Should I Break the Fast According to the Time Table or Azān?

Question:

With regards to fasting, there is a confusion in our house.  should one break the fast according to masjid azan or according to the Ramadan timetable chart?

For example, maghrib time published in the calendar is 6:20 and the Azan is at 6:23

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-Salāmu ‘Alaykum Wa-Rahmatullāhi Wa-Barakātuh.  

If you are doubting, you can be sure to break the fast once the Azān is called. However, you should not wait beyond that.

When one is certain that the time of Maghrib has set in, we are taught not to delay in breaking the fast. Consider the following Hadith-ul-Qudsi:[1]

قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ” قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: إِنَّ أَحَبَّ عِبَادِي إِلَيَّ أَعْجَلُهُمْ فِطْرًا ” رواه الترمذي

“Nabi ﷺ is reported to have said, Allah Ta’ala said, the most beloved slaves to me are those who hasten to break their fast.”

And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best.

Arib Raza

Student Darul Iftaa
New York, U.S.A

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Muhammad Zakariyya Desai.