We had Suhūr (pre-dawn meal) with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and then he stood for prayer. I said: How long was the time between Adhān and Suhūr? He said: The time it takes to recite fifty verses

Arabic text

عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: تَسَحَّرْنَا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، ثُمَّ قَامَ إِلَى الصَّلاةِ، قُلْتُ: كَمْ كَانَ بَيْنَ الأَذَانِ وَالسَّحُورِ؟ قَالَ: قَدْرُ خَمْسِينَ آيَةً.

Translation

Zayd ibn Thābit (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: We had Suhūr (pre-dawn meal) with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and then he stood for prayer. I said: How long was the time between Adhān and Suhūr? He said: The time it takes to recite fifty verses.

Explanation

Some of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) had Suhūr with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and then he stood for the Fajr prayer. Anas said to Zayd ibn Thābit (may Allah be pleased with him): How much time was there between the Adhān and the completion of Suhūr? Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The time it takes to recite fifty medium-length verses, neither long nor short, and neither recited quickly nor slowly.

Benefits

• It is preferable to delay Suhūr until just before dawn because delaying it brings greater benefit to the body and provides it with more energy throughout the day.
• The Companions' keenness on getting together with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to learn from him.
• The Prophet's kind treatment of his Companions as he used to eat with them.
• The time of Imsāk (abstaining from fast invalidators) is the rise of dawn.
• His statement: "How long was the time between Adhān and Suhūr,"  i.e., between Suhūr and Iqāmah (the second call to prayer), as he said in the other Hadīth: "How long was the time between their completion of their Suhūr and their entrance into prayer", and the Hadīths explain one another.
• Al-Muhallab said: It indicates the estimation of time based on physical activities. The Arabs used to estimate time by activities, such as saying: "the time it takes to milk a sheep" or "the time it takes to slaughter a camel." Zayd ibn Thābit (may Allah be pleased with him) shifted from that to measuring time by recitation, indicating that this time was the time of worship through recitation. If they had measured it by something other than an activity, he would have said, for example: "the time it takes to walk a certain distance" or "one-third of a fifth of an hour.".
• Ibn Abi Jamrah said: He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to consider what was easier for his Ummah and act accordingly. If he did not eat Suhūr, they would follow his example, which would be difficult for some. If he ate Suhūr in the middle of the night, it would also be challenging for those who are overcome by sleep, potentially leading them to miss Fajr or requiring them to struggle to stay awake.

Topics

• Jurisprudence and Juristic Principles
• Jurisprudence of Acts of Worship
• Fasting
• Recommended Acts of Fasting