Importance of Waking Up for Suhoor

One of the more difficult acts to accomplish for many Muslims during Ramadan is waking up in the wee hours of the morning to have meals (Suhoor) before the onset of the fast.

In today's modern lifestyle, people have many responsibilities to deal with, in addition to the increased religious obligations. As a result, people are going to bed later. And they try to wake up, but fail. As a result, they feel guilty. And this feeling of guilt eats away at them, and prevents them from having a fulfilling Ramadan. Others yet rationalize that waking up for Suhoor is not at all practical given the time constraints faced by many in today's modern lifestyle. So they skip waking up for Suhoor intentionally. This latter group of people who rationalize not waking up for Suhoor are unfortunately wrong, and hopefully they will realize this soon enough.

Why? Prophet Muhammad's Sunnah is clear on the benefits of waking up for Suhoor.

The Prophet taught us through his own actions that there is barakah (blessings) in the early hours of the morning.

The Prophet said "Have suhoor, for in suhoor there is barakah" (Bukhari, Fath, 4/139).

Would you risk throwing away barakah that is available to you for an extra hour of sleep?

How To Get Barakah By Waking Up for Suhoor

1) Make a conscious effort to not waste time the night before by watching tv, surfing the Internet, or any other unnecessary or un-essential activity. If you do this consciously, you will find that you get to bed earlier, allowing you to sleep longer.

2) Wake up an hour before Fajr for quiet contemplation and remembrance of Allah, reading the Quran, making dua and prayer. This ensures that you gain the spiritual nourishment needed to sustain you throughout the day when you fast.

3) Some people argue that since they are not eating during Suhoor, they do not have to wake up. But keep in mind that waking up for Suhoor is not only about eating. Even if you are not hungry, take something light (a few dates, or a glass of low-fat milk). Then make your Subuh (morning) prayer. After that you may sleep for a bit more with a light heart, or start your day.

If you follow these steps, you will find it that meeting your obligations this Ramadan becomes increasingly easier on yourself.

This is not magic, or make-belief. This is Allah's Barakah at work!

“Baraka is the attachment of Divine Goodness to a thing, so if it occurs in something little, it increases it. And if it occurs in something much it benefits. And the greatest fruit of baraka in all things is to use it in the obedience of Allah, Exalted and Majestic.”

Wake Up for Suhoor And Begin Your Day of Fast With Joy

Hadith Sayings on Ramadan

To understand the full meaning of Ramadan as explained by Prophet Muhammad, please refer to the selected Hadith below.

40 Hadith Sayings on Ramadan



Hadith No. 01
Why the name 'Ramadan'?
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: "Surely, the month of Ramadan has been named so because it scorches away the sins." Kanz al-Ummal, H: 23688

Hadith No. 02
Ramadan: The Name of God
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) has said: Say not, "This is Ramadan" and "Ramadan has departed" and "Ramadan has arrived" for surely, Ramadan is one of the names of Allah, The Mighty, the Glorious, who neither arrives nor departs. Surely, arrives and departs that, which is ephemeral, Instead say: "The month of Ramadan". Al-Kafi, 4, pg. 70

Hadith No. 03
Ramadan: The Month of Revelation of the Holy Quran
Imam Reza (A.S.) has said: If one asks, "Why is it that the fasts were made obligatory exclusively in the month of Ramadan and not in the other months?" it would be said, "(this is) because the month of Ramadan is the month in which Allah, the Exalted, had revealed the Holy Quran." Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 18, pg. 190

Hadith No. 04
Reward for Recitation of the Holy Quran during Ramadan
Imam Reza (A.S.) has said: "Someone who recites one verse from the Book of Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious, in the month of Ramadan, is like one who has recited the entire Holy Quran in the other months." Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, pg. 344

Hadith No. 05
Reward of the Month of Ramadan
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) was asked: O' Prophet of Allah! Which of the two months possesses a greater reward, Rajab or the month of Ramadan? The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) replied: Nothing can be compared to the month of Ramadan in terms of reward. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 97, pg. 49

Hadith No. 06
Ramadan: The Month of God
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Shaaban is my month and the month of Ramadan is the month of Allah, The Exalted, and it is the springtime for the poor. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 97, pg. 68

Hadith No. 07
Ramadan: The Chosen Month
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Surely, Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious, has chosen from amongst the months (and granted preference to), the months of Rajab, Shaaban and the month of Ramadan. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 27, pg. 53

Hadith No. 08
Ramadan: The Great Month
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Surely, the month of Ramadan is a great month. Allah multiplies in it the good deeds, erases in it the sins and elevates in it the ranks. Wasail al-Shia'h, vol. 10, pg. 312

Hadith No. 09
Ramadan: The Chief of the Months
Imam Ali (A.S.) said: The month of Ramadan has approached you. It is the chief of all months and the beginning of the year. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 42, pg. 193

Hadith No. 10
Ramadan: The Beginning of the Year
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: If the month of Ramadan remains safe and sound (with respect to sins), the (entire) year shall remain so (too); the month of Ramadan is the beginning of the year. Wasail al-Shia'h vol.10, pg. 311

Hadith No. 11
Ramadan: The Month of Mercy
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: It (Ramadan) is the month, whose beginning is mercy, its middle, forgiveness and its end, emancipation from the fire (of hell). Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, pg. 342

Hadith No. 12
Excellence of the Month of Ramadan
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: O' People! Surely, the month of God has approached you. The month which, in the eyes of Allah, is the most virtuous of the months. Its days are the best of the days and its nights, the best of the nights and its moments, the best of the moments. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 96, pg. 356

Hadith No. 13
Ramadan: The Best of the Months
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: The best of the months is the month of God - the month of Ramadan - and the heart of the month of Ramadan is the Night of Qadr (Lailatul Qadr). Bihar al-Anwar, vol. pg. 386

Hadith No. 14
The Night of Qadr
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: O' People! Surely, a great and blessed month has enveloped you. A month, in which there is a night, deeds in which are better than of a thousand months. Bihar al-Anwar, vol.96, pg. 342

Hadith No. 15
Gift of Allah's Month
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: Your breath in it glorification (of Allah) and your sleep in it worship (of Allah). Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 96, pg. 356

Hadith No. 16
Fasts of the Month of Ramadan
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: The month of Ramadan is the month in which Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious, has made fasting obligatory upon you. So one, who fasts in this month in a state of belief and with the intention of recompense, shall become free of his sins just as he was on the day when his mother gave him birth. Tahdheeb al-Ahkam, vol. 4, pg. 152

Hadith No. 17
Ramadan: The Month of Spiritual Striving
In his testament to his sons, Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: When the month of Ramadan arrives, exert yourselves, for surely it is in this month that livelihood is distributed, the hour of death is ordained and the arriving for Hajj is decreed. In it is a night, deeds in which are better than deeds in a thousand months. Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 66

Hadith No. 18
Ramadan: The Month of Good Deeds
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: This month of yours (Ramadan) is unlike the other months. Surely, when it approaches you, it does so with blessings and mercy and when it turns away from you, it does so with forgiveness of sins. This is a month in which good deeds are multiplied and of goodness accepted. Wasail al-Shia'h, vol. 10, pg. 312

Hadith No. 19
Ramadan: The Blessed Month
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: Surely, the month of Ramadan, the blessed month, has come to you. The month, whose fasts Allah has made obligatory upon you. In it, the doors of Paradise are opened up and the Satan's fettered, and in it is the Night of Qadr, which is more virtuous than a thousand months. Tahdheeb al-Ahkam, vol. 4, pg. 152

Hadith No. 20
The Month of Ramadan and Seeking Forgiveness
Imam Ali (A.S.) said: It is incumbent upon you to seek forgiveness and supplicate excessively in the month of Ramadan. As for the supplication, by means of it the calamities are warded off from you, and as for the seeking of forgiveness, it erases away your sins. Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 88

Hadith No. 21
Opening of the doors of Paradise
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: In it (the month of Ramadan) the doors of Hell are closed and the doors of Paradise opened. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 96, pg. 363

Hadith No. 22
The Month of Ramadan and Itikaf
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) has said: The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny), initially observed the Itikaf (spiritual retreat) during the first ten days of the month of Ramadan. Later, he observed it during the middle ten days of the holy month and finally, he observed it during the last 10 days of the month and then continued to do so in the last ten days (for as long as he was alive). Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 16, pg. 274

Hadith No. 23
The Month of Ramadan and Divine Books
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: The Torah was revealed on the sixth day of the month of Ramadan, the Bible, on the twelfth night of the month, the Paslms on the eighteenth night of the month and the Quran on the Night of Qadr. Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 157

Hadith No. 24
The Best Deed of the Month of Ramadan
During the course of a sermon of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) about the virtues of the month of Ramadan. Imam Ali (A.S.) says: I stood up and asked: O' Prophet of Allah! What is the best deed for this month? The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) replied: O' Abul-Hasan! The best deed for this month is abstinence from that which is forbidden by Allah, The Mighty, The Glorious. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 42, pg. 190

Hadith No. 25
Losers of the Month of Ramadan
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: One who perceives the month of Ramadan and (does not strive in it and hence) is not forgiven, Allah distances him from Himself. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 74, pg. 74

Hadith No. 26
Imam Sajjad (A.S.) and the Month of Ramadan
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: With the advent of the month of Ramadan, Imam Ali Ibn al-Hussain (A.S.) would cease to speak about anything except dua, tasbeeh (glorification of Allah), isteghfar (seeking forgiveness) and takbeer (saying 'Allahu Akbar'). Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 88

Hadith No. 27
Fridays of the Month of Ramadan
Imam Baqir (A.S.) has said: Surely, the Fridays of the month of Ramadan possess an excellence over the Fridays of the other months, just as the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) possesses an excellence over the other prophets. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 69, pg. 376

Hadith No. 28
Seven Excellences of Ramadan Fasting
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has stated: There is no Mu'min, who fasts for a day in the month of Ramadan with the intention of attaining its rewards, except that Allah, The Exalted, grants him seven excellences:

The forbidden food that had entered into his body melts away.
He moves closer to the Mercy of Allah, The Exalted.
Allah expiates his sins.
Allah reduces for him the agony of death.
Allah protects him from the hunger and thirst of the Day of Judgment.
He is granted pardon from the fire (of Hell).
Allah provides him the good and pleasant food of Paradise.
Mustadrak al-Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol. 7, pg. 395

Hadith No. 29
Ramadan: The Month of Patience
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: And it (the month of Ramadan) is the month of patience, and surely, the reward of patience is Paradise. Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 66

Hadith No. 30
Giving Charity
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) has said: Allah shall ward off 70 kinds of calamities from one who gives charity in the month of Ramadan. Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol. 9, pg. 404

Hadith No. 31
Reward of an Obligatory Act
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has stated: (The rewards of) one, who performs in it (the month of Ramadan) a single act from amongst the obligatory (wajib) acts of Allah, would be like (that of) one, who has performed seventy obligatory acts in the other months. Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol. 10, pg. 307

Hadith No. 32
Night of Decree
Imam Baqir (A.S.) said: In the Night of Qadr is decreed every thing - pleasant and unpleasant, obedience and disobedience, birth and death, and livelihood - which would occur during the course of that year, till the next Night of Qadr. Al-Kafi, vol. 4, pg. 157

Hadith No. 33
Increase Prayers in the Month of Ramadan
Imam Sadiq (A.S.) has said: With the advent of the month of Ramadan, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his progeny) would increase his Prayers (Salaat); I also increase mine and so, (you) increase yours (too). Tahdheeb al-Akhaam, vol. 3, pg. 60

Hadith No. 34
Eating of sahur
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) has said: Eat your 'sahur' (the morning meal before the start of a fast) even if it is (mere) mouthfuls of water, for the blessings of Allah are upon those who eat the sahur. Tahdheeb al-Akhaam, vol. 4, pg. 198

Hadith No. 35
Hunger and Thirst of the Day of Judgment
Imam Ali (A.S.) said: Bring to mind, by means of your hunger and thirst in it (the month of Ramadan), the hunger and thirst of the Day of Judgment. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, pg. 356

Hadith No. 36
The Call of Allah
Abdullah Ibn al-Abbas Ibn Abd al-Muttalib reports that he heard the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) say: Every night, in the month of Ramadan, Allah, The Blessed and The Exalted, calls out three times: Is there one, who seeks from Me, so that I grant him his wish? Is there one, who turns to me in repentance so that I turn to him (in Mercy)? Is there one, who seeks forgiveness from Me so that I forgive him? Mustadrak al-Wasaail, vol. 7, pg. 429

Hadith No. 37
Ghusl (ablution) on Night of Qadr
Imam Musa Ibn Ja'far (A.S.) said: One, who performs the ghusl on the Night of Qadr and remains awake in it (engaged in worship), shall have all his sins forgiven. Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol. 10, pg. 358

Hadith No. 38
Shield of a Believing Servant
Allah, The Mighty and The Glorious has said: The fasts are the shield of the believing servants on the Day of Judgment, just as your weapons shield you in this world. Wasaail al-Shia'h, vol.10, pg. 403

Hadith No. 39
Iftaar for Mu'min
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) said: One who provides iftaar to a Mu'min in the month of Ramadan, shall be granted the reward of liberating a slave (in the path of Allah) and shall have all his previous sins forgiven. And if he did not possess the means to present anything except milk mixed with water, or a drink of sweet water and a date, Allah would grant him this reward. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, pg. 317

Hadith No. 40
Farewell to the Month of Ramadan
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) prayed: O' God! Ordain not this month of Ramadan to be the last one for my fasts. But should you ordain it to be so, then make me blessed and leave me not deprived (of Your mercy). Badaabi Az Quran, pg. 398

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Breaking of The Fast

Break the fast with some dates or other fruits or a cup of water.

The Prophet himself emphasised the importance of breaking the fast this way, when he said: “If one of you is fasting, let him end his fast by eating a few dates, and if dates are not available, then let him drink some water. Water purifies.” (Ahmad & Tirmidhi).

While hurrying to pray the Maghrib (sunset) salaah, you should not forget to terminate the fast first. Anas reported that: “the Prophet used to end his fast with eating a few dates before offering Maghrib prayers. If no dates were available, he would sip some water.” (Abu Dawud).

What if you are very hungry and the food is ready?

If you are sure your mind will be on the already prepared meal, then you are advised to eat your food before embarking on Maghrib prayer. Anas quoted the Prophet as saying: “If your evening meal is served, then start by eating before offering Maghrib. Do not hasten to pray before eating.” (Bukhari & Muslim)

Only problem is that your Maghrib will be delayed, so don’t make it a habit. Islam is simple and realistic. It is a balance or realities and its all to our benefit; because our worship or fasts do not nourish Him. Indeed, Allah desires ease and success for us.

“Say: ‘Verily, my Lord has guided me to a way that is straight, - a religion of right,- the path (trod) by Abraham the true in Faith, and he (certainly) joined not gods with Allah’.” Qur'an 6 verse 161.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The (Hell) Fire is surrounded by all kinds of desires and passions, while Paradise is surrounded by all kinds of disliked undesirable things.” (Bukhari)