Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamoalikum warahmatullahi wbarakatuhu,

May Allah accept your efforts towards spreading true islam insha Allah. Brother i have a question i have seen in ramadan calender the timings for Imsaak and fajer.what is imsaak and someone told me that we have to stop eating or drinking at imsaak time and not at the time of fajer adhaan.please clear this concept in detail and send the answer as soon as possible.

Jazakumullahu khairan.

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Answer:

What is imsaak

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 187:

187 Permitted to you on the night of the fasts is the approach (sexual intercourse) to your wives. They are your garments. And ye are their garments. Allah knoweth what ye used to do secretly among yourselves; but He turned to you and forgave you; so now associate (sexual intercourse) with them (your wives), and seek what Allah hath ordained for you and eat and drink until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread; then complete your fast till the night appears; but do not associate with your wives while ye are in retreat in the mosques. Those are limits (set by) Allah; approach not nigh thereto. Thus doth Allah make clear His signs to men that they may learn self-restraint.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.550 Narrated by Qatada

Anas bin Malik said, "The Prophet and Zaid bin Thabit took the 'Suhur' together and after finishing the meal, the Prophet (saws) stood up and prayed (Fajr prayer)." I asked Anas, "How long was the interval between finishing their 'Suhur' and starting the prayer?" He replied, "The interval between the two was just sufficient to recite fifty Verses of the Qur'an)."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.551 Narrated by Sahl bin Sad

I used to take the "Suhur" meal with my family and hasten so as to catch the Fajr (morning prayer) with Allah's Messenger (saws).

Your Question: i have seen in ramadan calender the timings for Imsaak and fajer.what is imsaak and someone told me that we have to stop eating or drinking at imsaak time and not at the time of fajer adhaan

The literal meaning of the Arabic term ‘imsaak’ is to stop. When the term ‘imsaak’ is used in the terminology of ‘fiqh’ or jurisprudence, it means the time to stop consuming ‘suhoor’ before the ‘fajr’ prayer; and the interval between the two is about as much time as it takes to recite fifty verses of the Glorious Quran or approximately +/- 20 minutes.

The actual ‘imsaak’ time in Shariah, when one should absolutely stop the consuming of ‘suhoor’ would be the declaration of the ‘fajr’ adhaan; but to be absolutely safe, some Islamic calendars calculate the ‘imsaak’ time as 15-20 minutes before the time of ‘fajr’.

Dear and beloved sister in Islam, depending on where one resides, the exact timing of the ‘fajr’ or pre-dawn prayers are a little different. For example, in the Indian Subcontinent (Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, etc), the ‘fajr adhaan’ is normally declared just before the break of dawn….but in the Arab countries (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Egypt, etc.) there is a slightly longer gap between the ‘fajr’ adhaan and actual day-break; and in absolute legal terms, the fasting in Islam starts just before the break of dawn until the sun has completely set.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.140 Narrated by Adi bin Hatim

When the above verses were revealed: “…..until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread …” I took two (hair) strings, one black and the other white, and kept them under my pillow and went on looking at them throughout the night but could not make anything out of it. So, the next morning I went to Allah's Messenger (saws) and told him the whole story. He (saws) explained to me, "That verse means the darkness of the night and the whiteness of the dawn!"

Thus, regardless of where one resides, the absolute safest thing to do would be to give oneself ample time to eat and drink of their ‘suhoor’; and abstain from eating and drinking before the prescribed ‘imsaak’ time, or absolute latest until the ‘fajr’ adhaan has been declared; thus leaving absolutely no doubt in their minds regarding the legality of their fasts.

But perchance if one has something in their mouths, and the fajr ‘adhaan’ is declared, there is absolutely no harm if one finishes eating what is already in their mouths….but it would be safest to make that the last morsel of food or drink, and not try to complete their meal until their desire is fulfilled.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan