The common understanding that fasting begins at sunrise and ends at sunset—often marked by the call to prayer (azan)—is not without inconsistencies. Many have observed that even when the fast is traditionally opened, there is still daylight outside. This raises an important question:
When does the Quran actually say fasting should begin and end?
I have personally fasted from first visible light to last visible light (nautical dusk) and found that, despite working around food, I have never struggled. I firmly believe that hunger is as much psychological as it is physical—if you starve your thoughts, you will feel hungry, but if you remain mentally engaged, fasting becomes effortless.
When Does Fasting Begin and End?
A Quranic and Natural Perspective
To find the most accurate answer, let’s turn to the Quran itself.
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The Quran’s Definition of Fasting Time
Surah Al-Baqarah (2:187):
“…And eat and drink until the white thread becomes distinct from the black thread of dawn…”
The key words here are “thread” and “distinct” (bayanna).
• The Arabic root for thread (khayṭ) appears elsewhere in the Quran, specifically in Surah Al-A’raf (7:40):
“…until the camel passes through the eye of a needle…”
This tells us that the thread in 2:187 is not thick, but rather something as fine as a hair—a barely perceptible line of white in the darkness. The moment this fine white thread of dawn becomes distinctly visible against the blackness, fasting begins.
This is not the same as astronomical “sunrise”, which occurs later. Instead, it aligns closely with what is known as astronomical dawn or first visible light.
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What About Fasting’s End?
The Quran does not explicitly state sunset as the time to break the fast. If we follow the same principle of visibility—just as fasting begins at the first distinct sight of light—it would make sense that it ends at the last visible light, or what is known as nautical dusk.
This period extends roughly 30–45 minutes beyond sunset, and it is not uncommon to still see daylight even after people have officially broken their fast.
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The Role of Birds in Timekeeping
Birds as a Divine Clock
The Quran frequently emphasizes birds as natural indicators of time and divine order.
1. Learning from Observation:
“Have they not looked at the birds held in the atmosphere of the sky? No one holds them up except God. In that are signs for a people who believe.” (16:79)
Birds follow precise natural rhythms, unaffected by artificial constructs like clock time.
2. Birds Glorify Allah in Set Patterns:
“Do you not see that everything in the heavens and the earth glorifies God? Even the birds in formation, each knows its contact prayer and its glorification. And God is fully aware of everything they do.” (24:41)
The phrase “each knows its contact prayer and its glorification” suggests that birds have an innate awareness of the correct times for prayer (salah).
3. Ancient Civilizations Used Birds as Alarms
• Even today, roosters serve as natural alarms on farms.
• Ancient societies may have relied on bird activity to determine times for prayer and fasting.
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A Lesson from the Hoopoe Bird in
Surah An-Naml (27:24-26)
This is the only recorded speech of a bird in the Quran—and its message is deeply profound:
“And I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah, and Satan made their deeds seem pleasing to them and averted them from the right way, so they are not guided—why do they not prostrate to Allah, who brings forth the hidden in the heavens and the earth and knows what you conceal and what you declare?” (27:24-26)
This bird condemns those who worship the sunrise instead of Allah. If birds do not set their schedule by the sunrise but rather by their innate glorification of Allah, this further reinforces the idea that fasting times should not be based solely on sunrise and sunset but on natural visibility.
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Conclusion:
A More Natural Approach to Fasting
The Quran provides a clear and logical method for determining fasting times:
• Begin fasting when the first fine thread of white is distinctly visible in the blackness of dawn (astronomical dawn).
• End fasting when the last traces of daylight disappear (nautical dusk), rather than strictly adhering to sunset.
By observing natural signs, such as the visibility of light and the behavior of birds, we can better align our fasting with divine order rather than artificial human constructs of time.
This understanding not only resolves the inconsistencies in traditional fasting times but also brings us closer to the true essence of fasting as prescribed in the Quran.