13/9. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 1097a — Suhur and Fajr Timing
The virtue of sahur, which is recommended. It is recommended to delay it and to hasten the breaking of the fast
Hadith About Suhur Timing Before Fajr Prayer
Sahih Muslim : 1097a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 1097a
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ، - رضى الله عنه - قَالَ تَسَحَّرْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ثُمَّ قُمْنَا إِلَى الصَّلاَةِ . قُلْتُ كَمْ كَانَ قَدْرُ مَا بَيْنَهُمَا قَالَ خَمْسِينَ آيَةً .
Zaid bin Thabit Narrated from:
We took meal shortly before dawn along with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). We then stood up for prayer. I said: How much span of time was there between the two (acts, i. e. taking of Sahri and observing of prayer)? He said (a span of reciting) fifty verses.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 1097aIn-book reference : Book 13, Hadith 58USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 6, Hadith 2415
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 1097a
This hadith about suhur timing gives a clear picture of how close the pre-dawn meal was to prayer. Zaid b. Thabit said that they took suhur with the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم and then stood up for prayer. When asked how much time was between the two acts, he answered: the span of reciting fifty verses. The hadith is simple but very useful. It shows that suhur was taken shortly before Fajr, not very early in the night. It also gives a practical measure of time using Qur’an recitation. The main lesson is about delaying suhur close to dawn while still leaving time before prayer.
What we learn from this hadith
- Suhur was taken close to the time of Fajr prayer.
- The gap mentioned was about the time needed to recite fifty verses.
- The hadith connects suhur timing with readiness for prayer.
