PART 5: As-Suhoor – Pre-Dawn Meal

Wednesday, 17 August 2011 14:28

This is an extract from the book "Al Jaami'u li Ahkaam is Siyaam" (A complete guide to
the rules of fasting) by Sheikh Abu Iyaas Mahmood bin Abdul-Lateef bin Mahmood
('Uwaydhah). Please note this is a draft translation from Arabic. If any confusion arises
from the translation then please refer to the original Arabic book.

The following Ahaadeeth have been reported in relation to the merits of Suhoor:

1) Anas bin Maalik (ra) said that the Prophet ‫ ص)لى هللا علي))ه وس)لم‬said: "Make Suhoor
because verily in As-Suhoor is Barakah (blessing)".

Al-Bukhaari (1923), Muslim, An-Nasaa'i, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah and Ad-Daarami.

2) Abdullah ibn Al-Haarith said that one of the companions of the Prophet ‫صلى هللا عليه‬
‫ وسلم‬said: "I entered the abode of the Prophet ‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬and he was having
Suhoor and he said: Verily it is a Barakah that Allah has bestowed upon you (all) so
do not neglect it".

An-Nasaa'i (2162) and Ahmad.

3) Al-Miqdaam Bin Ma'dy said that the Prophet ‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬said: "You should take
the meal of Suhoor because verily it is the blessed meal (al-Mubaarak)".

Ahmad (17324), An-Nasaa'i and its chain is Saheeh.

It was reported in Al-Mu'jam al-Awsat of At-Tabaraani (505) on the authority of Ibn

Abbaas (ra) that he said: "Umar ibn Al-Khattaab called for me and invited me for As-
Suhoor and he said: Verily the Messenger of Allah ‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬called this the
blessed meal". Its sanad (chain) is Jayyid (good).

4) Ibn Umar (ra) said that the Messenger of Allah ‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬said: "Verily Allah
‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬and His Angels pray on those who take Suhoor".

Ibn Hibbaan (3468) and its chain is hasan. Abu Na'eem and at-Tabaraani recorded it in
Al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Ahmad narrated it from Sa'eed Al-Khudri (ra).

5) Abu Hurairah (ra) said that the Prophet ‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬said: "How good (blessed) is
taking the Suhoor with Tamr (dates)".
Ibn Hibbaan (3475), Abu Daawud and Al-Bayhaqi. Al-Bazzaar (978) narrated it from
Jaabir (ra) with slightly different wording.

6) Abdullah ibn 'Amru (ra) said that the Messenger of Allah ‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬said: "Make
Suhoor even if it just with a sip/gulp of water".

Ibn Hibbaan (3476) and its sanad is hasan. Abd-ur-Razzaq also narrated it from a group
of the Sahaabah (rah). Ibn Abi Shaibah reported it from a man from amongst the
Sahaabah using another Arabic word for sip.

7) 'Amru bin al-'Aas (ra) said that the Messenger of Allah ‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬said: "The
difference between our fasting and that of the people of the book is the taking of As-
Suhoor".

Muslim (2550), Abu Daawud, An-Nasaa'i, At-Tirmidhi, Ahmad and Ad-Daarami with
slightly different wordings.

So the Suhoor is a blessing that Allah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬has bestowed upon us and when we
take it Allah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬and His Angels pray upon us. It is recommended to take the
Suhoor with Rutub (fresh dates), then Tamr (drier daters) and the blessing is also attained
just from a sip of water. It is also what separates our fast from that of the people of the
book. If there was no benefit from taking the Suhoor except the prayers of Allah ‫سبحانه‬
‫ وتعالى‬and the angels then that would be sufficient.

Imam Ahmad has narrated a Hadeeth that mentions all of the merits of Suhoor together
on the authority of Sa'eed Al-Khudry (ra) who said that the Messenger of Allah ‫صلى هللا‬
‫ عليه وسلم‬said: "The food of Suhoor is Barakah so don't leave it and even if one of you
only has a sip of water for verily Allah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬and His Angels make prayers
upon those who take their Suhoor".

The Saa'im will therefore endeavour his utmost to take the food of Suhoor so that he can
obtain these benefits.

The Hukm (ruling) of As-Suhoor

An-Nawawi and Ibn ul-Mundhir state that the Suhoor is Mustahabb (recommended) by
Ijmaa (consensus) and not obligatory. Al-Bukhaari said: 'The chapter of the blessing of
Suhoor without obligation: This is because the Prophet ‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬and his
companions would continue without mentioning the Suhoor'. In Al-Mughni of Ibn
Qudaamah says: 'In relation to it being recommended he does not know of any difference
in the issue'. This is the truth and the evidences which discuss its merits indicate that it is
recommended.

The timing of As-Suhoor

It is the opinion of the four Imaams and the other great Ulamaa that the Suhoor lasts until
the beginning of Fajr or it is said until the Mu'adhdhin calls the call to prayer. This view
is also attributed to Umar ibn Al-Khattaab and Ibn Abbaas (rah). It was reported from
Al-'Aamash and Ishaq the permission to eat and drink until the sun has risen but Imaam
An-Nawawi has doubts in this reporting. The Ulamaa have also put forward that the one
who is eating, drinking or even engaged in sexual relations can continue until the
beginning of Fajr. If he has doubt that Fajr has arrived then he can continue until he is
sure that Fajr has begun. This is due to the saying of Allah azza wa jalla, "Until you
ascertain the white thread from..." Ibn ul-Mundhir mentioned in Al-Ishraaf that Abu Bar
As-Siddeeq, Abdullah ibn Umar and Ibn Abbaas all permitted this. This is also reported
to be the view of 'Ataa, Al-Awzaa'i, the people of Ra'i, Ahmad and Abu Thawr. Maalik is
alone in his view that it is haraam, the eating at the time of doubt and obliges Qadaa upon
it. The correct view which is held by the Ulamaa and Imaams is that eating, drinking and
sexual relations are permitted until the beginning of Fajr has been fully verified and
Maalik's view is therefore incorrect. This is due to the following evidences.

1) Allah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬says:

"...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 Saum (fast) till the
nightfall..." (Al-Baqarah, 2:187)

2) Sahl Ibn Sa'd (ra) said: "...eat and drink until the white thread appears to you distinct
from the black thread" was revealed and 'min al-Fajr' (of fajr) had not yet been revealed
so men when they wanted to fast would tie a white and black thread around their legs
until they could see the difference. When 'min al-Fajr' was revealed they realised that the
night and day was intended by the meaning.

Al-Bukhaari (1917), Muslim, An-Nasaa'i, Al-Bayhaqi and Ibn ul-Mundhir.

3) 'Adi bin Haatim (ra) said: "When the ayah "the white thread appears to you
distinct from the black thread" was revealed I took two (hair) strings, one black and
the other white, and kept them under my pillow and went on looking at them
throughout the night but could not make anything out of it. So, the next morning I
went to Allah's Apostle and told him the whole story. He explained to me, "That
verse means the darkness of the night and the whiteness of the dawn."

Al-Bukhaari (1916), Abu Daawud, Ibn Hibbaan and At-Tabaraani in Al-Mu'jam Al-
Kabeer.

Al-Bukhaari (4510) also narrated from 'Adi the following wording: "I asked: O Allah's
Apostle! What is the meaning of the white thread distinct from the black thread?
Are these two threads?" He said, "You are not intelligent if you watch the two
threads." He then added, "No, it is the darkness of the night and the whiteness of
the day".
Also from Al-Bukhaari (4509) from 'Adi: "...Then your pillow is too wide/spacious if
the white thread (of dawn) and the black thread (of the night) are underneath your
pillow! ".

4) Abu 'Atiyah said: "I said to 'Aa'isha (ra): Amongst us are two men from the
companions of the Prophet ‫لم‬I‫ه وس‬I‫صلى هللا علي‬. One of them hastens the Iftaar and
delays the Suhoor and the other delays the Iftaar and hastens the Suhoor. She
asked: Who is that hastens the Iftaar and delays the Suhoor? I replied: Abdullah
ibn Mas'ood. She said: And this how the Messenger of Allah ‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬use to
do it".

An-Nasaa'i (2158) and Ahmad.

5) 'Aa'isha (ra) said: "Bilaal was making the Adhaan in the night and the Messenger
of Allah ‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬said: Eat and drink until the son of Ibn Umm Maktoom
makes the Adhaan again and he didn't make the Adhaan again until the coming of
Fajr...".

Al-Bukhaari (1919/1918), Muslim, An-Nasaa'i, Ahmad, Ibn Hibbaan and Ibn Khuzaimah.

Muslim narrated this hadeeth from Ibn Mas'ood and Ibn Umar also. Ahmad also
narrated it from Ibn Umar and Al-Bazzaar from Anas bin Maalik. At-Tabaraani narrated
it from Sahl bin Sa'd.

6) Abu Hurairah (ra) said that the Messenger of Allah ‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬said: "If any of
you hear the call (to prayer) and he has a vessel (bowl) in his hand, then let him not
put it down until he has fulfilled his needs from it".

Abu Daawud (2350), Ahmad, Ad-Daaraqutni. Al-Hakim verified it as Saheeh and Adh-
Dhahabi concurred.

7) 'Amru bin Maymoon said: "The companions of the Prophet (rah) were the hastiest
at breaking their fasts and the slowest at finishing As-Suhoor".

Al-Bayhaqi (238/4), At-Tabaraani in the book al-Mu'jam al-Kabeer and Ibn Abi
Shaybah. Al-Haithami said its people (narrators) are trustworthy.

8) Abdullah ibn Mas'ood (ra) said that the Prophet ‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬said: "The Adhaan
pronounced by Bilaal should not stop you from taking Suhoor, for he pronounces
the Adhaan at night, so that the one offering the late night prayer (Tahajjud) from
among you might hurry up and the sleeping from among you might wake up. It does
not mean that dawn or morning has started." Then he (the Prophet) pointed with
his fingers and raised them up (towards the sky) and then lowered them (towards
the earth) like this (Ibn Mas'ood imitated the gesture of the Prophet). Az-Zuhair
gestured with his two index fingers which he put on each other and then stretched
them to the right and left. These gestures illustrate the way real dawn appears. It
spreads left and right horizontally. The dawn that appears in the high sky and
lowers down is not the real dawn)".

Al-Bukhaari (621), Muslim and Ahmad.

9) Ibn Abbaas (ra) said that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ص)لى هللا علي)ه وس)لم‬said: "We the
Prophets have been commanded to speed up the Iftaar and to delay the Suhoor, and
to put our Imaan as a characteristic of our Salaah".

Abu Daawud At-Tayaalissy (2654), At-Tabaraani in Al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Al-Haithami

said its narrators were trustworthy and Ibn Hibbaan also verified it as saheeh. We have
already mentioned this Hadeeth in the section concerning when the Saa'im should make
Iftaar.

10) 'Ataa said that Ibn Abbaas (ra) said: "Allah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬has made Halaal for you
drinking in what you have doubted until you have no doubt."

Abd-ur-Razzaq (7367) and Al-Bayhaqi with a saheeh chain.

11) Saalim bin 'Ubaidillah said: "I was in the room of Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq. He
prayed that night what he had wanted to pray and then said: Go out and see if Fajr
has come? He (saalim) said: So I went out and returned saying: White has risen in
the sky. So he prayed what he wanted to pray and then said: Go out and see if Fajr
has come? So I went out and then returned saying: There is red in the sky so he
said: Come here and bring me my Suhoor".

Ad-Daaraqutni (166/2) and he said that the Isnaad is saheeh. He also narrated a similar
version.

12) Zirr said: "We asked Hudhaifah: What time did you make Suhoor with the
Messenger of Allah ‫ ?صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬It was the day except the sun had not yet risen".

An-Nasaa'i (2152), Ibn Maajah, Ahmad, At-Tahaawi and Abd-ur-Razzaq. Ibn Hajar
verified it as Saheeh.

13) Samrah bin Jundub (ra) said: That the Messenger of Allah ‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬said: "The
Adhan of Bilal may not mislead you with regard to your food at the commencement
of the fast, nor the vertical (streaks) of whiteness in the horizon (for it is an
indication of false dawn). You should stop eating (food) till (the whiteness) spreads
like it. Hammad narrated it and with the gesture of his band he explained, the
horizontal position (of the streaks of light)".

Muslim (2546), Abu Daawud, An-Nasaa'i, At-Tirmidhi and Ahmad.

14) Anas (ra) said: "Zaid bin Thaabit (ra) told him that they had Suhoor with the
Prophet ‫لم‬II‫ صلى هللا عليه وس‬and then performed the Salaah. I asked: How long was
between the two? He said: Around fifty or sixty (meaning ayaat)".

Al-Bukhaari (575), Muslim, An-Nasaa'i, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah, Ahmad and ad-
Daarami.

15) On the authority of Abu Dharr (ra) that the Prophet ‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬said to Bilaal:
"Bilaal you make the Adhaan when the morning is shining in the sky. That isn't the
time of morning though. The morning is like this lying across. He then called for his
‫لم‬I‫ه وس‬I‫ صلى هللا علي‬Suhoor and ate. He ‫لم‬I‫ه وس‬I‫لى هللا علي‬I‫ ص‬would say: My Ummah will
remain well as long as delays the Suhoor and hastens the Iftaar".

Ahmad (21839)

The following is taken and understood from the above Ahaadeeth:

1) The noble Ayah mentioned in band 1 uses the wording: 'until it appears distinct'. This
wording negates Maalik's view that the food of Suhoor ends when you suspect (have
doubt) that it has ended. Appears distinct is the opposite of appearing distinct (clear) and
the Hadeeth from Sahl bin Sa'd (2) and that of 'Adi bin Haatim (3) explain this Ayah.
They explain that the one who is making Suhoor continues to take it the dark of the night
has dissipated and the white of day has taken its place. At this point there remains no
doubt so consuming of the food and drink ceases.

2) The Sunnah of the Prophet dictates that the one taking his Suhoor should delay it until
it is close to the time of Fajr i.e. delaying it until fifteen minutes or so before fajr so that
he can finish eating and drinking what he requires. He therefore leaves enough time for
himself to take his Suhoor before the adhaan of fajr and he doesn't take his Suhoor an
hour or hours before the Adhaan of Fajr. This is what a lot of people do in our current
time. They take Suhoor and take more Suhoor (i.e. they eat and eat) until they get tired or
feel sleepy before midnight or a little after making food their main aim so they eat and
then sleep. This action which is widespread in our current time is in opposition to the
Sunnah and verily we have in the Messenger of Allah ‫ صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬the best example
and he delayed the Suhoor as is seen in Hadeeth 4 and also in 9.

3) Bilaal (ra) used to make the Adhaan when there was light shining in the highest part of
the horizon at the time of the deceitful fajr (not the real fajr). Or he would do it when the
white (horizontal) line appeared towards the top of the sky at the time when Ibn Umm
Maktoom would make the Adhaan when the white would rise up and spread filling the
two sides of the horizon, i.e. it would appear in the left and right not just shining at the
top and this Al-Fajr As-Saadiq (the true fajr). The guidance of the Prophet ‫صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬
is that we continue to eat until the Adhaan of Ibn Umm Maktoom, i.e. until the Adhaan of
Salaat-ul-Fajr is made by him and not before. Now we make two Adhaans: We do not
pray at the first but at the second. The first is like the Adhaan of Bilaal and this does not
prevent us from taking the Suhoor and it is only the second Adhaan that prevents us
which is like the Adhaan of Ibn Umm Maktoom. The difference between these two
Adhaans at present is ten minutes and Suhoor can be taken in the ten minutes between
these two Adhaans. This is the best time to take the Iftaar as indicated by the Ahaadeeth
5, 8, 13 and 15. There is no problem however if you complete your Suhoor before this by
some minutes as indicated in hadeeth 14.

4) And now I say to the one who is afraid of delaying his Suhoor: If he hears the second
Adhaan and he has in his hand some food or drink then he should eat it and drink it. This
is because the adhaan does not mean the cut off limit for the eating and drinking and this
is even if the Adhaan is hastened out of precaution and this has been indicated in hadeeth
number 6.

5) The Sahaabah (rah) used to delay the Suhoor, holding firm to the recommended and
seeking the (best) reward. It is not known of them that they would eat their Suhoor in the
middle of the night or after it by an hour or two like the people do currently. This delay of
the Sahaabah (rah) was Due to their acting upon the guidance of the noble Prophet ‫صلى هللا‬
‫عليه وسلم‬. The Aathaar (reports) 7, 10, 11 indicate this even if the Athar in 11 contains a
little bit of exaggeration in relation to the delay of Suhoor. As for the delaying of Suhoor
being Mandoob, then this is due to the evidences mentioned firstly and the statement of
the Messenger of Allah ‫ صلى هللا علي)ه وس)لم‬mentioned in 15 secondly which states: 'My
Ummah will remain well as long as delays the Suhoor and hastens the Iftaar'.

6) The Hadeeth 12 is all that remains to be discussed. It seems to me that this Hadeeth is
what Al-'Aamash and Ishaq relied upon for their opinion that the Suhoor can last until the
sun has risen. It is true that this text is not decisive in this meaning. The one who looks in
detail see that it is harmonious and compatible with all the other Ahaadeeth within this
issue and not in contradiction with them. It says: 'It was day except that the sun had not
yet risen' and we have said previously that the preceding Ahaadeeth indicate the
legislative continuation of food and drink until the appearance of the light of the day.
This is found in 3: 'That is only the black of night and the white of day'. So this hadeeth is
in complete harmony with this hadeeth and does not contradict any others.