No, you don’t have to get up and eat before you start your fast,
but it’s a good idea .
The Prophet Muhammad said that the pre-dawn meal (Suhoor) is blessed. He said that anyone who wishes to fast must eat this meal.
Here are some of the key benefits of eating before dawn:
- Vitality (Boost)
Eating early in the morning gives you the energy you need to get through the day.
Without eating, it becomes much harder to get the energy you need to get through the day.
Even drinking a glass of water can help. It gives you the strength to read the Quran, perform daily tasks, and pray.
- Mood
Eating before dawn can help you be more positive toward others.
We all know that “hangry” feeling. Trying to survive on just the food the night before makes it even more frustrating.
However, eating before dawn can make you feel much better and help you manage your temper more easily.
- Ease
People who eat before dawn find fasting much easier. You’ll probably find the same.
Eating early in the morning and drinking water right before fasting makes fasting much easier. As fasting becomes easier, you’ll be more motivated to continue fasting each day.
- Prophetic Practice
The most important reason to eat before dawn is because the Messenger Muhammad himself did so.
And He Himself recommended it. Our Islamic practice depends on the following example of the Messenger.
Even if we eat our meals before dawn, if we do so with the intention of following the Messenger Muhammad, we will receive special rewards.
- Supplication
The best time to pray to God is the last third of the night before the dawn prayer (Fajr).
If you continue to sleep until the time of prayer, you will miss that beautiful time that the Messenger Muhammad told us about when God will answer our prayers.
- Punctuality
If you are already up for a pre-dawn meal, you will be wide awake during the dawn service.
You don’t have to worry about missing a beat, and a pre-dawn meal gives your sleepy mind another reason to “get up.”
May God grant us all the time management skills and motivation to include a blessed pre-dawn meal every Ramadan morning.