Ramadan · a Light

Break the fast early and the community stays well

The Prophet ﷺ said that people will remain in a good state as long as they hasten to break the fast, meaning that they eat the moment the sun has set rather than waiting to be extra certain. He broke his own fast before praying the sunset prayer, with fresh dates if he had them, dried dates if not, and otherwise a few mouthfuls of water. The rule cuts against a religious instinct that more is always better. An extra ten minutes of hunger looks like extra devotion and is treated here as a fault, because the fast has a fixed end, and a person who invents a stricter one is not being more obedient.

Sahl ibn Sa'd · Ramadan

Source · Bukhari 1957, Muslim 1098