Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah - Nasir al-Din al-Albani - (5/118)

2081 — “When he was fasting, he would instruct a man to climb to an elevated spot; and when he said, ‘The sun has set,’ he would break his fast.”

It was reported by al-Hakim (1/434) from Muhammad ibn Abi Safwan al-Thaqafi: ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi narrated to us; Sufyan narrated to us, from Abu Hazim, from Sahl ibn Saʿd, may Allah be pleased with him, as a saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Al-Hakim said: “Authentic according to the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim.” Al-Dhahabi agreed with him.

I say: It is authentic only, for al-Thaqafi—Muhammad ibn ʿUthman ibn Abi Safwan—was not cited by either al-Bukhari or Muslim, whereas those above him in the chain are among the narrators of al-Bukhari and Muslim, although Ibn Mahdi was not one of their direct teachers. His words, “an elevated spot,” mean a raised place on the ground.

I say: This hadith shows his, peace and blessings be upon him, concern to hasten the breaking of the fast after he had made certain that the sun had set. He would therefore instruct someone to climb to a high place and inform him that the sun had set, so that he could break his fast. He did so only in fulfillment of his saying, peace and blessings be upon him: “People will remain upon goodness so long as they hasten to break the fast.” Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim, and fully referenced in al-Irwaʾ (917).

It is truly regrettable that we see people today acting contrary to the sunnah. Many of them see the sun set with their own eyes, yet do not break their fast until they hear the call to prayer in their locality, unaware, first, that the call is not given upon sighting the sunset, but according to astronomical timing; and second, that sunset within a single locality may vary from one place to another because of mountains and valleys. Thus, we have seen people who do not break their fast even though they have seen the sunset, and others who break their fast while the sun is still visible and has not set, merely because they heard the call to prayer. Allah’s help is sought!

٢٠٨١ - " كان إذا كان صائما أمر رجلا فأوفى على نشز، فإذا قال: قد غابت الشمس أفطر ". أخرجه الحاكم (١ / ٤٣٤) عن محمد بن أبي صفوان الثقفي حدثنا عبد الرحمن بن مهدي حدثنا سفيان عن أبي حازم عن سهل بن سعد ﵁ مرفوعا. وقال: " صحيح على شرط الشيخين "، ووافقه الذهبي. وأقول: إنما هو صحيح فقط، فإن الثقفي - وهو محمد بن عثمان بن أبي صفوان - لم يخرج له الشيخان شيئا ومن فوقه من رجال الشيخين، لكن ابن مهدي ليس من شيوخهما. قوله: (نشز) أي: مرتفع من الأرض. قلت: وفي الحديث اهتمامه ﷺ بالتعجيل بالإفطار بعد أن يتأكد ﷺ من غروب الشمس، فيأمر من يعلو مكانا مرتفعا، فيخبره بغروب الشمس ليفطر ﷺ، وما ذلك منه إلا تحقيقا منه لقوله ﷺ: " لا يزال الناس بخير ما عجلوا الفطر ". متفق عليه ، وهو مخرج في " الإرواء " (٩١٧) . وإن من المؤسف حقا أننا نرى الناس اليوم ، قد خالفوا السنة، فإن الكثيرين منهم يرون غروب الشمس بأعينهم، ومع ذلك لا يفطرون حتى يسمعوا أذان البلد، جاهلين: أولا: أنه لا يؤذن فيه على رؤية الغروب، وإنما على التوقيت الفلكي. وثانيا: أن البلد الواحد قد يختلف الغروب فيه من موضع إلى آخر بسبب الجبال والوديان، فرأينا ناسا لا يفطرون وقد رأوا الغروب! وآخرين يفطرون والشمس بادية لم تغرب لأنهم سمعوا الأذان! والله المستعان!