I am often asked difficult questions by my Muslim readers that can best be answered when I take on the persona of the Grand Vizier.

Today the following query was posed:

Q: I am an airline pilot with more than 20 years of experience but firstly I am a Muslim. Is it Okay if, during Ramadhan, that I fast while piloting a plane?

A: Praise be to Allaah:

There are two ways to answer this question:

If speaking to infidels, tell them that when we Muslims travel, we do not have to observe the fasting of Ramadhan and that we may fulfill this obligation at a later time. And certainly it is too dangerous to fast and pilot an airplane.

But among ourselves let me say that the true answer depends on who the passengers are. If the plane is filled with fellow Muslims then do not fast for fear of causing undue deaths - however if filled mostly with infidels then fast away. Should you become disoriented, misjudge the landing strip and crash then Allah's reward is yours and Paradise is your hangar.

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This is a real life question discussed by a Muslim pilot here. His response was that if the flight is not too long he would fast, but if his co-pilot thinks that he's losing mental capacity then he would break his fast. Yeah, suppose both pilot and co-pilot don't have enough energy to stay awake from fasting?

Ramadhan is one reason that I never fly on any plane piloted by Muslims or where any of the crew are Muslim.