ETIQUETTES WHEN BREAKING THE FAST

Fasting

ETIQUETTES WHEN BREAKING THE FAST

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The Prophet way of Breaking Fast

One of the greatest joys for the fasting Muslim is when the time comes for breaking the fast, as he is hopeful of his reward with Allaah (ﷻ), and that his body can finally relieve itself of the day-long hunger.

In a hadith Qudsi, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “…The one who fasts has two (occasions) of joy: one is when he breaks the fast, he is glad about the breaking of (the fast), and (the other) is when he meets his Lord he is glad about his fast.”

[Sahih Muslim, 2567]

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However, as Muslims who already have the best role model in Rasulullah (ﷺ) to learn from, we should break our fast with the best etiquettes, which are the sunnah of our Nabiy (ﷺ).

Among the known sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ) regarding the breaking of fast are;

1️⃣ Avoid Delaying Breaking the Fast.

It is not from the best manner that one should deliberately delay breaking of the fast, the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

لاَ يَزَالُ النَّاسُ بِخَيْرٍ مَا عَجَّلُوا الْفِطْرَ

…“People will continue to prosper in goodness as long as they hasten to break their fast.”.

[Sahih Bukhari, 1957]

If for a particular reason we couldn’t break the fast properly, it is better to have, if just a sip of water before praying salatul Maghrib (the evening prayer).

2️⃣ Breaking the Fast with Lite Meals

Among the etiquette is breaking the fast with soft meals e.g dates, water e.t.c.
Instead of having those tasty meats and scrumptious meals first, it is always better to start lightly by eating dates or drinking plain water, following the steps set by Rasulullah (ﷺ).

Anas Bin Maalik (رضي الله عنه) reported:

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُفْطِرُ عَلَى رُطَبَاتٍ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ رُطَبَاتٌ فَعَلَى تَمَرَاتٍ فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ حَسَا حَسَوَاتٍ مِنْ مَاءٍ ‏.

…”The Messenger of Allaah (ﷺ) used to break his fast before praying with some fresh dates; but if there were no fresh dates, he had a few dry dates, and if there were no dry dates, he took some mouthfuls of water.”

[Sunan Abi Dawud, 2356]

3⃣ Not Overindulging in Food

It is ethical that we should be aware of how much we consume so that we do not binge on food.

After going on without food for more than half a day, many attempts to guzzle as much as they could grab of food. Rasulullah (ﷺ) reminded us to eat with moderation, surfeiting makes us heavy and thus become lazy to pray the Taraweeh and perform other acts of worship.

4⃣ Making Du’a

One of the best times to make du’a is during the time for breaking the fast.

Narrated from ‘Abdullah bin’ Amr bin ‘As (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allaah (ﷺ) said:

“‏ إِنَّ لِلصَّائِمِ عِنْدَ فِطْرِهِ لَدَعْوَةً مَا تُرَدُّ ‏”‏‏

…”When the fasting person breaks his fast, his supplication is not turned back”

[Sunan Ibn Majah, 1753]

Hence, make a sincere dua for yourself and your loved ones. Ask from Allaah (ﷻ) anything that you wish for, and be hopeful that your patience and resilience while fasting the whole day will be accepted and rewarded by Allaah (ﷻ).

And after we break our fast we should recite this dua,
Marwan ibn Salim al-Muqaffa’ reported:

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا أَفْطَرَ قَالَ “ذَهَب الظَّمَأُ وَابْتَلَّتِ الْعُرُوقُ وَثَبَتَ الأَجْرُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ ‏”‏ ‏.‏

“…the Prophet (ﷺ) said when he broke his fast: Thirst has gone, the arteries are moist, and the reward is sure if Allaah wills”.

[Sunan Abi Dawud, 2357]

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As Muslims, we should strive to follow the footsteps left by the Prophet (ﷺ) to get extra rewards, and in the month of Ramadaan, the rewards are much more than any other month.

May Allaah (ﷻ) aid us to follow the sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ).