Offering Fasting People Food To Break Their Fast

27/07/2010| IslamWeb

In a Hadeeth (narration) on the authority of Zayd ibn Khaalid Al-Juhani, may Allah be pleased with him, he said that the Prophet said: “Whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast will have a reward like his without decreasing his reward in the slightest way.” [At-Tirmithi: Hasan Saheeh]

In another narration, the Prophet, , said: “Whoever gives food and water to a fasting person to break his fast will have a reward like his without decreasing his reward in the slightest way.” [At-Tabaraani and ‘Abdul-Razzaaq]

Once a woman invited Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, to have Iftaar (breaking one's fast) at her home, he did so and said, “I would like to inform you that no person breaks his fast at the house of a people unless they would have the same reward as his.” She said, “I would like to repeat your visit to break your fast at my home.” He said, “I would like to have that reward for my family.” [‘Abdul-Razzaaq]

 

Benefits and rulings:

• First: The favor of Allah through opening channels for gaining good deeds; such as urging people to be benevolent towards each other and giving great rewards in return.
• Second: The virtue of giving the fasting person food to break his fast; whoever does so would have the same reward as the fasting person.
• Third: Allah The Almighty rewards the person, who gives something for the fasting person to break the fast, from His favor, not from the reward of the fasting person. This is one of the signs of the favor and grace of Allah The Almighty.
• Fourth: It indicates the permissibility of accepting the invitation for the Iftaar. Rejecting the invitation out of Wara’ (abstinence from what is permissible) or fearing the decrease of the reward is an exaggeration. For the reward of the fasting person does not decrease through breaking the fast by some food given by another person, unless the invitation is restricted to the poor and the rejecting person is rich.
• Fifth: The injunction to be kind to family members and relatives and to be complaisant toward them through accepting their invitation and breaking fast at their home as Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, did.
• Sixth: The intention of the person who gives something for the fasting person to break the fast should be seeking the reward and being hospitable to a Muslim brother by offering him food and something to drink, especially if he is poor.
• Seventh: Giving the fasting person some food to break the fast can be in the form of inviting him at home, making food and sending it to him or buying food for him. One should beware of extravagance in this regard especially in our time, where there are many public tables offering the fasting people meals to break the fast.
• Eighth: If the poor person is given money to buy food and buys food with some of this money and saves the remaining amount of money; it appears that such a person is included in these Hadeeths besides having an outweighing benefit realized for the poor through saving money.