opinion has its own reasoning and justification. The opinion we prefer is to estimate on the basis of the location closest to them in which the night and the day may be distinguished from each other. Despite that, however, we confirm that the issue is one of ijtihad and that the decision on which opinion is best to follow should be left to the local religious authorities in the place affected and it is necessary to submit to their ijtihad on this matter in order to stand united and to prevent the vices of dissent and discord.

2. Fasting

Case #1: When night and day may be distinguished from one another

In terms of fasting, wherever day and night may be distinguished, the basic rule on how to fast - when to start and when to stop - is what has come in the Book of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic,

{…and eat and drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night), then complete your fast until nightfall.}

[Al-Baqarah 2: 187]

No matter how long this day becomes, as long as the night has been distinguished from the day and the interval between them is sufficient to eat what would satisfy a person's hunger and give him the strength to continue fasting. That is, unless this fasting would harm the person and he fears from the length of the fast that he will die, that he will become seriously ill, that a pre-existing condition will worsen or that his recuperation will be delayed; under such circumstances, he would be allowed to break his fast. This should not be considered, however, by mere fantasy and illusion; rather what would be considered is when there overwhelming belief through signs, experience or notification of an expert physician that fasting would lead to death, severe illness, increased illness or slow recovery, and this differs from person to person; each person has his own special case. Then, everyone who breaks his fast in each of these situations must make up the days he missed after the excuse which allowed him to break his fast is over.

That said, the Egyptian Fatwa Council has a fatwa on this situation that allows for estimation. They permitted the Muslims of Norway and other regions in the same situation where the day is long during the month of Ramadan to estimate their fast according to the fast of the people of Mecca or Medina, or the temperate country nearest to them; to start the fast according to the fajr in these countries and at night, not waiting until the sun sets. Shaikh Shaltout said, "Fasting twenty-three hours out of twenty-four hours is an undue burden, rejected by the wisdom of the Most Wise and the mercy of the Most Merciful (Allah)."

We see that this estimation would be acceptable in the second scenario in which the interval is so short that it is not possible to break the fast, but opening the door to ijtihad in relation to time schedules for acts of worship must be dealt with using the utmost caution, for acts of worship are the final fortress of Shari`ah and it is necessary to take precautions for them which are not taken for other matters.

Case #2: When day and night are indistinguishable or the interval between them is negligible

If there is no distinction or the interval is so short that the fasting person does not have time to break his fast, he may begin to estimate in the way previously mentioned for the prayer. He should estimate his fast according to the closest location or according to the fast of the Holy City of Mecca as detailed above. There is no harm in him breaking his fast before the night, for that is a time of exigent need (daroorah) and it is like the situation of residents of the polar regions fasting at night [in the winter], for example.

That said, estimating their night according to that in which the fasting person would be able to eat whatever would give him the strength to resume the fast and negate the difficulty of perpetual fasting would be an opinion to be taken into consideration, if only for the fact that it cannot be applied precisely due to the differences in practice and custom in that respect, which leaves estimation according to the closest location to be the opinion that achieves precision similar to that on which all rules of Shari`ah are based.

And Allah Almighty is the Most High, and He knows best.