The Ruling on Not Paying Attention to the Pre-Dawn Meal

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, as we conclude this episode with you, from which we have benefited greatly, is not paying attention to the pre-dawn meal contrary to the Sunnah?

Answer:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . The pre-dawn meal itself is an act of worship, because the eating is not the intended purpose; the purpose is what is sought through the eating. So you eat the pre-dawn meal with the intention of fasting in order to strengthen yourself with the pre-dawn meal for the fast. Thus, it is an act of worship from this perspective. Therefore, you must adhere to eating the pre-dawn meal at the end of the night, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, and as Allah the Exalted said: . A person should strive to delay the pre-dawn meal until he finishes it at the break of dawn. This is better, and this is more beloved to Allah the Exalted than eating his meal and filling his stomach in the middle of the night and then sleeping, perhaps leaving the dawn prayer, as some people do. Rather, he must delay the pre-dawn meal until its time, for Allah, as in the hadith: Yes.