''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), 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. Suhur corresponds to iftar, 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, 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'', Anas ibn Malik 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 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 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 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 tradition of singing qasidas can still be found in the streets of Old Dhaka in

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 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