The Ruling on Delaying Iftar for the Fasting Person

Question: What is the ruling on delaying Iftar? We have heard that delaying it is forbidden, as some misguided groups do today. But when I read some narrations, I found that the Companions used to break their fast after the Maghrib prayer. Narrated by Imam Behayqi via his own chain from Hameed bin Abdur Rahman bin Awf who said : Omar bin Khattab and Uthman bin Affan both used to pray Maghrib Prayer first when there used to be Dark Night before breaking fast. Then after this they used to Break their Fast [in Ramadhan]. And I have seen other narrations aswell. Similarly, these people also mention Quran 2:187 -- وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ ٱلْخَيْطُ ٱلْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ ٱلْخَيْطِ ٱلْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ ٱلْفَجْرِ ۖ ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا۟ ٱلصِّيَامَ إِلَى ٱلَّيْلِ ۚ -- They say that "ثُمَّ أَتِمُّوا۟ ٱلصِّيَامَ إِلَى ٱلَّيْلِ ۚ " here means that we cannot eat until its clearly the night. So how can we know the time of Iftar today? In Saudi Arabia, during the azan of maghrib when you see the sky, there is no sign of night. But in the Hadith it says “when night starts from this side”. Please tell us the proper time of Iftar and the response to those who present us with these narrations Jazakumullah.

Summary:

The time of iftar, as soon as the disk of the sun has completely set. Intense darkness is not required. Hastening the iftar is an emphasized Sunnah. Delaying it without a reason is contrary to the Sunnah. The reports narrated from some of the Companions do not indicate opposition to the Sunnah, rather they are understood to mean that they broke their fast after sunset had been confirmed. The stronger opinion, and it is the opinion of the majority of the early scholars and the Imams of the Sunnah, such as Ahmad, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Baz, and Ibn ʿUthaymin, may Allah have mercy on them, is: That the fasting person breaks his fast as soon as the sun sets, and it is not permissible for him to continue abstaining until the darkness becomes intense, rather that is contrary to the Sunnah. And whoever deliberately delays the iftar as an act of worship has opposed the Prophetic guidance. We ask Allah to grant us the following of the Sunnah outwardly and inwardly, and to make our fasting sincere for Him.

Answer:

In the name of Allah, all praise is due to Allah, and may Peace and Blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)

First, Evidence from the Qur’an

From the Qur'an:

  • Baqarah:187
    "...˹You may˺ eat and drink until you see the light of dawn breaking the darkness of night, then complete the fast until nightfall..."

    The meaning of “until nightfall” was explained by the early scholars as the setting of the sun.

From the Salaf:

  • Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said:
    When the night approaches from here, the day departs from here, and the sun has set, then the fasting person has broken his fast.

    This is the same explanation given by the Prophet ﷺ in the two authentic collections.

Second, Evidence from the Sunnah

From the Sunnah:

  • Ṣaḥīḥ al Bukhārī: 1954Narrated by ʿUmar ibn al Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him:
    Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "When night falls from this side and the day vanishes from this side and the sun sets, then the fasting person should break his fast."

    The ruling is linked to three connected signs, the departure of the day, the coming of the night, and the setting of the sun. The foundation of the sign is the setting of the disk of the sun.

  • Ṣaḥīḥ al Bukhārī: 1957, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1098Narrated by Sahl ibn Saʿd, may Allah be pleased with him:
    Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The people will remain on the right path as long as they hasten the breaking of the fast."

From the Salaf:

  • Imam Aḥmad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
    “The fasting person breaks the fast when the sun sets.”

From the Scholars:

  • Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
    “The Sunnah is to hasten the iftar immediately after the sunset.”

Third: is intense darkness a condition? No. The hadith says, “When the night comes,” and what is intended is not the full darkness of the night, rather the beginning of its entrance. And the night, in language and in the Sharīʿah, begins as soon as the sun sets, even if the twilight remains. That is why the Companions used to break their fast while the red twilight was still visible. Fourth: what about the report from ʿUmar and ʿUthman, may Allah be pleased with them? The report narrated by al-Bayhaqi states that they used to pray Maghrib first when the night was dark, then break their fast. The answer to that: The report does not state that they used to delay until the night became intense, rather, once sunset had been confirmed. It may be that a small iftar took place before the prayer, such as a drink of water, then they ate after the prayer. It is established from the Prophet ﷺ that he used to break his fast with fresh dates before he prayed.

From the Sunnah:

  • Sunan Abi Dawud: 2356Narrated by Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him:
    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.

    The established Sunnah takes precedence over possible interpretations of reports.

From the Scholars:

  • Mirʿāt al-Mafātīḥ, 6/472.
    And ʿUbayd Allah al-Mubarakfuri, may Allah have mercy on him, said: As for what is authentically reported that ʿUmar and ʿUthman, may Allah be pleased with them, in Ramadan used to pray Maghrib when they looked at the black night, then break their fast after the prayer, then that is to explain the permissibility of delay, so that hastening would not be thought obligatory.
  • And Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
    It is narrated from Ibn Shihab, from Humayd ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman, that ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab and ʿUthman ibn ʿAffan used to pray Maghrib when they looked at the black night before breaking their fast, then break their fast after the prayer, and that was in Ramadan.

    And Maʿmar’s narration of this hadith from Ibn Shihab differs from this wording. ʿAbd al-Razzaq mentioned from Maʿmar, from al-Zuhri, from Humayd ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn ʿAwf, that ʿUmar and ʿUthman used to pray Maghrib in Ramadan before breaking their fast.

And it has been narrated from Ibn ʿAbbas and a group that they used to break their fast before the prayer. And al-Thawri narrated from Tariq ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman, from Ibn al-Musayyib, who said: ʿUmar wrote to the commanders of the armies: do not be excessive in your iftar, and do not delay your prayer until the interlacing of the stars. And Muhammad ibn ʿAmr narrated from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The religion will continue to prevail as long as the people hasten the iftar, because the Jews delay.”

From the Scholars:

  • Al-Istidhkār, 3/287-288.
    And the scholars are unanimously agreed that when the Maghrib prayer time begins, then iftar becomes lawful for the fasting person, obligatory and voluntary alike. And they are unanimously agreed that Maghrib prayer is from the prayer of the night, and Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says: “Complete the fast until the night.” Baqarah:187
  • Al-Muntaqā Sharḥ al-Muwaṭṭaʾ, 2/42.
    And al-Bāji, may Allah have mercy on him, said: So when ʿUmar and ʿUthman saw the darkness of the night in the eastern horizon, they were certain of the setting of the sun in the western horizon, so they began the Maghrib prayer, because there is no disagreement that hastening it is legislated. So they began with the act of worship, and when they finished the prayer they broke their fast. And this is not delaying the iftar, because delay is only disliked for the one who delays it until the interlacing of the stars, by way of exaggeration, and he did not delay it except in order to hasten to an act of worship.
  • Itḥāf al-Kirām bi Sharḥ ʿUmdat al-Aḥkām, 42/1.
    And Shaykh ʿAbd al-Rahman al-Suḥaym, may Allah have mercy on him, said: From a man’s understanding is that he hastens to the iftar, even with something small, before Maghrib prayer, and that he does not delay the iftar out of caution
  • Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr said:
    Hastening the iftar is a Sunnah upon which there is consensus.
  • Sharḥ Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 10/356-357.
    And Ibn Raslān, may Allah have mercy on him, said: It is recommended for the fasting person to break his fast before he prays. Al-Ṭabarāni narrated from Anas: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ, when he was fasting, would not pray until fresh dates and water were brought to him, so he would eat and drink, and if there were no fresh dates, he would not pray until dates and water were brought to him.” And he said: Sulayman ibn ʿAbd al-Rahman alone narrated it from Yaḥyā
  • Al-Sharḥ al-Mukhtaṣar ʿalā Bulūgh al-Marām, al-Ṭahārah wa al-Ṣalāh wa al-Ṣawm, 7/16.
    And Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymin, may Allah have mercy on him, said: Does he break his fast before praying Maghrib or after it? The answer: before the prayer, because if he delays it until after the prayer, then he is delaying the iftar.
  • Sharḥ Sunan Abī Dāwūd, p. 2.
    And Shaykh al-ʿAbbād, may Allah preserve him, said: And that was before he prayed, meaning, he does not delay the iftar until after the prayer, because that is in agreement with the Jews and Christians, rather he should hasten to the iftar after sunset has been confirmed.

Fifth: was delaying iftar from the practice of some sects? Yes, some of the people of innovation used to delay the iftar until the stars appeared, in opposing to Ahl al-Sunnah.

From the Sunnah:

  • Sunan Abi Dawud: 2353Narrated by Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him:
    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.

    Intentional delay in worship contradicts the Sunnah.

Sixth: how is the time of iftar known today? In our time, reliance is placed upon: Seeing the setting of the disk of the sun Or a reliable timetable based on correct astronomical calculation Or an adhān precisely aligned with the beginning of the time In countries such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, even if light remains in the sky, that does not matter, because twilight remains after sunset, but the legal ruling is connected only to the disappearance of the disk of the sun.

And Allah knows best.

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