This is a series of articles covering various topics related to fasting, selected from the Explanation of ‘Umdatul Ahkam’ by Shaykh ‘Abdul-Aziz ibn Bāz. Read the other articles in the series here.

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رضى الله عنه قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: تَسَحَّرُوا فَإِنَّ فِي السَّحُورِ بَرَكَةً

Anas ibn Mālik narrated that Allāh’s Messenger said:

Eat the saḥūr (pre-dawn meal) for there are blessings in the meal.^[1]

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ رضي الله عنهما قَالَ: تَسَحَّرْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ – صلى الله عليه وسلم – ثُمَّ قَامَ إلَى الصَّلاةِ. قَالَ أَنَسٌ: قُلْت لِزَيْدٍ: كَمْ كَانَ بَيْنَ الأَذَانِ وَالسَّحُورِ؟ قَالَ :قَدْرُ خَمْسِينَ آيَةً.

Anas ibn Mālik also narrated that Zayd ibn Thābit said:

We ate saḥūr with Allāh’s Messenger and then he stood for the prayer. Anas said: “I said to Zayd, ‘How much time was between the adhān and saḥūr?’ He said: Enough time to recite fifty verses.^[2]

Explanation of Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azīz ibn Bāz:

Saḥūr is the food that is eaten in the last part of the night, and suḥūr is the action of eating in the last part of the night. This is [linguistically] the same as waḍū’ and wuḍū’, wuḍū’ is the action of making ablution, whereas waḍū’ is the water that is used for purification.

It is legislated for the Muslims to eat the pre-dawn meal so that they can have strength in obeying Allāh.

In the second ḥadīth, Zayd ibn Thābit says, “We ate saḥūr with Allāh’s Messenger and then he stood for the prayer.” Anas said: “I said to Zayd, ‘How much time was between the adhān and saḥūr?’ He said: “Enough time to recite fifty verses.” Meaning, the Prophet’s suḥūr was late, in the last part of the night. The sunnah is to delay the suḥūr so that the fasting person has more strength to obey Allāh. So, the suḥūr should be close to the adhān time, not in the middle part of the night as some people do.

In another ḥadīth, the Prophet said:

لَا يَزَالُ النَّاسُ بِخَيْرٍ مَا عَجَّلُوا الْفِطْرَ

The people will not cease to remain upon goodness so long as they hasten with the breaking of the fast.^[3]

Also, it is reported in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim that the Prophet said:

فَصْلُ مَا بَيْنَ صِيَامِنَا وَصِيَامِ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ، أَكْلَةُ السَّحَرِ

The difference between our fast and the fasting of Ahlul-Kitāb is the eating of the pre-dawn meal.^[4]

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Source: Explanation of Shaykh Ibn Bāz, Dār al-Riyādah (pg. 241-242)

Footnotes:

[1] Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (no. 1923) and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (no. 1095)

[2] Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (no. 1921) and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (no. 1097)

[3] Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (no. 1957) and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (no. 1098)

[4] Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (no. 1096)