95/1. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 7247 — Bilal's Adhan and Suhur
Acceptance of the information given by one truthful person in about all matters
وَقَوْلُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: {فَلَوْلاَ نَفَرَ مِنْ كُلِّ فِرْقَةٍ مِنْهُمْ طَائِفَةٌ لِيَتَفَقَّهُوا فِي الدِّينِ وَلِيُنْذِرُوا قَوْمَهُمْ إِذَا رَجَعُوا إِلَيْهِمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَحْذَرُونَ}. وَيُسَمَّى الرَّجُلُ طَائِفَةً لِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: {وَإِنْ طَائِفَتَانِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اقْتَتَلُوا}. فَلَوِ اقْتَتَلَ رَجُلاَنِ دَخَلَ فِي مَعْنَى الآيَةِ. وَقَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: {إِنْ جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ بِنَبَإٍ فَتَبَيَّنُوا}. وَكَيْفَ بَعَثَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أُمَرَاءَهُ وَاحِدًا بَعْدَ وَاحِدٍ، فَإِنْ سَهَا أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ رُدَّ إِلَى السُّنَّةِ.
Bilal's Adhan and Suhur Hadith
Sahih Bukhari : 7247
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 7247
حَدَّثَنَا مُسَدَّدٌ، عَنْ يَحْيَى، عَنِ التَّيْمِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ، عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لاَ يَمْنَعَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ أَذَانُ بِلاَلٍ مِنْ سَحُورِهِ، فَإِنَّهُ يُؤَذِّنُ ـ أَوْ قَالَ يُنَادِي ـ لِيَرْجِعَ قَائِمَكُمْ، وَيُنَبِّهَ نَائِمَكُمْ، وَلَيْسَ الْفَجْرُ أَنْ يَقُولَ هَكَذَا ـ وَجَمَعَ يَحْيَى كَفَّيْهِ ـ حَتَّى يَقُولَ هَكَذَا ". وَمَدَّ يَحْيَى إِصْبَعَيْهِ السَّبَّابَتَيْنِ.
Ibn Mas'ud Narrated from:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The (call for prayer) Adhan of Bilal should not stop anyone of you from taking his Suhur for he pronounces the Adhan in order that whoever among you is praying the night prayer, may return (to eat his Suhur) and whoever among you is sleeping, may get up, for it is not yet dawn (when it is like this)." (Yahya, the sub-narrator stretched his two index fingers side ways).
[1] Sahūr : A meal taken late at night, before the Fajr (early morning) prayer by a person intending to observe Saum (fasting).(2) Yahyā wanted to illustrate what he meant. He showed that at the real dawn, light spread eastwards and westwards, and this is what he meant by stretching his finger sideways.Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 7247In-book reference : Book 95, Hadith 2USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 9, Book 91, Hadith 353
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 7247
This hadith is about Suhur and the early Adhan of Bilal. Common search terms include Bilal Adhan Suhur hadith, early Fajr Adhan hadith, and when to stop eating Suhur. Ibn Mas'ud reports that Allah's Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said Bilal's Adhan should not stop anyone from taking Suhur. Bilal called so that the one praying at night could return and the sleeping person could wake up. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم then explained that dawn was not the first form shown by the narrator's gesture, until it became the other form shown by stretching the two index fingers sideways. The core message in the text is that Bilal's call happened before the true dawn, so people could still eat Suhur.
What we learn from this hadith
- Bilal's early Adhan was not the signal to stop Suhur.
- The early call helped the night worshipper return and the sleeper wake up.
- The hadith distinguishes the early sign from true dawn.
- Suhur remained allowed until the later dawn indicated in the narration.
