Is My Fast Valid If I Do Not Observe the Imsak Time?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

As I was keeping a fast for Shawwal, I did something that would invalidate a fast before Fajr time had entered but within the time frame of the 10-minute window, which some scholars say is when a fasting person should stop eating or doing anything that invalidates the fast.

I would like to know if my fast is valid given the situation I have described to you.

In addition, I would like to know where the 10-minute number comes from as I have heard that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) encouraged eating for suhur right until the time for Fajr entered.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

It is permissible to do any action that would invalidate the fast up until the entrance of the Fajr prayer time. Abstaining from such things 10 minutes before Fajr time is recommended in other schools, such as the Maliki school. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

This is due to the narration of Imam Malik on the authority of Zaid bin Thabit, who said, “We ate suhur (the pre-dawn meal) with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) then went to the Mosque and the prayer was commenced.” He was then asked, “How long was it between the two (i.e., the suhur and the prayer)?” He replied, “The amount that a person could recite 50 verses.” [Ahmad]

Due to the above narration, some schools have deemed abstaining from food and drink 10 minutes prior to Fajr to be recommended. This recommendation does not exist in the Hanafi school.

With that being said, your fast is valid despite eating up till the Fajr time as long as you did not eat or drink after the entrance of the Fajr time. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom Seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences.

He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he studied for three years in Dar al-Mustafa under some of the most outstanding scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib.

In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Quran and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.