Fasting is considered one of the important acts of worship for which Muslims are rewarded, and they gain great reward and blessings. The basis of fasting is to abstain from things that invalidate the fast from dawn until sunset. In this article, we will answer the question Can I break my fast after 12 pm in islam? and what is the specific time for breaking the fast (Iftar) in Islam, according to Islamic Sharia.
The Time for Iftar in Islam
The time for Iftar in Islam is precisely at sunset, and abstaining from Al-Muftirat begins at true dawn (Al-Fajr Al-Sadiq). Therefore, Muslims must ascertain the time of sunrise and sunset for the fast to be valid and accepted. The Maghrib prayer call is one of the most important signs that confirm sunset, and it is not permissible to break the fast before that at all. Whoever breaks the fast before sunset, their fast is invalid, and they are considered sinful, and this is in response to the question: Can I break my fast after 12 pm in islam?
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Can I break my fast after 12 pm in islam?
Some people ask about the ruling of Sharia: Can I break my fast after 12 pm in islam? According to what the true Islamic religion has commanded us, it is not permissible to break the fast after 12 PM, because the correct time for Muslims to break the fast is at maghrib.
Fasting here requires complete abstinence from food and drink, and from doing things that invalidate the fast until sunset, or upon hearing the Adhan for the Maghrib prayer, according to Allah’s saying:
(وأتموا الصيام إلى الليل)
“And complete the fast until the night.”
The Shariah Evidences for Determining the Time of Iftar
After we have answered the question: Can I break my fast after 12 pm in islam? we will learn about the definitive evidences that determine the time for the fasting person to break their fast, and among the most prominent of these evidences are:
The saying of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):
(إذا أقبل الليل من ها هنا وأدبر النهار من ها هنا وغربت الشمس فقد أفطر الصائم).
“When the night approaches from here and the day departs from here, and the sun sets, then the fasting person has broken his fast.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
And Allah saying:
(وكُلوا واشربوا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ).
“And eat and drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night).
The Hadith of Adiy bin Hatim (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:
(لما نزلت آية حتى يتبين لكم الخيط الأبيض من الخيط الأسود من الفجر قلت يارسول الله إني أجعل تحت وسادتي عقالين عقالا أبيض وعقالا أسود أعرف الليل من النهار فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إن وسادك لعريض إنما هو سواد الليل وبياض النهار).
“When the verse was revealed: ‘until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night),’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I put two ropes under my pillow, a white rope and a black rope, to know the night from the day.’ The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: ‘Your pillow is indeed wide if you think that it is only the blackness of the night and the whiteness of the day.'” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِى أَوْفَى رضي الله عنه قَالَ (كُنَّا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ – صلى الله عليه وسلم – فِى سَفَرٍ ، وَهُوَ صَائِمٌ ، فَلَمَّا غَرَبَتِ الشَّمْسُ قَالَ لِبَعْضِ الْقَوْمِ يَا فُلاَنُ قُمْ ، فَاجْدَحْ لَنَا فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ، لَوْ أَمْسَيْتَ . قَالَ « انْزِلْ ، فَاجْدَحْ لَنَا » . قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَوْ أَمْسَيْتَ . قَالَ « انْزِلْ ، فَاجْدَحْ لَنَا » . قَالَ إِنَّ عَلَيْكَ نَهَارًا . قَالَ « انْزِلْ ، فَاجْدَحْ لَنَا » . فَنَزَلَ فَجَدَحَ لَهُمْ ، فَشَرِبَ النَّبِىُّ – صلى الله عليه وسلم – ثُمَّ قَالَ « إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ اللَّيْلَ قَدْ أَقْبَلَ مِنْ هَا هُنَا ، فَقَدْ أَفْطَرَ الصَّائِمُ ».
Narrated Abdullah bin Abi Aufa (may Allah be pleased with him): “We were with the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) on a journey, and he was fasting. When the sun set, he said to some of the people, ‘O so-and-so, get up and prepare Sawiq (a type of food) for us.’ He said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, if you waited until it was evening.’ He said, ‘Get down and prepare Sawiq for us.’ He said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, if you waited until it was evening.’ He said, ‘Get down and prepare Sawiq for us.’ He said, ‘Indeed, there is still daylight upon you.’ He said, ‘Get down and prepare Sawiq for us.’ So he got down and prepared it for them, and the Prophet (PBUH) drank, then he said, ‘When you see the night approaching from here, then the fasting person has broken his fast.'” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
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The Ruling on Delaying Iftar Until After Sunset
The Muslim scholars have unanimously agreed that the correct time for Iftar is when the sun has completely set, meaning the entire disc of the sun has disappeared, not before that, and not after it. Delaying Iftar until after sunset is a disliked act in Sharia, and the evidence for that is what came in Al-Majmu’ Al-Shafi’i:
(قال القاضي أبو الطيب في المجرد: قال الشافعي إذا أخر الإفطار بعد تحقق غروب الشمس، فإن كان يرى الفضل في تأخيره كرهت ذلك، وإن لم يرد الفضل في تأخيره فلا بأس، لأن الصوم لا يصلح في الليل).
(Al-Qadi Abu Al-Tayyib said in Al-Mujarrad: Al-Shafi’i said, “If he delays Iftar after verifying the sunset, and he sees virtue in delaying it, then I dislike that. And if he does not intend virtue in delaying it, then there is no harm in it, because fasting is not valid at night.”)
Our true Islamic religion urges us to hasten Iftar immediately after sunset, and this is an emphasized Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This does not mean that delaying Iftar is a sin or a major mistake, but it is disliked, and it is better to hasten Iftar, following the example of the Prophet (PBUH), and the evidence for that is the saying of the Prophet (PBUH):
(لا يزال الناس بخير ما عجلوا الفطر)
“The people will continue to be in good condition as long as they hasten the Iftar.”
And Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: Allah said:
(أَحَبُّ عِبَادِي إِليَّ أَعْجَلُهُمْ فِطْرًا)
‘The most beloved of my servants to me are those who hasten Iftar.'” (At-Tirmidhi)
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The Difference Between Iftar in Ramadan and Voluntary Fasting
The timing of Iftar in Ramadan does not differ at all from the timing of Iftar in voluntary fasting, because the Muslim’s Iftar is when the sun sets or when he hears the Adhan for Maghrib prayer.
The fundamental difference between fasting Ramadan and fasting voluntary fasts is that fasting Ramadan is not valid without making the intention (Niyyah) from the night before. If a person breaks the fast, he must make up the day he broke the fast.
As for fasting voluntary fasts, it is permissible to make the intention during the day, and if a person breaks the fast and does not complete his fast, there is no sin on him at all, and he does not have to make up the day he broke the fast at all.
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The Role of the Adhan in Determining the Time of Iftar
Muslims rely on determining the time of Iftar when they hear the Adhan for Maghrib prayer, because it is not permissible for a Muslim to break the fast except after the sun has completely set. If a person knows that the sun has set and is completely sure of that, then he must break the fast, even if he does not hear the Adhan for Maghrib prayer.
If a person hears the Adhan before the sun has set, even by a few minutes, it is not permissible for him to break the fast at all. Therefore, the Muslim must carefully investigate the time of sunset, because the main consideration in the fasting person’s Iftar is related to the sunset, and not just hearing the time of the Adhan.
Fasting is one of the greatest acts of worship that brings the servant closer to his Lord, and Muslims are rewarded for their fasting. Allah SWT has commanded us to break the fast when we verify the sunset so that the fast is accepted and valid, and that is within the context of answering the question: Can I break my fast after 12 pm in islam?
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