As for the nuanced ruling preferred by Aḥmad, Ibn al-Qayyim maintains that it is the most balanced of all opinions, citing the ḥadith of Abū Saʿīd: “Do not engage in continuous fasting, but whoever wishes to do so may extend it only until the pre-dawn meal (suḥūr),” recorded by al-Bukhārī.

This is the fairest and easiest form of wiṣāl, for in reality the person has merely postponed his supper.

A person who fasts still has one meal in every twenty-four hours; nevertheless, the better and more advisable course is to avoid wiṣāl altogether. The fact that it causes one to forgo the recommended haste in breaking the fast would by itself be reason enough to leave it.

Points gleaned from the ḥadith:
1- The prohibition of continuous fasting.
2- It is permissible for the one who can endure it up to the pre-dawn meal, though abandoning it is preferable.
3- The mercy of the All-Wise, Compassionate Lawgiver toward the community, for He has forbidden them whatever harms them.
4- A warning against excess in religion. This sharia is gentle and equitable, allotting Allah His due and the body its due. All legal obligations were prescribed for benefits that redound to the servant in both his religious and worldly life, and the Lawgiver’s concern for that benefit is the very reason He imposed them.
5- Continuous fasting is a distinctive privilege of the Prophet ﷺ; he alone was capable of it, and none can match him in this regard.
6- In this ḥadith, the Prophet’s “food and drink” are the sweetness of intimate discourse with his Lord and the joy that fills his noble soul at meeting the Beloved. Though others may taste something similar, no one attains the station granted to Allah’s Friend and Beloved, Muḥammad—may blessings and peace be upon him.
7- Sunset determines the time for breaking the fast, yet breaking it does not occur automatically at sunset—as mentioned earlier—otherwise wiṣāl would have no meaning, for the fast would already be broken once the sun had set.
8- The ḥadith confirms that the Prophet ﷺ possessed special privileges, which serve as exceptions to the general meaning of the verse: “Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example” (Q 33:21).