Sayyiduna Asim bin Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "When night comes and the day departs and the sun sets, then the fasting person should break his fast." In the narration of Harun, it is: "Then you have broken your fast." And in the narration of Ahmad bin Abda, it is: "When night comes from this side." In the narrations of Ahmad and Harun, the word "for me" (li) is not present. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that these words, "then the fasting person has broken his fast," are in the form of a statement, but their meaning is that of a command. That is, the fasting person should break his fast because the time for iftar has arrived. And if the meaning of these words was according to their apparent statement, then the time of iftar for all fasting people would be the same, and the following sayings of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have no meaning. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "As long as people hasten in breaking the fast, they will remain upon goodness." And the blessed saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is: "The religion will remain dominant as long as people hasten in breaking the fast." And even this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have no meaning, that Allah the Exalted says: "The most beloved of My servants to Me is the one who hastens the most in breaking the fast." If, upon the coming of night, the departure of day, and the setting of the sun, all fasting people broke their fast and if all had iftar at the same time and no one could break the fast before another, then even this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have no meaning. His instruction is: "Whoever finds dates, let him break his fast with them, and whoever does not find dates, let him break his fast with water." But the meaning of his saying, "then his fast is broken," is that it has become permissible for him to break his fast. And Allah knows best.

Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“The people will remain upon goodness as long as they hasten in breaking the fast.”

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The religion of Islam will remain dominant as long as people hasten to break the fast. Indeed, the Jews and Christians delay in breaking the fast."

Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“My Ummah will remain upon my Sunnah as long as they do not wait for the stars to appear in order to break their fast.”Sayyiduna Sahl (may Allah be pleased with him) says:“When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was fasting, he would order a person to look from a high place (to observe the setting of the sun), and when that person informed him that the sun had set, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would break his fast.”Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that Muhammad bin Abi Safwan narrated this to us in this manner. I fear that this last statement may not be from Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him). Perhaps this statement is from Imam Sufyan Thawri or Abu Hazim, which has been included in the narration.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: "Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, says: 'My most beloved servant is the one who breaks his fast the earliest among them.'"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform the Maghrib prayer after breaking the fast, even if the breaking of the fast was with just a sip of water. Musa bin Sahl says that Qasim bin Ghasn was a resident of Kufa, and from him Imam Waki’ and Sulaiman bin Hayyan narrate.

Sayyiduna Zayd bin Khalid al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever equips a warrior (in the cause of Allah) or helps a pilgrim in his preparations or looks after his family after him, or gives food to a fasting person to break his fast, he will have a reward equal to theirs, while nothing will be diminished from their rewards." This hadith is from Janab San‘ani. And in the narration of Janab ‘Ali bin Mundhir, the words "or helps a pilgrim in his preparations" are not present.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was fasting, he would not perform prayer until we brought him water and fresh (moist) dates, and he had eaten them and drunk the water—when fresh dates were available. But in winter, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would not perform prayer until we brought him dry dates and water (and he had broken his fast).

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever finds dry dates should break his fast with them, and whoever does not find them should break his fast with water, for it is pure." Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that only Abu Bakr bin Ishaq and Muhammad bin Umar narrate this narration from Sa'id bin 'Amir, from Imam Shu'bah.