I heard that a fasting person must break his fast with an odd number of dates, such as five or seven, and so on. Is this obligatory?
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The questioner : I heard that a fasting person must break his fast with an odd number of dates, such as five or seven, and so on. Is this obligatory?
The Shaykh : It is not obligatory, nor is it a recommended practice (sunnah) for a person to break his fast with an odd number, such as three, five, seven, or nine, except on the day of the festival, 'Id al-Fitr. It is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would not go out for the prayer on the day of 'Id al-Fitr until he ate dates, and he would eat them in an odd number. As for any other day, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not intend to eat his dates in an odd number.
The questioner : May Allah preserve you.
The Shaykh : It is not obligatory, nor is it a recommended practice (sunnah) for a person to break his fast with an odd number, such as three, five, seven, or nine, except on the day of the festival, 'Id al-Fitr. It is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would not go out for the prayer on the day of 'Id al-Fitr until he ate dates, and he would eat them in an odd number. As for any other day, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not intend to eat his dates in an odd number.
The questioner : May Allah preserve you.