– Zirr b. Hubaysh asked Hudhyfah: “When did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to have his suhur?” He said, “During the daybreak, but the sun did not appear in the sky yet!”
– Zirr reports, again, that Hudhayfah said, “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to eat suhur when you could see where an arrow would fall-if you were to shoot it.”
– Anas said, “I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) having suhur with Zayd b. Thabith (while he was intending to fast). Having done so, he prayed two rak’ahs and headed to the mosque where the iqamah was already given.”
– Al-Hasan Al–Basari said, “`Umar b. Al–Khattab used to say: If two people doubt about the arrival of dawn, let them eat until they can ascertain that the dawn has arrived.”
– `Ikrimah said, “Ibn `Abbas once told me, ‘Give me a drink’ I told him, but it is already dawn! He said, ‘we still doubt it. So, give me the drink.’ Accordingly, I offered him a drink and he drank (in preparation for the fast).”
– Makhul says, “I saw Ibn `Umar draw water from zamzam well; he inquired two persons (around him) whether it was daybreak or not. One of them said, ‘Yes it is’, while another said, ‘No’; then he drank the water.”
– It is reported about Sa`d b. Abi Waqqas that (while he was in Kufah) he had hissuhur, and then proceeded to pray in the mosque, where the iqamah was already given.
– Habban b. Harith said that he had suhur with Ali, and both were intending to fast; when they had finished, Ali told the mu’adhin to call the iqamah.
– Abu `Uqayl said, “I took suhur with `Ali b. Abi Talib and then he told the mu’adhin to call iqamah to start the prayer.”
– `Aamir b. Matar said, “I visited `Abdullah b. Mas’ud at his home. He took out some suhur for us and we ate it. Then iqamah was given and we prayed together.”
– Ibn `Abbas, the Prophet’s companion (and the reputed scholar of his generation), was asked, “Should I stop eating when I doubt whether Fajr has begun or not?” He replied, “No, eat until you can ascertain clearly that the dawn has arrived.” (Reported by Ibn Abi Shaybah)
The fact that such a practice was directly derived from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is shown by the following tradition:
Imam Ahmad, An-Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah reported on the authority of Hudhayfah, a prominent companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him),
“We partook of suhur with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) until it was plain day, except the sun had not arisen yet.”[4] In other words, to them, there was no question about the arrival of fajr when observed by the naked eye.
`A’ishah is also reported to have said,
“Bilal used to give adhan at night. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed us to ‘Eat and drink until Ibn Umm Makthum calls the second adhan, for he will only give adhan when fajr clearly arrives.’ (Reported by Bukhari)
In another report, the words, ‘when fajr clearly arrives’, is replaced with the words, ‘until he is told that fajr has arrived'” (being blind, Ibn Umm Makthum could not have observed the arrival of dawn on his own).
Commenting on the position of companions in regards to the determination of the time of fajr, Ibrahim An-Nakha`i states: “The Prophet’s companions have never agreed on any issue as they have agreed on reckoning the time of fajr as the time when it is plainly visible for all to see.” (Ibn Abi Shaybah)
After citing numerous traditions from the companions in this regard, Ibn Hazm concludes that eleven companions of the Prophet held the view that if a person ate thinking it was still night, while the daybreak has already arrived, his fast was still valid, and there is no need for him to make up for it.
This had been the position of Abu Bakr, `Umar, Ali, Ibn `Umar, Ibn `Abbas, Abu Hyrah, Ibn Mas`ud, Hudhayfah, Anisah b. Khubayb, Zayd b. Thabit, Sa`d b. Abi Waqqas. And there is not a single authentic report from anyone else objecting to it. Therefore, it can be taken as a view widely held by the Prophet’s companions. In other words, it can be reckoned as a consensus, albeit ijma’ sukuti (tacit or silent) among them.
The same has been the view of a great number of successors such as Muhammad b. `Ali, Abu Mujliz, Ibrahim, Muslim, companions of Ibn Mas`ud, `Ataa’, Hasan, Hakam b. `Utaybah, Mujahid, `Urwah, Jabir b. Zayd, and also Ma`mar and Al-A`mash.
Ibn Jurayj said, “I asked `Ataa’, ‘If I am at home and I cannot be sure that dawn has arrived, can I still eat and drink?’ he said, ‘There is nothing objectionable in doing so!'”
Al-A`mash reported from Muslim, they (the prophet’s companions) did not reckon the fajr as you reckon today. They reckoned fajr as the dawn that spreads light in the streets and houses.
[4] Cited by Ibn Kathir in his tafsir