The Exalted and Praised One has said in His Glorious Book: "... and eat and drink till the whiteness of the day becomes distinct from the blackness of the night at dawn, then complete the
fast till nighttime" (2:187). He has also said, "Little did they sleep during the night, and they sought their Lord’s forgiveness in the early hours of the morn" (Holy Qur’an, 51:17-18). And the
Almighty has also said, "Those who persevere, and the truthful, and the obedient (to Allah), and those who spend (benevolently), and those who ask forgiveness during the timL of the morn" (Holy
Qur’an, 3:17).
Suhoor is the meal comprised of food and water taken before daybreak by a Muslim who intends to perform the. obligation of the fast. It helps him while abstaining from eating aid drinking
during daytime. This is the suhoor in its absolute meaning. Its timing has been defined by the Almighty thus: "... and eat and drink till the whiteness of the day becomes distinct from the
blackness of the night at dawn" (Holy Qur’an, 2:187). This means that suhoor can be eaten at any time during the night till a short time before daybreak.
But what about this "short time" defined before daybreak? Anas ibn Zaid ibn Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, once said, "The Prophet (pbuh) ate suhoor with us once, after that he
stood for the prayers. lie was asked, "What was the length of time from the suhoor till the adhan?" He answered, "About the time it takes one to recite fifty Quranic verses." This tradition is
recorded by al-Bukhari, Muslim, and Ibn Khuzaymah.
Muhammad ibn Ya’qub quotes Abu Yahya al-San’ani quoting Imam Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (as) saying, "lf a believer fasts and reads Surat al-Qadr during the time of his iftar and suhoor, he will
be rewarded with the rewards due to a martyr." This tradition is recorded on p. 344, Vol. 94, of Bihar al-Anwar.
The real meaning of suhoor transcends the physical and nutritious benefits with which it provides the person who observes the fast. Quoting what the Almighty has said explains the real
meaning of suhoor: "Little do they sleep during the night, and they seek their Lord’s forgiveness in the early hours of the morn" (Holy Qur’an, 51:17-18). He has also said, "The patient, and the
truthful, and the obedient (to Allah), and those who spend (benevolently), and those who ask forgiveness during the time of fthe morn" (Holy Qur’an, 3:17).
The first verse tells us that nighttime is the time for sleep, and the zenith of times to adore the Almighty and seek His forgiveness is during the Suhoor the plural of which is ashar The
second verse contains the definition of the status of those who seek their Lord’s forgiveness during the as/tar times, a status which is quite lofty and is compared only to those to whom the
Almighty refers as "those who persevere, and the truthful, and the obedient (to Allah)." We may derive the following conclusions from the above-quoted verses:
1) The time of suhoor has its own status and function which transcends eating and drinking, which help the fasting person during his daytime abstention from both, and this function is to
wake up during the night to perform an act of worship.
2) The epic of adoration and the seeking of His forgiveness, which the Almighty, out of His divine wisdom, has decreed, is during the time of as/Jar otherwise, why has He not specified
other periods during which His servants adore Him during the glorious month of Ramadhan?
3) Allah, the Almighty, has granted those who seek His forgiveness during the times of al-fajar a status which comes out of His blessing, and He includes them among those whom He describes
as "those who persevere, and the truthful, and the obedient (to Allah)."
Probably one of the greatest blessings of the Almighty is that He has included those who eat their suhoor among those who shall receive His forgiveness so that they will be the ones freed
by the Most Merciful One from the fire during the month of the Glorious Qur’an. The commander of the faithful Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib, peace be upon him, quotes the holy Prophet (pbuh) saying,
"Allah, the Praised and the Exalted, and His angels send blessings unto those who take their suhoor meal and seek His forgiveness;
so, let each one of you observe suhoor even by drinking some water.~i Ali ibn Muhammad, quoting al-Nawfali who quotes al-Sukooni who quotes hadith number 1062 in Saidi al-Targheeb
wal.Tarteeli turn quotes his forefathers, Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them all, has cited the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying,
"There is a great deal of bliss in three things: the congregational prayers, the dish of sopped bread and meat (thireed), and the suhoor" Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as recorded on pages
1063-1064 of Sahih atThrgheeb wal Tarheeb, has also said, "The best a believer can eat during the suhoor is dates; but if he cannot do so, then let him at least drink some water.( This is hadith
number 1057 among the hadiths of Sahik al-Targheeb wa! Tar/teeli, and hadith number 1045 among the "Series of sahib hadiths)"
