The Virtues and Blessings of Sehri
Almighty Allah has bestowed a great gift and favor upon us by designating the pre-dawn meal (Suhur) as a reward for the community before commencing the fast. It is a tradition to eat Suhur for fasting. If someone skips Suhur or mistakenly eats before dawn due to some reason, their fast is still valid. However, it is preferable and better to consume something for Suhur before the break of dawn, known as Fajr, and there is a consensus among scholars regarding the Sunnah and recommendation of having Suhur. Many people deprive themselves of this virtue due to laziness, and some individuals, after performing Taraweeh prayers, eat and sleep, thus missing out on the rewards of Suhur. In linguistic terms, Suhur refers to the meal consumed before the break of dawn, and it should be eaten before dawn and towards the end of the night.
The Virtues of Suhoor in the Light of Hadiths
وَعَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «فَصْلُ مَا بَيْنَ صِيَامِنَا وَصِيَامِ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ أَكْلَةُ السَّحَرِ» . رَوَاهُ مُسلم
‘Amr b. al-‘As reported God’s messenger as saying, “The difference between our fasting and that of the People of the Book is eating shortly before dawn.” (Mishkat al-Masabih)
The People of the Book were not allowed to eat or drink after going to sleep at night, and this was also the rule at the beginning of Islam. Later, for the ease of this community and to differentiate from the People of the Book, this command was abolished through the verse of Surah Al-Baqarah, and permission was given to eat and drink throughout the entire night until the true dawn, whether someone wakes up after sleeping or is already awake and then eats; it was declared permissible in every aspect. It is narrated from Hazrat Anas (رضي الله عنه):
عَنْ أَنَسٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «تَسَحَّرُوا فَإِنَّ فِي السَّحُورِ بركَة»
Anas reported God’s messenger as saying, “Take a meal a little before dawn, for there is a blessing in taking a meal at that time.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
The concept of blessing includes various kinds of goodness and beneficial things, both apparent and hidden, worldly and in the hereafter. It is narrated from Hazrat Sulaiman (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
البركه في ثلاثه في الجماعه والثريد والسحور
Blessings are in three things: one in the congregation, meaning in congregational prayer and every deed that the community of rightful Muslims do together; second, in Thareed, which is a type of food from Arabia.
In the third Sahri
أَخْبَرَنَا سُوَيْدُ بْنُ نَصْرٍ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، عَنْ بَقِيَّةَ بْنِ الْوَلِيدِ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي بَحِيرُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ خَالِدِ بْنِ مَعْدَانَ، عَنِ الْمِقْدَامِ بْنِ مَعْدِيكَرِبَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ عَلَيْكُمْ بِغَدَاءِ السُّحُورِ فَإِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَدَاءُ الْمُبَارَكُ ” .
It was narrated from Al-Miqdam bin Madikarib that the Prophet said: “You should take Sahur for it is the blessed breakfast.” (Sunan an-Nasa’i)
Suhur is called the blessed meal of the morning because it acts as a substitute for the morning meal, that is, breakfast.
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَامِرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا زَمْعَةُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ، عَنْ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ: “ اسْتَعِينُوا بِطَعَامِ السَّحَرِ عَلَى صِيَامِ النَّهَارِ وَبِالْقَيْلُولَةِ عَلَى قِيَامِ اللَّيْلِ ” .
It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Seek help by eating Suhur for fasting that day, and by taking a brief rest (at midday) for praying at night.” (Sunan Ibn Majah)
It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم تسحروا ولو بجرعة من ماء ۔
The translation from Urdu to English would be: “Eat Suhoor even if it is just a sip of water.
وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «نِعْمَ سَحُورُ الْمُؤْمِنَ التَّمْرُ» . رَوَاهُ أَبُو دَاوُدَ
Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “How good is the believer’s meal of dates shortly before dawn!”
Abu Dawud transmitted it. (Mishkat al-Masabih)
In the pre-dawn meal, do not eat so little that one starts feeling weakness during worship, nor eat so much that you keep burping sour burps all day. Even in these hadiths, it is indicated that although if one were to partake in pre-dawn meal with just barley, dates, or a sip of water, it does not mean that it is forbidden to eat more than that; rather, it implies that if there is no capacity, then a little bit is also fine. Barley and dates have strength and nutrition, and are also foods liked by the Prophet (ﷺ), and water reduces the intensity of thirst and remedies the body’s dehydration.
Suhur and Tahajjud
وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ” يَنْزِلُ رَبُّنَا تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا حِينَ يَبْقَى ثُلُثُ اللَّيْلِ الْآخِرُ يَقُولُ: مَنْ يَدْعُونِي فَأَسْتَجِيبَ لَهُ؟ مَنْ يَسْأَلُنِي فَأُعْطِيَهُ؟ مَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُنِي فَأَغْفِرَ لَهُ؟ ” وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ لِمُسْلِمٍ: ثُمَّ يَبْسُطُ يَدَيْهِ وَيَقُولُ: «مَنْ يُقْرِضُ غَيْرَ عَدُومٍ وَلَا ظَلُومٍ؟ حَتَّى ينفجر الْفجْر»
Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying: Our Lord who is blessed and exalted descends every night to the lowest heaven when two-thirds of the night have passed and says, “Who supplicates me so that I may answer him? Who asks of me so that I may give to him? Who asks my forgiveness so that I may forgive him?”
(Bukhari and Muslim.) In a version by Muslim it is said that He then spreads out His hands and says, “Who will lend to One who is neither indigent nor unjust?”* till the dawn breaks. *The lending mentioned here is presumably the doing of good works. (Mishkat al-Masabih)
It is narrated from Hazrat Umar bin Absah Salami (رضي الله عنه) that he heard from the Prophet (ﷺ) that a servant is closest to his Lord during the last part of the night. So if you have the ability to be among those who remember Allah at that time, become one of those who remember Allah and pray at that time. It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Umamah Bahili (رضي الله عنه) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) instructed, ‘Take care of the night prayer, for it has been the way of the righteous people before you, and it is a means for you to come closer to your Lord, a means of atonement for sins and a prevention from sin.’ From this hadith, it is understood that the night and Tahajjud prayers are a means of special closeness to Allah Almighty, and through it, sins are forgiven and a person is protected from sins. It is narrated from both Hazrat Abu Sa’id Khudri and Hazrat Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنهما) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, ‘Whoever wakes up at night and also wakes up his wife and they pray two Rakats together, they will be recorded among those who remember Allah abundantly.’ In Ramadan, during the last part of the night, it becomes easier to pray Tahajjud and other voluntary prayers because one already wakes up for Suhur. In this time, before the true dawn, pray as many voluntary prayers as you can manage, at least two or more as you wish. Through this, one can obtain the virtues of Tahajjud in Ramadan.
