Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, would hear the imam’s recitation while eating his evening meal. (1) This despite Ibn Umar being among the people most steadfast in adhering to the sunnah.

Thus, when the evening meal is served, eat, even if the prayer has been called to commence.

Should one eat only enough to curb his appetite, or may he eat his fill?

We say: he may eat his fill, because the concession is general: “When dinner is served, begin with it before praying the Maghrib prayer.”

However, it is conditional that he be permitted to eat it. If he is not permitted to do so—for instance, if he is fasting and the meal for breaking the fast is brought, while the call to the Asr prayer is made, and he needs food—then he may not delay the Asr prayer until he breaks his fast and eats. This is because that food is legally prohibited to him at that time, even if he craves it intensely.

There is also another condition: he must not make this a habit, such that dinner is only served when the commencement of the prayer is near. For if he adopts this as a habit, he has deliberately chosen to leave the prayer. But if this occurs without making it a habit, then he should begin with the food that has been served, whether it is dinner or lunch.

His statement, “or one who fears the loss of his property, its being missed, or harm coming to it”: this is a fourth category of those excused from missing the Friday prayer and the congregational prayer. That is, if he has property which he fears will be stolen if he leaves it, or has an animal which he fears will break loose and be lost if he goes to pray, then in this case he is excused from