The Importance of the Pre-Dawn Meal

     Anas (radhi Allah ‘anhu) relates that the Prophet (salla Allah ’alaihe wa sallam) said, “Take the pre-dawn meal for in it there is blessing” (‘Umdat al-Ahkam, Hadith 182).

     Siraj al-Din Ibn al-Mulaqqin explains in his commentary that the word al-sahur in the hadith refers to the meal one takes when there is a fathah on the -s. In this way, sahur is similar to al-barud: what one uses to cool down, al-sanun: what one uses to clean one’s teeth, and al-raqu: what one uses to stop the flowing of blood. However, al-Suhur, with a dammah on the -s, refers to the act of eating the pre-dawn meal. This is the most-popular view according to Ibn Daqiq al-’Eid. But Ibn al-Mulaqqin states that some prefer the view that the word al-suhur is a verbal noun named after the time in which the act takes place. In this instance, al-suhur occurs shortly before dawn and its time begins halfway through the night. This is mentioned by al-Nawawi in Kitab al-Siyam in Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, and at the end of Kitab al-Iman in al-Rafi’s Fath al-’Aziz.

     Thereafter, Ibn al-Mulaqqin elucidates the meaning of blessing in the aforementioned hadith. Literally meaning growth or increase, blessing (ar: baraka) which is a result of the pre-dawn meal can refer to blessings in the hereafter. The blessing in the hereafter being attained through following the sunna which brings about reward. Taking the pre-dawn meal can also be the means by which one remembers Allah, engages in supplication, performs the ablution, performs prayers, and seeks Allah’s forgiveness at a blessed time wherein Allah’s mercy descends and prayers are answered up until dawn. All of these actions are a means for an increase in reward. It is equally possible that the blessings from the pre-dawn meal are earthly, for one’s body is nourished and strengthened by the pre-dawn mean, thus resulting in greater zeal to fast more often since the difficulty of the fast has been lightened through the pre-dawn meal. Ibn Daqiq al-’Eid mentions that the blessings mentioned in the hadith can apply to the act of taking the pre-dawn meal and the actual meal itself. Finally, the blessings from the pre-dawn meal can be attained in this world and the next. In summary, the blessing from al-suhur is attained in different ways, among them:

1. Following the sunna
2. Differing from the people of the book who would eat more when breaking their fast.
3. Gaining strength, energy, and zeal to fast, especially for youngsters.
4. Giving charity to those who ask for food at pre-dawn.
5. Remembrance, supplication, and a means of seeking mercy at a time when prayers are answered.
6. Showing better character. For it is likely that if one neglects the pre-dawn meal one may show bad character simply out of hunger
7. Renewing one’s intention, thereby avoiding differences of opinion among the scholars who say that one must renew the intention after having risen from sleep.

Concluding, Ibn al-Mulaqqin states that the scholars agree that the pre-dawn meal is wholly recommended and not obligatory, and the imperative nature of the hadith’s wording is merely for instruction and advice. The pre-dawn meal is among the many distinguishing features of this ummah; for the Prophet (salla Allah ‘alaihe wa sallam) said, “the difference between our fast and the fast of the people of the book is the pre-dawn meal” (Muslim). During the early days of Islam, whenever one slept after breaking fast, it became unlawful to resume eating and drinking. Thereafter, the ruling was lightened and food and drink became permissible until dawn (al-’Ilam bi-Fawa’id ‘Umdat al-Ahkam 3/76-77).

Reference:
Ibn al-Mulaqqin, Siraj al-Din. Al-’Ilam bi-Fawa’id ’Umdat al-Ahkam. Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-’Ilmiyyah, 2007. Print.