Sunan Abi Dawud

A bedouin came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: I have sighted the moon. Al-Hasan added in his version: that is, of Ramadan. He asked: Do you testify that there is no god but Allah? He replied: Yes. He again asked: Do you testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah? He replied: Yes. and he testified that he had sighted the moon. He said: Bilal, announce to the people that they must fast tomorrow.

Once the people doubted the appearance of the moon of Ramadan, and intended neither to offer the tarawih prayer nor to keep fast. A bedouin came from al-Harrah and testified that he had sighted the moon. He was brought to the Prophet (ﷺ). He asked: Do you testify that there is no god but Allah, and that I am the Messenger of Allah? He said: Yes; and he testified that he had sighted the moon. He commanded Bilal who announced to the people to offer the tarawih prayer and to keep fast.

The people looked for the moon, so I informed the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that I had sighted it. He fasted and commanded the people to fast.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: The difference between our fasting and that of the people of the Book is eating shortly before dawn.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) invited me to a meal shortly before dawn in Ramadan saying: Come to the blessed morning meal.

The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: How good is the believers meal of dates shortly before dawn.

The adhan (call to prayer) of Bilal should not prevent you from taking a meal shortly before dawn, not does the whiteness of horizon (before dawn) in this way (vertically) until it spreads out horizontally.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: The summons (adhan) of Bilal should not restrain one of you from taking a meal shortly before dawn, for he utters adhan or calls (for prayer) so that the man at prayer may return, and the man asleep may get up. Dawn is not (the whiteness) which indicates thus (in perpendicular) - the narrator Musaddad said: Yahya joined his palms (indicating the spread of whiteness vertically - until it indicates thus - and Yahya spread out two ring-fingers of his (demonstrating the spread of whiteness horizontally)l

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Eat and drink; let not the white and ascending light prevent you from (eating and drinking); so eat and drink until the red light spreads horizontally.

When the verse "Until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread" was revealed, I took a white rope and a black rope, and placed them beneath my pillow ; and then I looked at them, byt they were not clear to me. So I mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He laughed and said: Your pillow is so broad and lengthy ; that is (i.e. means) night and day. The version of the narrator 'Uthman has: That is the blackness of night and whiteness of day.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When any of you hears the summons to prayer while he has a vessel in his hand, he should not lay it down till he fulfils his need.

The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: When the night approaches from this side and the day retreats on that side, and the sun sets - according to the version of Musaddad - he who fasts has reached the time to break it.

We went along with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while he was fasting. When the sun set, he said to Bilal: Bilal, come down and prepare barley beverage for us. He said: Messenger of Allah, would that you waited for the evening. He said: Come down and prepare barley beverage for us. He said: Messenger of Allah, the say still remains on you (i.e. there remains the brightness of the day). He said: Come down and prepare barley drink for us. So he came down and prepared barley drink. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) drank it and said: When you see that the night approaches from this side, he who fasts has reached the time to break it ; and he pointed to the east with his finger.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Religion will continue to prevail as long as people hasten to break the fast, because the Jews and the Christians delay doing so.

I and Masruq entered upon 'Aishah and we said: Mother of believers, there are two persons from the Companions of the Muhammad (ﷺ). One of them hastens to break the fast and hastens to pray while the other delays to break the fast and delays praying. She asked: Which of them hastens to break the fast and hasten to pray ? We replied: 'Abd Allah (b. Mas'ud). She said: Thus did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) do.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When one of you is fasting, he should break his fast with dates; but if he cannot get any, then (he should break his fast) with water, for water is purifying.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to break his fast before praying with some fresh dates; but if there were no fresh dates, he had a few dry dates, and if there were no dry dates, he took some mouthfuls of water.

I saw Ibn Umar holding his beard with his hand and cutting what exceeded the handful of it. He (Ibn Umar) said that the Prophet (ﷺ) said when he broke his fast: Thirst has gone, the arteries are moist, and the reward is sure, if Allah wills.

The Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) used to say when he broke his fast: O Allah, for Thee I have fasted, and with Thy provision I have broken my fast.

We broke the fast one during Ramadan when it was cloudy in the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) ; then the sun rose. Abu Usamah said: I said to Hisham: Were they commanded to atone for it ? He replied: That was inevitable.