#11 Delaying Suhur

Delaying Suhur (meal before dawn)

Delaying Sahour is a very merciful Sunnah, it gives the Muslim strength for fasting and the ability to tolerate the burden of thirst and hunger. Zaid bin Thabit said; "We took Sahur with the Messenger of Allah then we went to pray." I asked the Prophet (ﷺ):"How long was there between Adhan and Suhur?" He said: «As long as it takes a man to recite fifty verses» (Bukhari).

Sahl bin Sa`d said: "I used to take my Suhur meals with my family and then hurry up for the (Fajr) prayer with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)"(Bukhari). This shows that there are only a few minutes between Suhur and Fajr prayer.

Many people delay Suhur so they would be able to fast, but its better if we do it with the intention of following the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ), that way you take the reward of following the Sunnah and you are also stronger while fasting. It goes without mentioning that Suhur itself is a Sunnah and we shouldn’t say that we can fast without having Suhur, because this is not a matter of ability, rather its turning away from the Prophet’s (ﷺ) Sunnah. Anas bin Malik narrated that The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:  «Eat the suhur (pre-dawn meal), for there are blessings in this meal» (Muslim).

And do not forget our slogan:

{وَإِنْ تُطِيعُوهُ تَهْتَدُوا  }

Translation: {And if you obey him, you will be (rightly) guided} [An-Nur:54].