The time for breaking the fast
Question: Should the fast be broken early or late? What do the Qur’an and Hadith say about this?
Answer: Allah the Exalted says:
«أَتِمُّوا الصِّيَامَ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ»
“Complete the fast until the night.”
That is, break the fast as soon as night comes; do not delay. The beginning of the night (layl) is from sunset.
Allama Muhammad bin Ya’qub Firuzabadi writes:
«الليل والليلاة من مغرب الشمس الي طلوع الفجر الصادق او الشمس»
“The night is from sunset until the rising of the true dawn, or until the rising of the sun.”
Allama Ibn Manzur al-Ifriqi says:
«مبدئه من غروب الشمس» ? “The beginning of the night is from sunset.”
From the explanation of the imams of the Arabic language it is known that the beginning of the night is from sunset. Therefore, as soon as the sun sets, the fast should be broken and not delayed, because breaking the fast late is the practice of the Jews and Christians.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«لا يزال الدين ظاهرا ما عجل الناس الفطر، لان اليهود و النصارى يؤخرون»
“The religion will remain dominant as long as the people hasten to break the fast, because the Jews and Christians delay it.”
From this sahih (authentic) hadith it is known that breaking the fast late is the practice of the Jews and Christians, and even in the present day the followers of those two groups break their fast ten or fifteen minutes after the Muslims. Many people keep waiting for the siren in order to break the fast, and the siren too is sounded late, after sunset. In this regard, remember that sounding a siren for acts of worship is also the practice of the Jews and Christians. It has no connection with the people of Islam; rather, the fast should be broken right at sunset:
«عن سهل بن سعد، ان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، قال: لا يزال الناس بخير ما عجلوا الفطر»
“It is narrated from Sahl (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘The people will remain in good as long as they hasten to break the fast.'”
«عن عمر رضى الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: إذا اقبل الليل من هاهنا، وادبر النهار من هاهنا، وغربت الشمس، فقد افطر الصائم»
“It is narrated from Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘When the night comes from this side, and the day turns its back from that side, and the sun has set, then the fasting person may break the fast.'”
«عن سهل بن سعد رضى الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم لا تزال امتي علٰي سنتي ما لا تنتظر بفطرها النجوم»
“Sahl bin Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘My Ummah will always remain upon my Sunnah as long as it does not wait for the stars to break its fast.'”
From the above sahih (authentic) hadiths it is known that the time for breaking the fast is sunset; therefore break the fast as soon as the sun sets, and do not delay.
