What is the ruling on eating and drinking while the night remains or the adhan is being called in Ramadan?
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The Shaykh : and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The questioner : I ask that you look at the Shaykh. And a questioner says, after the greeting of peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you, he says: On the occasion of the arrival of the month of Ramadan, some people claim the following: First, they abstain before the appearance of the star, or they drink before the adhan, on the pretext that they have already abstained. Some continue eating and drinking during the adhan, on the pretext that the night is still remaining. And some refuse, saying that only the night remains.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah. There is no doubt that hesitating about eating and drinking while the night remains is contrary to the Sunnah. And that abstaining before the dawn appears is contrary to the Sunnah.
Because Allah the Exalted said: "Eat and drink until..." What is it?[Al-Baqarah 2:187] And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Mishkat al-Masabih 680 Sahih Muslim 1092b So why do we leave the dispensation of Allah Mighty and Majestic in His Book and on the tongue of His Messenger, then hesitate and abstain before the dawn appears? This is from the darkness of ignorance.
Rather, we say: Eat and drink until the dawn appears. If the mu'adhdhin calls the adhan when the dawn has appeared, then when you hear it, abstain. Based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 1918, 1919 As for the one who abstained before that, then it occurs to him to eat and drink, and the dawn has not yet appeared, let him eat and let him drink. Even if the door of the suhur has been closed before, there is no harm in eating and drinking until the dawn appears.
As for the one who is negligent and starts eating after the adhan of Fajr, we look to see if the mu'adhdhin calls the adhan upon the appearance of the dawn with certainty or by estimation? If it is with certainty, it is obligatory for the person to abstain from the moment he hears the call. If it is by estimation, there is no blame on you for eating and drinking.
As long as the adhan is remaining. And I only said "as long as the adhan is remaining" not because this is the prescribed practice, but so that people do not prolong eating after the adhan for a period. The person should be moderate between this and that; he does not abstain before the dawn and he does not eat after the dawn.
And the same is said regarding sunset. Some people see that the sun has set and then say: "Why do I delay, my brother?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Mishkat al-Masabih 1984 From the moment you see that the upper part of the sun has disappeared, break your fast and do not delay. If you want good. And in the hadith qudsi narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that Jami` at-Tirmidhi 700Da'if (Darussalam)
The questioner : I ask that you look at the Shaykh. And a questioner says, after the greeting of peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you, he says: On the occasion of the arrival of the month of Ramadan, some people claim the following: First, they abstain before the appearance of the star, or they drink before the adhan, on the pretext that they have already abstained. Some continue eating and drinking during the adhan, on the pretext that the night is still remaining. And some refuse, saying that only the night remains.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah. There is no doubt that hesitating about eating and drinking while the night remains is contrary to the Sunnah. And that abstaining before the dawn appears is contrary to the Sunnah.
Because Allah the Exalted said: "Eat and drink until..." What is it?
the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread
يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِGod’s Messenger as saying, “Bilal summons to prayer when it is still
صلى الله عليه وسلم إن بلالا يؤذن بليلso you eat and drink, till you hear the Adhan of Ibn Umm Maktum.
فكلوا واشربوا حتى تسمعوا أذان ابن أم مكتوم."And Ibn Umm Maktum did not call the adhan until it was said: 'It is morning, it is morning.'"
وكان ابن المكتوم لا يؤذن حتى يقال أصبحت أصبحت.Rather, we say: Eat and drink until the dawn appears. If the mu'adhdhin calls the adhan when the dawn has appeared, then when you hear it, abstain. Based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Carry on taking your meals (eat and drink) till Ibn Um Maktum pronounces the Adhan, for he does not pronounce it till it is dawn.
كلوا واشربوا حتى تسمعوا أذان ابن أم مكتوم فإنه لا يؤذن حتى يطلع الفجرAs for the one who is negligent and starts eating after the adhan of Fajr, we look to see if the mu'adhdhin calls the adhan upon the appearance of the dawn with certainty or by estimation? If it is with certainty, it is obligatory for the person to abstain from the moment he hears the call. If it is by estimation, there is no blame on you for eating and drinking.
As long as the adhan is remaining. And I only said "as long as the adhan is remaining" not because this is the prescribed practice, but so that people do not prolong eating after the adhan for a period. The person should be moderate between this and that; he does not abstain before the dawn and he does not eat after the dawn.
And the same is said regarding sunset. Some people see that the sun has set and then say: "Why do I delay, my brother?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
God’s messenger as saying, “The people will continue to prosper as long as they hasten the breaking of the fast.”
صلى الله عليه وسلم لا يزال الناس بخير ما عجل الفطر،Allah, Mighty and Sublime is He, said: 'Those of My worshippers who are most beloved to me are the quickest to break their fast.'
الله قال أحب عبادي إلي أعجلهم فطرا.
Source
ابن العثيمين - جلسة رمضانية — archive.org (1:26:31)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.