When Should I Stop Eating In The Morning (Suhoor)? - Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed | Ramadan FAQ

When Should I Stop Eating in the Morning (Suhoor)?

What is the correct time for me to stop eating in the morning? Do I stop when I hear the Adhan? Do I stop when I see the Sun? What is the correct time for me to stop eating when starting my fast — i.e. the time of Suhoor?

The Rule: Stop at the Time of Fajr

A person who is fasting must stop eating, drinking, or any of those things that can break our fast the moment the time of Fajr enters. Now the requirement is not that we hear the Adhan, because obviously hearing the Adhan is different for us living in different countries.

We don't have loudspeakers outside, so it's not about hearing the Adhan. We must stop eating when the timetable that we have from our masjid or local community is set at a time that is the time Fajr enters. So we must stop eating before that time. Eating after that time will nullify our fast and we will have to make up Qadha — i.e. make up that fast later on after the month of Ramadan.

What If You Accidentally Continue Eating Past the Time?

What happens if we accidentally continue? If the time is, for example, 5:30 a.m. and I'm eating and I continue eating without noticing — it's already 5:45 — this person should continue their fast throughout the day, but make it up later on as well.

What If Food or Drink Is Already in Your Hand or Mouth?

What happens if I have something in my hand, or I'm putting it into my mouth, or a sip of water is in my hand and I'm about to drink it and it hits the time? If it is already in the process of being eaten or drunk, then we are allowed to finish that motion.

But that doesn't mean — like in some households — that we just continue saying that's all a part of one motion. No. The one motion is simply one motion that is permissible for us, and that is the only concession that we have in the morning while starting our fast.