Q. Some people have their sahoor just before going to bed, delaying it far into the night. By doing so, they miss Fajr prayer. Please comment.
M.A.J. Samath
A. This is contrary to the preferred Islamic practice. Sahoor is the meal we take shortly before the break of dawn in order to start a day of fasting. The Prophet has recommended us to delay this meal as far as possible in order to take it just before dawn, when we start our fast.
We then offer the Fajr or dawn prayer and start our day. This is beneficial from both the health and practical points of view. However, some people, particularly in our modern times, have this meal late at night, i.e. two or three hours before dawn, which often means that they miss out on their dawn prayers, offering it when they wake up, long after sunrise, which marks the end of its time range.
This deprives them of much good reward when they miss the proper time for their prayer, and gives them uncomfortable sleep as they have a full meal shortly before they go to sleep. While their fast remains valid, their practice is the opposite of the proper Islamic one.