''Suhur'', ''sahur'' or ''sahoor'' (; ), also called ''sahari'', ''sahri'', or ''sehri'' (), is the meal consumed early in the morning by

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

s before fasting (

sawm In Islam, fasting (known as , ; or , ; ) is the practice of abstaining, usually from food, drink, sexual activity and anything that substitutes food and drink. During the holy month of Ramadan, is observed between dawn and sunset when the of th ...

), before dawn during or outside the

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic month of

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

. The meal is eaten before

Fajr prayer The fajr prayer, alternatively transliterated as fadjr prayer, and also known as the subh prayer, is a salah (ritual prayer) offered in the early morning. Consisting of two rak'a ("bows"), it is performed between the break of dawn and sunrise. ...

. Suhur corresponds to

iftar ''Iftar'' () is the Fasting in Islam, fast-breaking Supper, evening meal of Muslims in Ramadan at the time of ' (call to prayer) of the Maghrib prayer. Iftar is the second meal of the day; during Ramadan, the daily fast begins immediately a ...

, the evening meal during Ramadan, replacing the traditional three meals a day (

breakfast Breakfast is the first meal of the day usually eaten in the morning. The word in English refers to breaking the fasting period of the previous night. Various "typical" or "traditional" breakfast menus exist, with food choices varying by regi ...

lunch Lunch is a meal typically consumed around the middle of the day, following breakfast and preceding dinner. It varies in form, size, and significance across cultures and historical periods. In some societies, lunch constitutes the main meal ...

, and

dinner Dinner usually refers to what is in many Western cultures the biggest and most formal meal of the day. Historically, the largest meal used to be eaten around noon, midday, and called dinner. Especially among the elite, it gradually migrated to ...

), although in some places dinner is also consumed after iftar later during the night. Being the last meal eaten by Muslims before fasting from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan, suhur is regarded by Islamic traditions as a benefit of the blessings in that it allows the person fasting to avoid the crankiness or the weakness caused by the fast. According to a

hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

in ''

Sahih al-Bukhari () is the first hadith collection of the Six Books of Sunni Islam. Compiled by Islamic scholar al-Bukhari () in the format, the work is valued by Sunni Muslims, alongside , as the most authentic after the Qur'an. Al-Bukhari organized the bo ...

'',

Anas ibn Malik Anas ibn Mālik ibn Naḍr al-Khazrajī al-Anṣārī (; 612 712) was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Finding the Truth in Judging the Companions, 1. 84-5; EI2, 1. 482 A. J. Wensinck J. Robson He was nicknamed Khadim al-Nabi for ...

The Prophet

Musahharati

The musahharati (; also anglicized as musaharati), also called "Ramadan drummer" in English, is a public waker for suhur and dawn prayer during Ramadan. According to the history books,

Bilal ibn Rabah Bilal ibn Rabah (; ), also known as Bilāl al-Ḥabashī or simply Bilal, was a sahabah, close companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born in Mecca, he was of Abyssinian people, Abyssinian (modern-day Ethiopia) descent and was formerly ensl ...

was the first musaharati in Islamic history, as he used to roam the streets and roads throughout the night to wake people up. The occupation is described by a

Damascene Damascene may refer to: * Topics directly associated with the city of Damascus in Syria: ** A native or inhabitant of Damascus ** Damascus Arabic, the local dialect of Damascus ** Damascus steel, developed for swordmaking ** "Damascene moment", the ...

musaharati: "''My duty during the holy month of Ramadhan is to wake people up in the old city of Damascus for prayers and Suhur meal''." According to a

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

musaharati, the attributes every musaharati should possess are physical fitness and good health, "because he is required to walk long distances every day. He should also have a loud voice and good lungs, as well as an ability to read poems. A musaharati should supplicate God throughout the night to wake the sleepers." The tradition is practiced in Egypt, Syria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Palestine. However, there has been a gradual disappearance of the musaharati due to several factors, including: Muslims staying up later; using technology such as alarm clocks to wake for suhur; and larger homes and louder cities that make the voice of the musaharati harder to hear. However, the old

Dhakaiya The Old Dhakaiyas () are an Indo-Aryan cultural group viewed as the ''original'' inhabitants of Dhaka's. They are referred to as simply ''Dhakaiya''. Their history dates back to the Mughal period with the migration of Bengali cultivators an ...

tradition of singing

qasida The qaṣīda (also spelled ''qaṣīdah''; plural ''qaṣā’id'') is an ancient Arabic word and form of poetry, often translated as ode. The qasida originated in pre-Islamic Arabic poetry and passed into non-Arabic cultures after the Arab Mus ...

s can still be found in the streets of

Old Dhaka Old Dhaka () is a term used to refer to the historic old city of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It was founded in 1608 as Jahangirabad or Jahangirnagar (), the capital of Bengal Subah, Mughal Province of Bengal and named after the Mughal em ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. In Indonesia, a kentongan or a

bedug The ''bedug'' is one of the drums used in the gamelan. It is also played in mosques in Indonesia and Malaysia to signal prayer times. The hitting of the instrument is particularly done according to a rhythm that goes in an increasingly rapid (or ...

is used to wake households up to eat the suhur meal.

Significance of Suhur

Suhur is a key significant act during fasting, it is considered a recommended act by the prophet. This made the Sahur not just eating as a means of sustenance, but also as an act of worship.

References

{{Portal, Islam, Food Breakfast Fasting in Islam Ramadan Islamic cuisine Islamic terminology