And prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions: He said -may Allah have mercy on him-

The reader: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions:
He said -may Allah have mercy on him-: "Chapter on the virtue of hastening to break the fast, what one breaks the fast with, and what one says after breaking the fast:
It was narrated from Sahl ibn Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

The people will remain upon goodness as long as they hasten to break the fast.

لا يزال الناس بخير ما عجلوا الفطر

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 699Sahih (Darussalam)

Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
And it was narrated from Abu 'Atiyyah that he said:

Abu Atiyyah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Masruq and I visited 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) and said: "O Mother of the Believers! There are two Companions of Muhammad (ﷺ) and neither of them holds back from doing good acts; but one of them hastens to break Saum (fasting) and hastens to perform the Maghrib prayer, while the other delays breaking Saum and delays performing Salat (prayer)." She asked, "Who is the one who hastens to break Saum and perform the Maghrib prayer?" Masruq said, "It is 'Abdullah (meaning 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud)." She said, "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to do so." [Muslim] .

دخلت أنا ومسروق على عائشة رضي الله عنها فقال لها مسروق : رجلان مِن أصحاب محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم كلاهما لا يألو عن الخير ، أحدهما يعجل المغرب والإفطار ، والآخر يؤخر المغرب والإفطار فقالت : من يعجل المغرب والإفطار ؟ قال : عبد الله يعني ابن مسعود، فقالت : هكذا كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يصنع

Riyad as-Salihin 1234

Narrated by Muslim.
And it was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Allah, the Most Exalted said: “Those among My servants, who hasten to break their fast, are the most beloved (or dearest)to Me.”

قال الله عز وجل : أحب عبادي إليَّ أعجلهم فطرا

Bulugh al-Maram 5:10

Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, who said: "This is a good hadith."
And it was narrated from 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

When the night approaches from this side (i.e., the east) and the day retreats from that side (i.e., west) and the sun sets, then it is time for a person observing Saum (fasting) to break his fast.

إذا أقبل الليل من ههنا وأدبر النهار من ههنا ، وغربت الشمس ، فقد أفطر الصائم

Riyad as-Salihin 1236

Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
And it was narrated from 'Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said:

We traveled with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was fasting. When the sun set, he said to some of the people: O so-and-so, go down and fetch us water. He said: O Messenger of Allah, if you would wait until evening. He said: Go down and fetch us water. He said: You still have daylight. He said: Go down and fetch us water. So he went down and fetched water for them, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) drank. Then he said: When you see the night approaching from this side, the fasting person has broken his fast. And he pointed with his hand toward the east.

سِرنا مع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وهو صائم، فلما غربت الشمس قال لبعض القوم : يا فلان إنزل فاجدح لنا .
فقال : يا رسول الله لو أمسيت قال : انزل فاجدح لنا ، قال : إن عليك نهارا ، وقال : انزل فاجدح لنا ، قال : فنزل فجدح لهم فشرب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم قال : إذا رأيتم الليل قد أقبل من ههنا فقد أفطر الصائم . وأشار بيده قبل المشرق

Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
And it was narrated from Salman ibn 'Amir al-Dabi, the Companion (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:

When one of you breaks his Saum (fasting), let him break it on dates; if he does not have any, break his fast with water for it is pure.

إذا أفطر أحدكم، فليفطر على تمر، فإن لم يجد، فليفطر على ماء فإنه طَهور

Riyad as-Salihin 1238

Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi, who said: "This is a good, authentic hadith."
And it was narrated from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to break his Saum (fasting) before performing Maghrib prayer with three fresh date-fruits; if there were no fresh date- fruits, he will eat three dry dates; and if there were no dry date- fruits; he would take three draughts of water.

كان رسولُ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يفطر قبل أن يصلي على رُطَبات، فإن لم تكن رطبات فتميرات، فإن لم تكن تميرات حسا حسوات من ماء

Riyad as-Salihin 1239

Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi, who said: "This is a good hadith".

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author -may Allah have mercy on him- said in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*: "Chapter on the virtue of hastening to break the fast, what one breaks the fast with, and what is said at the time of breaking the fast":
These are three issues:
The first issue: Hastening to break the fast, but on the condition that the setting of the sun is confirmed, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) in the hadith of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab which the author cited: : meaning from the east, : meaning from the west, .
So if a person hastens to break his fast from the moment the disk of the sun sets, even if the whiteness is still visible and the rays are in the horizon, as long as the disk of the sun has disappeared, he should break his fast and hasten. This is the verbal and practical Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). As for the practical evidence, it is the hadith of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her): when 'Atiyyah and Masruq asked her about two men among the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), one of whom delays breaking the fast and delays the Maghrib prayer, and the other hastens to break the fast and hastens to perform the Maghrib prayer, which of them is more correct? So 'A'ishah said: : meaning he hastens to break the fast and hastens to perform the Maghrib prayer. This is a practical Sunnah indicating that the best is to advance breaking the fast.
As for the verbal evidence, it is the hadith of Sahl ibn Sa'd, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: But if they slow down and do not break their fast by hastening, then that is evil. For this reason, the Rafidah, who oppose the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his guidance, used to delay breaking their fast; they would not break it until the stars became intertwined, so they are deprived of the reward and recompense, and they are deprived of hastening to give their souls their share of food and drink. They are tormented in this world before the Hereafter, because when a person delays while he is thirsty or hungry, he suffers more. So they hurt themselves by delaying breaking the fast, they oppose the Sunnah, and they miss out on the reward.
Then the author -may Allah have mercy on him- mentioned that it is best to break the fast with fresh dates, and if one does not find them, then with dried dates, and if one does not find them, then with water. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to break his fast with a few fresh dates, not eating a lot, because it is not befitting to eat a lot when breaking the fast. If the stomach is empty and one eats a lot, this harms it. Give it a little at a time. Eat less when breaking the fast. For this reason, it is not medical wisdom for a person who has been fasting for a long time to have a large dinner as some people do. Rather, medical wisdom requires that one give the stomach a small amount, because it is empty. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to break his fast with fresh dates, and if there were none, then with dried dates, and if there were none, he would take sips or gulps of water. This is how one should break the fast: with fresh dates, then dried dates, then water.
And fresh dates are available now, praise be to Allah, even in days other than summer. People now store fresh dates in refrigerators and they last for a period. So if you find fresh dates or dried dates in storage, it is best to break your fast with fresh dates. If you do not have any, then dried dates. If you do not have any dried dates, then water.
So if someone says: "I do not have fresh dates or dried dates, but I have bread and water. Which one should I break my fast with?" Break your fast with water, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided to that and said: : it purifies the stomach and the liver. Therefore, he (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us to break our fast with water. And the reason dried dates and fresh dates were preferred is that they are more beneficial, more beneficial for the body than water, because they are sweet and provide food and sustenance. And the people of medicine have said: "The sweetness in dates is the fastest thing the body accepts from types of sweets, and it spreads to the veins immediately", and this is from the wisdom of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. So this is what one should break the fast with: fresh dates, and if one does not find them, then dried dates, and if one does not find them, then water. If one does not find water, then whatever food or drink is available. If one does not find anything, as if one is in the desert and has nothing, some of the common people said: "Suck your finger", and this is a mistake. If you do not find anything, the intention in the heart is sufficient. And if you find food or drink after that, then do so. As for sucking the finger, it has no basis, it has no basis.
And a common person embellished his speech and said: "Spit in your garment and then suck the saliva": meaning as if he makes it like water. And this is also a mistake. All of this is not prescribed. But if what you break your fast with becomes available, then that is what is required. Otherwise, wait until Allah makes it easy, and intend with your heart.
And in the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): , some of the scholars of knowledge said: "He has broken his fast, meaning even if he did not intend to break the fast": meaning his fasting has ended, and he has broken his fast by ruling. And some of them said: "He has broken his fast, meaning: it has become permissible for him to break the fast". But there is no doubt that if you intend to break the fast when you do not have what to eat and drink, it is better and more excellent, so that you are hastening to break the fast by intention due to the inability to eat and drink. And Allah is the One who grants success.