A Neglected Sunnah of Breaking Fast

Shaikh Muḥammad Naṣir Al-Dīn Al-Albānī, may Allāh have mercy on him, said:

From Anas, attributed [to the Prophet ﷺ]: “He used to break his fast on fresh dates before praying; if there weren’t any fresh dates, then on dried dates; if there weren’t any, then he’d have some gulps of water.”

[…] The reason I’m mentioning [this] ḥadīth, referencing it [only] briefly, is only to remind [everyone] of this sunnah that most people fasting have come to neglect, especially during common invitations [for] which food that’s [particularly] delicious and good is prepared. As for fresh dates, or dried [ones] at the very least, then there’s no mention of that; and more reprehensible than that is their neglecting, [on top of not having dates], to break fast on a few gulps of water.

So Ṭūbá [a tree in Paradise] is for the ones who are among:

الَّذينَ يَستَمِعونَ القَولَ فَيَتَّبِعونَ أَحسَنَهُ

Those who actively listen to [good] speech and then follow what’s best in it. (Al-Zumar, 18)

Al-Silsilah Al-Ṣaḥīḥah, 2840.