A man who thinks the sun has set

Hanzalah said: Once in Ramadan I was with Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Something to drink was presented to him. Some people drank it, thinking that the sun had set. Then the mu'adhdhin climbed up and announced: O Commander of the Believers! By Allah, the sun has not yet set. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: May Allah protect us from your evil. He said this two or three times. Then he addressed the people and said: Whoever broke his fast today before its time should fast one day in place of this day, and whoever has not broken his fast should wait for sunset.

This incident is reported through another chain as well, except that it adds: We did not appoint you as a watchman; we appointed you as a caller. We had made our effort. In any case, making up one day is easy.

Bishr bin Qays said: In the case of breaking the fast before sunset, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered the people to make it up.

Sayyidah Asma (may Allah be pleased with her) said: In the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), people once broke their fast before sunset, and then the sun appeared. Abu Usamah said: I said to Hisham: Were they ordered to make it up? He said: What other option was there?

Mujahid said: The one who breaks the fast before its time must make up the fast, because Allah Almighty says: "Complete the fast until the night."

The coming hadith of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) is also reported through another chain.

Al-Hasan said: If a person breaks his fast thinking that the sun has set, but then learns that the sun has not yet set, his fast is valid.

Zayd bin Wahb said: Large vessels were brought out from the house of Sayyidah Hafsah (may Allah be pleased with her), and the people thought the sun had set. There were clouds that day, so the people broke their fast. After a little while the clouds cleared and the shining sun came into view. At this, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We did not deliberately incline towards sin.

Qatan said that in the time of Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) the people broke their Ramadan fast before sunset, so Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah ordered them to make it up.

Ibn Jurayj said: I said to Ata: "I broke my Ramadan fast on a cloudy day, thinking that the sun had set; then the sun appeared. Should I make up that fast and not give expiation?" He said: "Do just that."

Abu Ishaq said: I went on a military campaign with Ziyad bin al-Nadr in the land of Rome. We sighted the new moon of Ramadan and the people fasted; among them were the companions of Abdullah: Amir bin Sa'd, Sumay', Abu Abdullah, Abu Ma'mar and Abu Musafi'. One day the people broke their fast while the sky was cloudy. We were between two mountains called al-Harith and al-Huwayrith. I did not break my fast until the night became clear. Then the sun came out and we saw it on the mountain. Ziyad said: "As for this day, we will make it up, and we did not break the fast deliberately."

Aslam said that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) broke his fast in the month of Ramadan, and it was said to him: "The sun has come out!" Sayyiduna Umar said: "This is a small matter; we did our best."