Q: Regarding these two hadiths:
1. “He who has a morning meal of seven ‘ajwa dates will not suffer harm that day through toxins or magic.” (Bukhari, Hadith 5327 and Muslim, Hadith 3814)
2. ‘Aisha reported Allah’s Messenger as saying, “The ‘ajwah dates of al-‘Aliya contain healing, and they are an antidote (when taken as) first thing in the morning.” (Muslim, Hadith 3815)
You said that it has to be taken first thing on an empty stomach in the morning, when does morning end Islamically? My question is if I had a late night dinner near fajr time a few hour before fajr time, if my stomach is still full at fajr time then is it still okay to eat the dates provided thats the first thing eaten during fajr time? Also the hadith from Bukhari says in general that the ajwa dates should be eaten at morning time, it doesn’t specify it to be taken as the first thing, so does it have to be the first thing taken or as long as it’s taken (before or after eating in the morning) it’s okay?
A: The understanding that we have is that you have it in the morning, and morning means that at the time you normally eat this should be the first thing you take.
And Allah Ta’ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
Answered by:
Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)