and if you have no dates, then turn to water. Someone might ask, “I have neither fresh nor dry dates, but I do have bread and water—on which of the two should I break my fast?” Break it with water, for the Prophet ﷺ directed us to do so, saying, “It is purifying.” Water cleanses the stomach and the liver, and for that reason he instructed us to begin with it when dates are unavailable.
Fresh and dry dates, however, were placed ahead of water because they benefit the body more: they are sweet, nourishing, and strengthening. Physicians even say, “The sweetness found in dates is the quickest type of sugar for the body to absorb; it reaches the veins immediately.” Such is the wisdom of Allah.
Therefore, the sequence is as follows: fresh dates first; if none, dry dates; if none, water; if no water, then whatever food or drink is at hand. If you truly find nothing—for example, when traveling in the desert—some laymen suggest, “Suck your finger.” This is mistaken. When nothing is available, the intention in the heart suffices; should you later come upon food or drink, then partake of it. As for sucking one’s finger, there is no basis for it—it is the quibbling of common folk. Others say, “Spit into your garment and then suck the saliva as though it were water.” This too is wrong. None of these practices is prescribed. If something with which to break the fast is available, that is what is required; otherwise, wait until Allah provides and form the intention in your heart.
The Prophet ﷺ said, “When night advances from this side, day recedes from that side, and the sun has set, the fasting person has broken his fast.” Some scholars understood “has broken his fast” to mean that the fast is over by legal ruling—even if he does not explicitly intend it. Others held it means that breaking the fast has now become lawful for him. In any case, if you consciously intend to break the fast when you have nothing to eat or drink, that is better and more virtuous, for you are then hastening to break the fast with your intention when you lack the means to do so physically.