The moon has been sighted and the Holy month of Ramadan is here, the Muslim community across the globe is gearing for its first Suhoor tomorrow. A Suhoor(pre-dawn meal) is more important than Iftaar (breaking of the fast)because it helps the fasting person persevere through the fast. Suhoor is so called because it happens at the time of sahr, which is the end of the night. Suhoor is so called because it happens at the time of sahr, which is the end of the night.
Story behind the Suhoor
In the early period of Islam, fasting extended from the time when one went to sleep after praying Isha until sunset on the following day, a time span of more than 20 hours every day. Should one go to sleep before eating, but after sunset, one would have to continue fasting until the next evening. This was changed when the Qur’anic verse that made dawn the start of fasting was revealed. We explained the Hadith which clarifies the meaning of this verse, leaving no doubt whatsoever that we begin fasting with the first rays of dawn.
When this relaxation was given, the Prophet taught his companions to exercise it to the full, making sure to have a meal shortly before the beginning of the day of fasting. At the time of the Prophet, two of his companions made the call to prayer at dawn, Bilal and Ibn Umm Maktoom. Both were among the early companions of the Prophet. Bilal was a former Abyssinian slave who had a very melodious voice. Ibn Umm Maktoom was a blind man whose incident with the Prophet is the subject of Surah 80, The Frowning, of the Qur’an. Each one of them made the call to prayer at dawn time, with Bilal making it first, then Ibn Umm Maktoom. In order not to leave any room for confusion, the Prophet mentioned to his companions that they should consider the call made by Ibn Umm Maktoom as the signal for starting the fast. Aishah, the Prophet’s wife, mentions that Bilal made his call to prayer when it was still nighttime. She further quotes the Prophet as saying: “Eat and drink until Ibn Umm Maktoom makes his call to prayer. He does not make it until the break of dawn.” This Hadith is related by Al-Bukhari, and several other versions of it are related by Muslim. Al-Bukhari further quotes a statement added by one of the reporters of this Hadith which states: “The gap between the two calls to prayer made by them was no more than what it took the one to come down and the other to go up.”
The time gap between the two calls to prayer was not more than a few minutes. Yet the Prophet was keen to tell his companions, and all Muslims in future generations, that they need not start fasting before they are absolutely certain that it is due. Some people in later generations began to advise people to leave a gap of time between finishing their meal and the time for Fajr, or dawn prayer. They did this as a precaution against error.
Significance
These two Hadiths stress the importance of making good preparations for a day of fasting by having a meal immediately before it is time to begin the fast. This meal is given a distinctive name, suhoor, which is derived from the root sahar which denotes the night time immediately before dawn. The Prophet explains to us that it is this meal that distinguishes our fasting from that of the people who received earlier divine messages. It is, therefore, a concession given to us by God so that we are better able to undertake the task of fasting throughout the day. When the Prophet indicated that something has become a distinctive mark of the Muslim community, that indication enhances its significance and makes it highly important for everyone to act upon it. As the Prophet adds in the first of the last two Hadiths that this meal in the early hours of the morning is blessed, he leaves us no doubt that we should always make sure to have it.
Some people find it difficult to wake up at that early time in order to have a meal. They say that they prefer to go without it rather than interrupt their sleep. Be that as it may, they lose a great deal of blessings by sleeping through that time. They will have to wake up shortly afterward anyway if they want to do their duty and offer the dawn prayer. If they wake up for suhoor they make sure of praying Fajr at the beginning of its time range, which is far preferable. Moreover, if they allow themselves half an hour extra, they can have a short stint of night worship which is always one of the best rewarded acts of worship. It is far more so in Ramadan, when every good action is rewarded much more amply by God. The best schedule any Muslim can have in the nights of Ramadan is to wake up, say, an hour before dawn, and have half an hour or 40 minutes of night worship before having his suhoor meal. He can then go on to pray Fajr and, perhaps, recite some passages of the Qur’an before going back to sleep, if he wishes to do so. That makes his day and night very blessed indeed.
Benefits of Suhoor
There is a great deal of blessing in suhoor which includes benefits both in this world and in the Hereafter. These blessings include the following –
- It prevents fatigue and headaches during the daytime.
- It reduces extreme hunger and thirst.
- It prevents the fasting person from feeling lazy, sluggish or in need of sleep.
- It prevents the loss of body cells.
- It energizes and stimulates the digestive system.
- It helps the body maintain its sugar levels while fasting.
- It spiritually assists the believer to fulfill fasting as an act of worship.
The best time for Suhoor
Traditionally, there is a person whose job is to wake people up at Suhoor time to make sure no one skips this essential meal. the man whose main job is to guard the gate of Ighrem (small village) is assigned also to wake people at Suhoor time during Ramadan, he uses his drums or siren along with some rhyming lyrics to guarantee that everyone in the neighborhood enjoys their delicious Suhoor meal.
It was narrated that Zayd ibn Thaabit (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “We ate suhoor with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) then he went to pray.” I [the narrator] asked, “How long was there between the adhaan and suhoor?” He said, “As long as it takes to recite fifty verses.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1921; Muslim, 1097.
This Hadeeth indicates that it is mustahabb to delay suhoor until just before Fajr. Between the time when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and Zayd ibn Thaabit (may Allaah be pleased with him) finished their suhoor and started to pray was the amount of time it took to recite fifty verses of the Qur’aan at a moderate pace, neither fast nor slow. This indicates that the time for prayer is close to the time of stopping eating and drinking.
What is meant by the adhaan here is the iqaamah, which is called adhaan because it is an announcement that the prayer is about to begin. It was narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhaari (576) that it was said to Anas – the narrator of the hadeeth – “How much time was there between their finishing their suhoor and starting to pray?” He said: “As long as it takes for a man to recite fifty verses.” Hastening to eat suhoor halfway through the night is permissible, but it is contrary to the Sunnah. Suhoor is so called because it happens at the time of sahr, which is the end of the night.
If a person eats suhoor halfway through the night, he may miss out on Fajr prayer because sleep may overwhelm him. Moreover, delaying suhoor is kinder to the fasting person and gives him more energy, because one of the aims of suhoor us to give physical strength for fasting and to conserve one’s energy, so it is wise to delay it.
Recommended foods
- It is recommended to have foods that are rich in protein, fats, fibre and whole grain as these foods take at-least 7-9 hours to digest.
- Have meats, whole wheat or grains, olive oil, cheese and eggs as a part of this meal. The body takes several hours to digest these types of foods, and thus your hunger would be delayed. They supply the body with the required energy throughout the day.
- Do not consume large quantities of sugar or salt, because sugar triggers hunger, while salt triggers thirst.
- It is also preferable to have salads that contain a high level of fluids, such as lettuce and cucumber, because they help the body maintain fluids for a longer period of time, which will reduce thirst and prevent dehydration.
- Additionally, these types of vegetables are a good source for vitamins and
