Suhur (Pre-Dawn Meal)
Since 2012-11-22
The Prophet -peace and blessings be upon him- made it an incumbent to eat Suhur, warned from leaving it, and mentioned many merits and benefits.
Praise is only to God the Cherisher, and Sustainer of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the last Prophet, and so:
From the known ethics of Fasting: Suhur
And Suhur: Is eating at the end of the night (immediately before dawn), and it was named like that because it occurs in the early dawn (time of Sahar).
Its opinion:Recommended (desirable) and Al Nawawy said: "And it is recommended for us to eat Suhur, and if someone didn't eat Suhur, as if he slept and couldn't wake up before dawn, so his Fasting is valid, because Suhur is not a prerequisite for the validation of Fasting.
And Al Hafez Ibn Hagar forwarded in Al Fath, the consensus on its recommendation, and Al Shaikh Ibn 'Othaimin may God have mercy on him mentioned it in the recommended ethics for Fasting.
Its merit: The Prophet -peace and blessings be upon him- made it an incumbent to eat Suhur, warned from leaving it, and mentioned many merits and benefits, as:
1- It is a blessing: As narrated by Abu Huraira may God be pleased with him, the Messenger of Allah -peace and blessings be upon him- said: "Eat Suhur, surely there is a blessing in Suhur" [Al Bukhari- Muslim- Ibn Habban and corrected by Al Albani]
«تسحروا، فإن في السحور بركة»
And Narrated by Salman may God be pleased with him that the Prophet -peace and blessings be upon him- said: "Blessing is in three things: Congregational prayer, Tharid, and Suhur" [Corrected by Al Albani]
«البركة في ثلاثة، في الجماعة، والثريد، والسحور»
And Al Nawawy may Goad have mercy on him: "And concerning the blessing in Suhur, it is obvious, because Suhur strengthen the person for Fasting and give him power, and as a result the desire for Fasting increases."
2- It differentiates us from the Kitabis: As the Prophet –peace and blessings be upon him- said: "The difference between our Fasting and that of the people of the Book is eating shortly before dawn" [Muslim and corrected by Al Albany]
«فصل ما بين صيامنا وصيام أهل الكتاب، أكلة السحر»
Al Nawawy may God have mercy on him said: "It means that the difference and discrimination between our Fasting and theirs is Suhur, as they don't eat Suhur, and we are recommended to eat it."
3- God and his Angels pray for the people who eat Suhur: Depending on the hadith narrated by Aby Sa'id Al Khodry that Allah's Apostle said: "Suhur is a blessed meal, so don't leave it even if you only take a gulp of water, as God and his angels are praying for the people who eat Suhur" [declared Hasan by Al Albani]
«السحور كله بركة فلا تدعوه ، و لو أن يجرع أحدكم جرعة من ماء ، فإن الله عز وجل وملائكته يصلون على المتسحرين»
And the prayer of the angels: calling and asking for forgiveness for them.
4- It is easy and simple: According to Allah's Apostle –peace and blessings be upon him: "Eat Suhur even if with a gulp of water." [Narrated by Ans Ibn Malek, Al Khodary, Abd Allah Ibn Amr, and declared authentic by Al Albany]
«تسحروا و لو بجرعة من ماء»
but if the man had no desire to eat at that late time, or was sleeping and will not awake until dawn, so he can drink a little amount of water with the intention of Suhur, for not losing the merit of following the Prophet –peace and blessings be upon him- in this Sunnah, and for getting rewarded on doing it.
Its ethics: There are some ethics which are related to Suhur that the Muslim who wants the good should take them into consideration, and from them:
1- Correcting the intention: As the Muslim who eats Suhur should intend by his Suhur following the Prophet's -peace and blessings be upon him- orders and imitating his acts; so that his Suhur be worship and intend by it achieving the devotion of Fasting, in order to gain the reward.
2- Delaying Suhur: As the Sunnah is to delay the Suhur until before dawn, as it was narrated by Anas Ibn Malik may God be pleased with him: Zaid Ibn Thabet God be pleased with him, he said: "We took the Suhur with the Suhur with the Prophet. Then he stood for the prayer." I asked, "What was the interval between the Suhur and the Adhan?" He replied, "The interval was sufficient to recite fifty verses of the Qur'an." [Al Bukhari]
«تسحرنا مع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، ثم قام إلى الصلاة ، قلت: كم كان بين الأذان والسحور؟. قال :
قدر خمسين آية»
قدر خمسين آية»
Al Sheikh Ibn 'Othaimin said: "And delaying Suhur is better for the Fasting person and saves him from leaving Al Fajr prayer while sleeping. And the Fasting person can eat and drink after intending to fast and finishing Suhur, until he is sure that it is dawn, as God says: " And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]."[Al Baqara 2:187]
{وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ}
And the assurance about the dawn can be done by, whether watching it in the skyline or from a trusted source as Adhan, or other, so if it is dawn he should hold (start Fasting), and he intends by his heart not by saying (pronouncing) as saying it is an innovation (bed'a). (Magales Shahr Ramadan: 50)
And the proof on delaying Suhur from the Sunnah is the Prophet's -peace and blessings be upon him- speech: "Three of the prophecy ethics: Acceleration of breaking the Fast, delaying Suhur, and putting the right hand on the left while praying" [Corrected by Al Albani]
«ثلاث من أخلاق النبوة: تعجيل الإفطار ، وتأخير السحور، و وضع اليمين على الشمال في الصلاة»
Sheikh Al Fawzan said: "And nowadays some people wake most of the night, so if they wanted to sleep they would eat Suhur and sleep without praying Al Fajr prayer, so these people Fasted before the time of the Fasting, an left Al Fajr prayer, they didn't care about God's orders, so what's their feelings toward their religion, Fasting and prayers, they don't care as long as they satisfy their selves by its desires" (The book of Ithaf Ahl Al Iman: 33)
3- Eating dates on Suhur: And it is preferred that the Muslim eats dates on Suhur depending on the Hadith narrated bu Abu Huraira may God be pleased with him that Allah's Apostle –peace and blessings be upon him- said: "The best Suhur for the believer is dates" [Narrated by Abu Dawud and corrected by Al Albani]
«نعم سحورالمؤمن التمر»
4- He shouldn't fill up his stomach: As from the rules of Fasting is to break the desires of eating and sexual intercourse, while eating and drinking a lot weakens this rule.
And the proof on the prohibition of eating too much is the speech of the Prophet -peace and blessings be upon him-: "No man fills a container worse than his stomach. A few morsels that keep his back upright are sufficient for him. If he has to, then he should keep one-third for food, one-third for drink, one-third for his breathing." [Al Turmudhi and corrected by Al Albani]
«ما ملأ آدمي وعاء شرا من بطن، بحسب ابن آدم أكلات يقمن صلبه ، فإن كان لا محالة: فثلث
لطعامه ، وثلث لشرابه وثلث لنفسه»
لطعامه ، وثلث لشرابه وثلث لنفسه»
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