The garden of Suhur

`Amr ibn Al `As (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "The difference between our observance of Sawm (fasting) and that of the people of the Scriptures is Suhur (predawn meal in Ramadan)." [Reported by Muslim] [1]

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Take Suhur as there is a blessing in it." [Reported by Al Bukhari and Muslim].

Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "We took Suhur (predawn meal) with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and then we stood up for (Fajr) Salah. It was asked: "How long was the gap between the two?'' He replied: "The time required for the recitation of fifty Ayat." [Reported by Al Bukhari and Muslim].

Suhur is a garden that is full of provision, piety, and blessing by which a person seeks help for fasting and it was the practice of the best Prophet (peace be upon him). It is the difference between our fasting and the fasting of the People of the Scriptures, so take a lesson from Suhur in Al-Wala' wal-Bara' (loyalty and disassociation for Allah's Sake) because our religion is the religion of guidance, but the People of the Scriptures are the ones who deviated and followed their whims.

The garden of Suhur is not only moments of food and drink but it is also moments in which a person draws nearer to his Lord. It is an act of worship from one side and a help for the body for fasting from the other side. Intention is important in differentiation between a meal and another and blink of an eye and another, so strive hard to direct your intentions to raise your degrees in this world and in the Hereafter.

Suhur is a blessing for the body and the heart as it is a blessing for the acts of worship even if a person takes some fresh dates or sips of water if he does not find food.

Delaying Suhur is better than accelerating it because this is the Sunnah of your Prophet (peace be upon him) even if the period between Suhur and dawn is the length of reciting 50 Ayahs.

The deprived is the one who deprives himself from the blessings of this garden and of the reward of following the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). So, take Suhur so as to make fasting easy for you and take Suhur to take the blessing, for Suhur is a blessing.

Do not make your negligence in taking Suhur a reason for wasting the times of Ramadan in sleep so as not to lose tons of good deeds and so as not to waste your fasting without reward, but you shall gain bad deeds (by wasting the times of Salah) while you are thinking yourself in the middle of obedience (Fasting).

Take Suhur from the lawful food you have as the Prophet (peace be upon him) did in order to disobey your enemy and to gain the blessing of the Most Forgiving.

The garden of Suhur combines the blessing of time (it is done in the last portion of the night) and what you know about the last portion of the night in which Allah descends to the worldly sky and the blessing of the event which adds brightness, blessings, and comfort to the fasting person.

Suhur is just few morsels which a fasting person uses to help him worshiping his Lord, the Almighty, the Wise, the Rich, the Great, and intention is the hidden clincher, so take Suhur with a good intention so as to make your Suhur for the sake of Allah.

Make Suhur a step to draw nearer to Allah (Glory be to Him) and praise Him for guiding you to it because Suhur is a mercy from Allah to us. In the past, Allah ordained fasting without Suhur then He ordained Suhur, so praise be to Allah for His Guidance and Grace.

Suhur is the pre-dawn meal and Sahar is the last portion of the night. Suhur is a blessed food and Sahar is a blessed time to make the fasting blessed during the daytime and in the night, so you shall be swinging from a blessing to another. "That is the Grace of Allâh which He bestows on whom He is pleased with. And Allâh is the Owner of Great Bounty." [Surat Al Hadid: 21].

Suhur is a garden for material and spiritual meanings: It is a provision to the body and the heart, so the one who is not keen to take Suhur at that time should not deprive himself of invoking Allah in these moments, for they are precious moments and a provision for the heart to draw nearer to Allah.

Suhur has some manners and etiquettes and of its important is to bring fresh dates in order to take light and full meal.

O Allah, grant us the blessing of this month, grant us the following of the master of creation, reform our intentions, and accept our righteous actions