Vocabulary of the ḥadīth:
– mustatīlan (elongated): from istatāla, meaning to become long, extended, and elevated; here it is an active participle.
– al-ufuq (the horizon): pronounced with two ḍammas. Al-Miṣbāḥ defines it as the edge or side of the earth or the sky; the plural is āfāq.
– ka-dhanab al-sarḥān (like the tail of a wolf): with a kasra on the sīn, a silent rāʾ, and a ḥāʾ. Al-sarḥān is the wolf, whose tail is long, stretched out, and raised—hence the comparison.

Points derived from the ḥadīth:

1. Dawn is of two kinds: the first is the false dawn (al-fajr al-kādhib) and the second the true dawn (al-fajr al-ṣādiq); each has its own description and legal ruling.
2. The false dawn runs lengthwise along the horizon; it resembles a wolf’s tail in that it stretches upward, and its color is a whitish hue tinged with blue.
3. The true dawn appears transversely across the horizon and is a bright, pure white.
4. The appearance of the false dawn does not make eating unlawful for one intending to fast, for the night has not yet ended, nor does it permit the Morning Prayer, for its time has not yet begun.
5. The true dawn, on the other hand, forbids eating for the one who intends to fast, because its rise marks the beginning of daytime, and it permits the Morning Prayer, as its time has now entered.