Table of Contents
Eating Sahri
Consensus of the Muslim Ummah is that it is Mustahab (Recommended) to eat Sehri for fasting and one who does not eat it intentionally is not guilty. And for this reason, if one wakes up after Fajr and does not have time to eat Sehri, then it is necessary for him to fast. It will not harm his fast. Rather, he will eat something (after Fajr) when he feels he needs to eat something. In that case, he should abstain from eating, drinking, etc. for the whole day and perform Qaza on that day after Ramadhan.
The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) encouraged the Ummah through various sayings to express the goodness of Sehri. He called Sehri the most blessed food. He(ﷺ) said, “Take meal a little before dawn, for there is a blessing in taking meal at that time.”
Being blessed in Sahri means that Sahri strengthens the fasting person and eases the hardships of fasting for him. And this is a physical curse. On the other hand, the Shariah is blessed, obeying the command of the Messenger (ﷺ) and following him.
The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) while describing the importance of Sahri, used it to distinguish between the fasts of Muslims and People of the Book (Jews and Christians). He has commanded us to oppose them as we oppose them in other matters. He (ﷺ)said, “The difference between our fast and the fast of the People of the Book is the eating Sahri.”
What will be eaten at Sahri?
Eating a small amount of any food will fulfill the Sahri rule. Even if one eats a glass of milk, tea or water or eats 2/1 biscuits or dates, then the Sunnah of eating Sehri will be fulfilled. And in this small amount of food, the fasting person will get the strength to obey Allah Almighty by observing this great duty of fasting and the angels will make dua for him.
Anas (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: “Take meal a little before dawn, for there is a blessing for taking meal at that time.”
Narrated Abu Hurairah:The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: “How good is the believers meal of dates shortly before dawn.”
Sunan i Abu Dawood 2345
Of course, eating Sehri should not be excessive. Because eating and drinking too much causes laziness in worship and obedience.There are some people who gorge themselves on varieties to such an extent that they feel as if they are dying of suffocation. As a result of which he attends the Fajr prayer with great laziness and laziness and is not able to sit even for a little while for the remembrance of Allah in the mosque.And during the day the stomach is subjected to various types of compression.
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: “The human does not fill any container that is worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat what will support his back. If this is not possible, then a third for food, a third for drink, and third for his breath.”
When will we eat Sahri?
The time to eat Sahri is from midnight to before Fajr. And it is mustahab to eat Sahri at the last time if there is no apprehension of Fajr.
Zaid b. Thabit (Allah be pleased with him) said:We took meal shortly before dawn along with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). We then stood up for prayer. I said: How much span of time was there between the two (acts, i. e. taking of Sahri and observing of prayer)? He said (a span of reciting) fifty verses.
The verses here will be considered as middle type verses. And it takes about 15/20 minutes to read 50/60 verses of this class. So it is Sunnah to eat Sahri 15/20 minutes before Azan.
So Sahri should not be eaten earlier. In the middle of the night, you should not fall asleep after eating Sehri. Because, the Fajr prayer runs away from it. His congregation ran away from sleep. Otherwise, if the prayer time is gone and the sun rises, then the prayer becomes valid. Nauzu billahi min jalik. And undoubtedly this is a great trouble; So that many fasts are trapped. May Allah guide them. Amen.
Iftar
What is Iftar?
Iftar (Arabic: افطار, ) is the fast-breaking evening meal of Muslims in Ramadan at the time of adhan (call to prayer) of the Maghrib prayer.This is their second meal of the day; the daily fast during Ramadan begins immediately after the pre-dawn meal of suhur and continues during the daylight hours, ending with sunset with the evening meal of iftar.
Early Iftar
It is natural for every fasting person to look forward to breaking the fast or breaking the fast when the fixed period of fasting has passed. And at that time he who can complete his fast is naturally happy. So it is natural to hurry to break fast. But nevertheless the Prophet of Mercy (ﷺ) commanded us to break the fast and said that it is good for us.Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: “The people will continue to prosper as long as they hasten the breaking of the fast.”
Since the Jews and Christians fast and break their fast late, He has commanded us to oppose them. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Religion will continue to prevail as long as people hasten to break the fast, because the Jews and the Christians delay doing so.
Needless to say, when the entire portion of the sun disappears (set) locally, the fasting person should break the fast at that time. And at this time, even if there is a red glow in the lower sky, it is not visible. Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: “When the night approaches and the day retreates and the sun sinks down, then the observer of the fast should break it.”
So the thing to watch is the sunset; Not the call to prayer. So if the fasting person sees with his eyes that the sun has set but the muezzin has not yet given the call to prayer, then it is permissible for him to break the fast.On the other hand, it is innovation to delay the call to prayer by the Muezzins as a precaution.
If after breaking the fast thinking that the sun has set, it is known that the sun has not yet set, then his fast is valid. He does not have to do Qaza. Because, he has broken iftar without knowing. And if you use something that breaks the fast without knowing the condition (time), then its (not knowing) reason is acceptable. Apart from that, Asma bint Abi Bakr (R.A.) said, “Once during the time of the Prophet(ﷺ), we broke the fast on a cloudy day. Then the sun appeared.”
So they broke the fast during the day thinking that the sun had set. Therefore the state or the time was unknown to them; Not a Shariah directive. They had no idea that it was daytime. And the Holy Prophet (ﷺ)did not even order them to observe Qaza on that day. On the other hand, if the Qaza is wajib (in the said situation), it is considered as Shariah and its description is protected till date.Therefore, when it is not protected and there is no command about it from the Holy Prophet (ﷺ), then the basic condition is to be free from responsibility and not perform Qaza.
Iftar with what?
It is Sunnah to break the fast with some semi-ripe or full-ripe (dry) dates and, if not available, with water.
Narrated Anas ibn Malik:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to break his fast before praying with some fresh dates; but if there were no fresh dates, he had a few dry dates, and if there were no dry dates, he took some mouthfuls of water.
On the other hand, water (a very important thing at this time.) Fasting causes a kind of dryness in the liver. So if it is moistened first with water then with food the benefits are fulfilled. Therefore, it is better for thirsty and hungry people to drink some water first and then start eating. Apart from this, dates and water have properties that are beneficial to the heart, the effect of which only doctors know.
It is known that many people spread large long and wide tables during Iftar in this month. In which are arranged various kinds of food items. Sometimes beyond the affordability, various types of meat, vegetables, fruits, roots, syrups, juices etc. are prepared. Much of which is surplus to requirements; Therefore it has to be thrown away. Which is definitely forbidden. Ramadan does not want that from us. Moreover, wastage is forbidden and condemned in Sharia. Almighty Allah says:
وَكُلُوْا وَاشْرَبُوْا وَلاَ تُسْرِفُوْا، إِنَّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِيْنَ
“You eat and drink. Don’t waste anymore. Surely Allah does not like the wasteful.”
Needless to say, we should adopt a middle approach in this regard. Shouldn’t follow the path of forbidden misers. As it should not, adopt the haram path of wastage and waste.
Dua while Iftar
The fasting person should make dua more and more while fasting until breaking the fast.Duas that are commonly recited while breaking Iftar are as follows:-
One. Saying Bi-smi llāh; بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ, before eating. Because the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) ordered to say it.[1] And he also said that if one does not say it, the devil partakes of the food with the eater.[2]
[1] Bukhari 5376. [2] Muslim 2017
Two. If you forget to say ‘Bismillah’ at the beginning of eating and remember to eat, say,
بِسْمِ اللهِ أَوَّلَهُ وَاخِرَهُ
Pronunciation:- Bismillah-hi awwalahu a a-khirah.
Meaning- Eating with the name of Allah at the beginning and at the end.
Three. The dua that is proved while breaking the fast is recited after breaking the fast. Narrated by Ibn Umar (RA), the Prophet(ﷺ) used to say this dua when he broke his fast.
ذَهَبَ الذَّمَأُ وَابْتَلَّتِ الْعُرُوْقُ وَثَبَتَ الأَجْرُ إِنْ شَاءَ الله.
Pronunciation:- Jahabaz Jama-u Abatallatil Urukbu Ashabatal Azru Insha-Allah.
Meaning – Thirst is quenched, veins are refreshed and Insha-Allah reward is realized.
Fasting of the Tongue
A fasting person should also fast his tongue. That is, let him be from every filthy word; Refrains from backbiting, backbiting, obscenities and lies. Stay away from stupidity and foolishness.Since the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Whoever fasts and does not forsake evil speech and deeds, Allah has no need for him to forsake food and drink.”[1] That is, His acceptance of his fast no desire And that means his fasting is not accepted by Allah.
A fasting person should refrain from obscenity, noise and abuse and adopt modesty, manners and solemnity. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) said, “When one of you is fasting, he should not be obscene and quarrelsome; But if someone abuses him or wants to fight with him, then he should say, ‘I am fasting, I am fasting.”[2]
[1] Sunan Ibn Majah 1689 [2]Sahih Al Bukhari 1904
It is obligatory for the fasting person to fast his tongue; That is, so that he does not eat people’s flesh (by backbiting and backbiting), does not spoil their honor and does not cause disputes between them.
May his tongue be kept from hurting the Muslims, from spoiling their dignity and from spreading obscenity among them.
May his tongue be kept free from evil speech, from spreading rumours, from slandering and slandering the innocent, and from slandering and slandering pious people.
May his tongue fast from destroying blind partiality and from speaking foul and obscene words in anger and rage.
Let his tongue fast from abuse, from hitting others and from harboring and favoring anti-social criminals.His tongue should fast from ear to ear or phone to phone intercourse with an illegitimate woman.Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)said, “What will cause people to be thrown into Hellfire except by their own tongue and their own sins, by cutting off their mouths or noses?”
Fasting of the Heart
The king of the organs of the body is the heart. Needless to say, whenever this heart observes Shari’i fast, it will be effective in the whole body. Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying,”Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart.”
So the heart of the believer fasts in the month of Ramadan and in other months as well. And his fasting will free him from the destructive elements of shirk, false beliefs, impure thoughts, evil plans and evil imaginations.The heart of the believer fasts from pride. Because it is modesty that makes a believer respectable and his virtue makes him a complete human being. Pride, on the other hand, is the name of rejecting justice, right and truth and hating and despising people.And the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Every proud and arrogant person will be an inhabitant of Hell.”
So the heart of the believer fasts from thinking of sin and from every plan that is contrary to faith.
Fasting of the Eyes
The eyes of the fasting person fast to avoid seeing things forbidden by Allah Almighty. When he sees something haram, he lowers his eyes, averting his eyes from seeing anything obscene. For example, he avoids watching dirty fil¹ and obscene TV series etc. Since Allah Almighty addresses the believing men and says,
قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ يَغُضُّوْا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوْا فُرُوْجَهُمْ، ذَلِكَ أَزْكَى لَهُمْ
“Tell the believing men to control their gaze and guard their genitals; This is better for them.”
And addressing the believing women, Allah says
وَقُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنَاتِ يَغْضُضْنَ مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِنَّ وَيَحْفَظْنَ فُرُوْجَهُنَّ
“That is, and tell the believing women to control their gaze and guard their genitals.”
Fasting of the Ears
The ear of the fasting person also fasts; Fasting from listening to dirty and obscene words.Abstain from listening to songs that encourage illicit love and adultery.Fasting avoids listening to what is forbidden by Allah and what angers and displeases Him.The ear of the believer fasts from hearing the voice of Satan and listens to the words of Rahman after breaking his fast.And He will make excuses for his ears on the Day when He will unite the human and the demon. Almighty Allah says:
إِنَّ السَّمْعَ وَالْبَصَرَ وَالْفُؤَادَ كُلُّ أُولَئِكَ كَانَ عَنْهُ مَسْؤُوْلاً
“The ear, the eye, the heart – forgiveness will be invoked for each of them.”
Fasting of the Stomach
The stomach of the fasting person also fasts; Fasting keeps it from filling it with haram food. So he does not eat haram food during sehri and not during iftar. He does not take interest (bank or otherwise). Do not eat bribes, property of orphans and any money earned through haram means.
Because, the person who enters the forbidden goods in his belly; That is, his food and drink are forbidden, his dua is not accepted. And Almighty Allah commands us and says,
يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوْا كُلُوْا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوْا للهِ، إِنْ كُنْتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُوْنَ
“O believers! Eat lawfully of the sustenance that I have given you and give thanks to Allah; If you only serve Him.”
Fasting of both Hands and Extremities
The fasting person should also fast his hands from taking, holding and touching the haram. So the woman whom it is not lawful for him to touch, let him not touch her.
Let his hands fast from torturing people, from deceiving anyone, from killing anyone unjustly, from taking money through usury, bribery, theft, adulteration or any other haram transaction.
Just like his feet should fast. And his fast will be to refrain from going on the path that displeases Allah, and on the path of all kinds of sins.
And the beloved Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Whoever fasted and could not give up forbidden words and deeds, Allah has no need for him to give up food and drink.”
Acting on forbidden words means , to do every unlawful act.The bottom line is that the fasting person should stay away from all vices, all forbidden words and actions. Only then will his fasting benefit him; otherwise not.