Fatwa rules Burj Khalifa residents must fast longer

By Ed Attwood
  • Sunday, 7 August 2011 11:39 AM
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Residents in the Burj Khalifa must wait to break their fast because of the tower's height

Residents in the Burj Khalifa must wait to break their fast because of the tower's height

Residents in the world’s tallest tower have been asked to delay breaking the fast during the holy month of Ramadan by two or three minutes due to the extreme height of the building.

Muslims around the world fast during Ramadan’s daylight hours, but break their fast with an iftar meal once the sun has set and the call to Maghrib prayer has sounded.

However, the sheer size of the 828m-tall Burj Khalifa means that many residents will continue to see the sun for a short period after it has set on the rest of the city.  

As a result, the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities has issued a fatwa, or ruling, to require the tower’s residents to break their fast or go to their suhoor (pre-sunrise) meals according to three different timings.

Occupiers living above the 150th floor should delay breaking their fast by three minutes, while those on floors 80 to 149 must delay by two minutes.

Residents on the first 79 floors are subject to the same rules as the rest of Dubai.

“There is a difference in timing between the highest floor and those closest to the ground, especially during the Maghrib, Isha and Fajr prayer times,” Dr Ahmed Al Haddad, the grand mufti at Dubai’s Islamic Affairs department, told Emirates Today newspaper.

Al Haddad also warned air travellers not to break their fast only when they see the sun setting, not according to the local times of the countries they are flying over.

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Please post responsibly. Commenter Rules

Posted by: Anonymous Sunday, 22 July 2012 11:36 AM[UAE] - Pakistan

Ok, Genuine question:
What if they come down through the lift to the ground floor? :P

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Posted by: mohammed Thursday, 11 August 2011 6:45 PM[UAE] - uk

what about fasting in sweden where there are now 20 hours of daylight??

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Posted by: mohd sag Thursday, 11 August 2011 9:00 AM[UAE] - India

Now it looks like that for everything there is a fatwa being issued -regardless whether you ask for it or not. However I just have one question-

How am I supposed to validate the authenticity of such fatwas ? The reason behind the question is that each fatwa is issued by an individual or group of people - presumably well versed in Islamic theology- but how do you know that that their views are not skewed or influced by subjective influences ?.

A reader asks "Would you call a doctor a quack because he prescribes a medicine ?... " No the issue here is, even a good doctor is bound to make mistakes.

Secondly, a fatwa is not like a fool proof theory like science or mathamatics which univesally stand true. A fatwa is the result of interpretations of holy scripture, which can be otherwise expalined by another scholar in a different way.

So my opinion is that use your own discretion and common sense .

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Posted by: maribellissimo Wednesday, 10 August 2011 9:24 PM[UAE] - Saudi Arabia

As the saying says, it's tough at the top.

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Posted by: Syed Wednesday, 10 August 2011 4:13 PM[UAE] - KSA

Allah says that Fasting is for ME( Allah Alone) and HE ALONE will give its recompense and reward. Brothers and Sisters when we are fasting for 12 to 16 or more hours for Allah, cant we delay the fast for a few more MERE minutes to make it more rewardable and acceptable.
Moreover the mufti and the fatwa dept has done a great service to the residents of the burj khalifa by pointing this out. By this action they have absolved of their responsibility and now the onus is on the public to either use it or stick to what they deem proper.
As we are all aware that There is NO compulsion in Islam.
But then you will be held responsible in the court of Allah as to why you did not ask the knowledgeable in matters of doubt, As Allah has outlined in the quran .
For your information, the suhoor in Washington is 3:30 AM and Futoor is at 8:50 PM a fast of 18 hours. May Allah accept our fasts and make it a means to grant us heaven-ameen.

Posted by: ahmed Thursday, 11 August 2011 9:05 AM[UAE] - UK

What happens to non-muslims? Which court will they go to?

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