Jamiatul Ulama KZN Council of Muslim Theologians
The Gate of Rayyan
Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said,
“There is a gate in Jannah called Ar-Rayyan through which only those who fast will enter on the Day of Qiyamah. None but them will enter it. It will be asked, ‘Where are those that would fast?’ They will stand up and enter it. Once they have entered, that gate will be shut and no one else will enter.” [Sahih Bukhari]
Question and Answer:
Q. I came across the salah timetable of Jamiat and found that the suhoor end time and Fajr start time are different. I happened to eat past the suhoor end time but before the Fajr start time so I wanted to ask if my fast is valid.
A. The listed Sehri time on the Jamiat KZN timetable is 5 minutes before the actual Sehri end time which is also the start of the Fajr time. The 5 minutes is given as a safety gap so that if a person in error goes a few minutes after the listed Sehri time the fast will still be valid. As you had stopped eating before the end of the actual Sehri time, your fast is valid.
N.B. Not all calendars include a safety gap. Hence one should ensure that they do not eat past the actual Sehri as this will invalidate the fast even if done in error.
And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Moosa Salie
Mufti Taahir Hansa
(The answer hereby given is specifically based on the question asked and should be read together with the question asked. Islamic rulings on this Q&A newsletter are answered in accordance to the Hanafi Fiqh unless otherwise stated.)
Fatwa Department
Jamiatul Ulama (KZN)
Council of Muslim Theologians
223 Alpine Road, Overport Durban, South Africa
Tel : +27 (0) 31 2077099
Email: fatwa@jamiat.org.za Fax : +27(0) 31 2074163
Website : www.jamiat.org.za
