Answered by Shaykh Amjad Rasheed
Some fasting people eat shortly before sunset has been verified, arguing that if a fasting person doesn’t see the sun, the time has entered for breaking fast. The reality is that their not seeing the sun isn’t because it has set, but because it is veiled from them by a mountain or tall structure. Is this valid?
In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. May mercy and peace be upon our liege lord Muhammad, his family, companions, and all those who follow them well until the Day of Judgement.
To proceed: this is a collection of questions that people often ask and differ over during the month of Ramadan. I wish to show the strong and weak opinions in these matters according to the followed imams of religious knowledge. Allah the Exalted is the Guide to His straight path. I have entitled this work The Comeliest Clarification: Important Issues for the Month of Ramadan (Ar. Ahsan Al-Bayan li-Muhimmat fi Shahr Ramadan).
One of the matters that Muslims have consensus (Ar. ijma’) regarding is that fasting begins with the appearance of true dawn (at the time of the second call to prayer [1]) and is completed and finished with the setting of the sun, because of His statement (Most High), “eat and drink until the white line of dawn is apparent to you from the black line, then complete fast until the night.” (Qur’an, 2.187) It is therefore obligatory for a fasting person to carefully observe these times lest he invalidate his fast by intentionally eating, drinking, or partaking in other such acts between the mentioned times.
Based on the above, what those mentioned in the question are doing is invalid and contrary to the consensus of Muslims. It is obligatory for [m: the questioner] to reject their act and indicate that it is an innovation (Ar. bid’a). Al-Bukhari narrates on the authority of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him), “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘When night enters from here and day departs from here and when the sun has set, the fasting person has entered upon the time to break fast.'” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, No. 1954) So one who breaks his fast before he is sure the sun has set has gone against the clear statement of this hadith. In fact, he has gone against the aforementioned verse and the consensus of Muslims. A person at a low elevation might imagine the sun to have set (due to his not seeing it) and thereby breaks his fast, while in reality the sun didn’t set, so he actually invalidated his fast. Hadith Master Ibn Hajar mentions in the explanation of the previous hadith:
One might believe nightfall to have entered from the east while in reality it has not entered, but something has merely covered the light of the sun, and likewise with the departure of daytime. This is why he conditions [h: his statement] by saying, “when the sun has set”, indicating that it is necessary to verify the entrance [m: of night] and departure [m: of day] and that they come about through the setting of the sun, not through any other means.
(Fath Al-Bari)
Some weak students [m: of knowledge] might try to justify this act by quoting the what Al-Bukhari narrates on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Awfa (Allah be pleased with him), who said:
We were with the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) on a journey while he was fasting. When the sun set, he said to one of the people, “Oh so-and-so, stand and stir for us.” (‘Stir’ (Ar. ijdah) means to mix mashed grain and the like with water using a stick.) He said, “O Messenger of Allah, if only you would wait until night.” He said, “Dismount and stir for us.” He said, “O Messenger of Allah, if only you would wait until night.” He said, “Dismount and stir for us.” He said, “Daylight is upon you.” He said, “Dismount and stir for us”, so the man dismounted and stirred for them. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) drank and then said, “If you witness the night having entered from here, then the fasting person has entered upon the time to break fast.”
(Saheeh Al-Bukhari, No. 1955)
The response [m: to their claims] is that this hadith doesn’t contain any evidence supporting what the aforementioned people do. Rather, it proves that breaking the fast is not permissible until the sun has actually set, as is the consensus, for two reasons:
The narrator of the hadith starts by indicating that the sun had set by saying, “when the sun set”. He is therefore indicating what actually happened, and
[m: because of the Prophet’s] (Allah bless him and grant him peace) statement, “If you witness the night”, and it can only be night if the sun sets, not if it is veiled from view by something, like a mountain.
As for the statement of the companion, “Daylight is upon you”, it doesn’t reflect reality. Hadith Master Ibn Hajar mentions in explaining this hadith:
It is possible that the mentioned person saw a lot of light due to the extreme clarity of the sky and believed that the sun hadn’t set, thinking that a mountain or the like was veiling it. Alternatively, it is possible that it was cloudy and he wasn’t sure the sun had set. As for the statement of the narrator, “the sun set”, it is indicating that actual situation. Otherwise, if the companion was sure the sun had set, he wouldn’t have paused, because doing so would be obstinate. He only paused out of cautiousness and seeking clarification regarding the ruling in the matter.
(Fath Al-Bari)
Notes
[m: [1] Since the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), Muslims have been giving two calls to the dawn prayer: the first call is a warning, indicating that dawn is approaching. It is permissible to eat and drink after this. The second call to prayer indicates the dawn has entered. ]