Ibn Hibban

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Bilal’s call to prayer should never prevent any one of you (the narrator is in doubt, perhaps these are the words) Bilal’s call to prayer should not prevent a man from his pre-dawn meal (suhoor), because he gives the call to prayer (the narrator is in doubt, perhaps these are the words) to announce, so that the one performing voluntary prayers may leave them and return for the pre-dawn meal, and so that he may awaken the one who is sleeping among you.” The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “True dawn does not appear like this or like this”—the Prophet (peace be upon him) struck his hand and raised it—“rather, it appears like this”—the Prophet (peace be upon him) spread his fingers and said this.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates this statement of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Bilal gives the call to prayer during the night, so you may continue eating and drinking until Ibn Umm Maktum gives the call to prayer." Ibn Shihab states: Ibn Umm Maktum was a blind man. He would not give the call to prayer until it was said to him: 'The true dawn has come, the true dawn has come.' (Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:): This narration has been transmitted as a musnad (i.e., connected) hadith from Imam Malik only by Qanabi and Juwayriyyah bin Asma. All other students of Imam Malik have narrated that this narration is from Zuhri, from Salim, from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) (i.e., this is a mursal narration, not a connected one).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates this statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Bilal gives the adhan at night (i.e., a little before true dawn), so you may continue eating and drinking until you hear the adhan of Ibn Umm Maktum."