{{Short description|Islamic meal eaten before dawn time during Ramadan}} {{Italic title|reason=:Category:Arabic words and phrases}} [[File:Suhur.jpg|247x247px|thumb|An example of a Jordanian ''sahur'' table]] {{Meals}} '''''Suhur''''' or '''''sahur''''' ({{IPAc-en|UK|s|ə|ˈ|h|ɜːr}};<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/suhur|title=Suhur|work=Collins English Dictionary|publisher=HarperCollins|access-date=May 15, 2019}}</ref> {{langx|ar|سَحُورٌ|saḥūr|lit=of the dawn', 'pre-dawn meal}}), also called '''''sahari''''', '''''sahri''''', or '''''sehri''''' ({{langx|fa|سَحَری|sahari}}), is the meal consumed early in the morning by Muslims before fasting (sawm), before dawn during or outside the Islamic month of Ramadan.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kashmir {{!}} History, People, & Conflict|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kashmir-region-Indian-subcontinent|access-date=2021-05-08|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref> The meal is eaten before fajr prayer.<ref name="bbc">{{Citation | title = BBC - Schools - Religion - Islam | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/religion/islam/ramadan.shtml | access-date = 11 April 2010 }}</ref> Suhur corresponds to iftar, the evening meal during Ramadan, replacing the traditional three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner),<ref name="bbc"/> although in some places dinner is also consumed after iftar later during the night.
Being the last meal eaten by Muslims before fasting from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan, suhur is regarded by Islamic traditions as a benefit of the blessings in that it allows the person fasting to avoid the crankiness or the weakness caused by the fast. According to a hadith in ''Sahih al-Bukhari'', Anas ibn Malik narrated, "The Prophet said, 'take suhur, as there is a blessing in it.<ref>''Bukhari'': Book 3: Vol. 31: Hadith 146 (Fasting).</ref>
Before the daily fast begins, Muslims wake early to eat a meal called suhur. This meal helps provide energy for the day of fasting and is often eaten shortly before dawn prayer.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |title=Celebrating Ramadan {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/story/celebrating-ramadan |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250912234336/https://www.britannica.com/story/celebrating-ramadan |archive-date=2025-09-12 |access-date=2026-02-22 |work=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en}}</ref>
Suhur is considered spiritually meaningful as it prepares believers for the day’s fasting and worship.<ref name=":0" />
Across many Muslim communities around the world, ''suhur'' (the pre‑dawn meal before fasting) is often accompanied by specific cultural practices and traditional foods that reflect local tastes and dietary needs. In South Asian countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, families commonly eat ''paratha'', lentils, yogurt, and fruits to provide sustained energy throughout the long fasting hours, while in Arab countries, ''dates'', ''labneh'' (strained yogurt), eggs, and herbal teas are popular choices aimed at hydration and nourishment. Preparing ''suhur'' is also frequently treated as a social activity family members wake early to share the meal together and to offer prayers, strengthening communal bonds and spiritual readiness for the day of fasting ahead. Many nutritionists recommend that ''suhur'' includes a balance of complex carbohydrates, proteins, and fluids to help maintain energy levels and prevent dehydration during fasting.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sayed |first=Nazeeia |date=2022-04-25 |title=Ramadan: a dietitian offers tips for healthy fasting |url=https://doi.org/10.64628/aaj.xjuv5seu7 |access-date=2026-02-24 |website=doi.org}}</ref>
==Musahharati== The musahharati<ref>{{cite book|last1=Standish |first1=Sarah |last2=Smart! |first2=Culture |title=Syria|date=2010|publisher=Kuperard |isbn=978-1-85733-563-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ao-AQAAQBAJ}}</ref> ({{langx|ar|مسحراتي|musaḥḥarātī}};<ref>{{cite book|last1=Spiro |first1=Socrates |title=An Arabic-English vocabulary of the colloquial Arabic of Egypt|year=1895|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TppV7Uqd7UAC&pg=PA271|page=271}}</ref> also anglicized as musaharati<ref>{{cite web|title=Pictures: Celebrating Ramadan Around the World|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/pictures/140719-ramadan-islam-muslim-holiday-festival-culture/#/173261229-10_81773_600x450.jpg|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720183030/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/07/pictures/140719-ramadan-islam-muslim-holiday-festival-culture/#/173261229-10_81773_600x450.jpg|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 20, 2014|publisher=National Geographic Society|access-date=10 August 2014|date=July 19, 2014}}</ref>), also called "Ramadan drummer" in English, is a public waker for suhur and dawn prayer during Ramadan.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Linda Wong|title=Sentence essentials: a grammar guide|year=2002 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin, 2002|isbn=9780618154821|page=100}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Angelo Colorni|title=Israel for Beginners: A Field Guide for Encountering the Israelis in Their Natural Habitat|year=2011 |publisher=Gefen Publishing House Ltd, 2011|isbn=9789652294838|page=84}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Jamāl Ghīṭānī|translator=Farouk Abdel Wahab|title=The Zafarani Files|year=2009 |publisher=American Univ in my world Cairo Press, 2009|isbn=9789774161902|page=333}}</ref> According to the history books, Bilal ibn Rabah was the first musaharati in Islamic history, as he used to roam the streets and roads throughout the night to wake people up.<ref name="arabnews">{{cite news|author1=Rima Al-Mukhtar|title=Ramadan Mesaharati|url=http://www.arabnews.com/node/387195|access-date=10 August 2014|publisher=Arab News|date=10 August 2011}}</ref>
The occupation is described by a Damascene musaharati: "My duty during the holy month of Ramadhan is to wake people up in the old city of Damascus for prayers and Suhur meal."<ref>{{cite news|author1=HUMMAM SHEIKH ALI|title=Charm of Ramadhan in Damascus|url=http://www.bt.com.bn/art-culture/2011/08/19/charm-ramadhan-damascus|access-date=10 August 2014|work=Xinhua|publisher=Brunei Times Sdn Bhd|date=August 19, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812203527/http://www.bt.com.bn/art-culture/2011/08/19/charm-ramadhan-damascus|archive-date=12 August 2014}}</ref> According to a Tripoli musaharati, the attributes every musaharati should possess are physical fitness and good health, "because he is required to walk long distances every day. He should also have a loud voice and good lungs, as well as an ability to read poems. A musaharati should supplicate God throughout the night to wake the sleepers."<ref>{{cite news|author1=Vivian Haddad|title=The Musaharati, Still Part of Sidon's Ramadan Tradition|url=http://eng-archive.aawsat.com/vivian-haddad/lifestyle-culture/the-mesaharati-still-part-of-sidons-ramadan-tradition|access-date=10 August 2014|publisher=Asharq Al-Awsat|date=23 Jul 2014}}</ref>
The tradition is practiced in Egypt, Syria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Palestine. However, there has been a gradual disappearance of the musaharati due to several factors, including: Muslims staying up later; using technology such as alarm clocks to wake for suhur; and larger homes and louder cities that make the voice of the musaharati harder to hear.<ref name="arabnews"/> However, the old Dhakaiya tradition of singing qasidas can still be found in the streets of Old Dhaka in Bangladesh.<ref name=bpedia>{{cite web|author=Sirajul Islam|author-link=Sirajul Islam|url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Qasida|title=Qasida|publisher=Banglapedia: The National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka|access-date=5 May 2018}}</ref>
In Indonesia, a kentongan or a bedug is used to wake households up to eat the suhur meal.<ref>{{cite news | author1=Aman Rochman | title=Malang village children find joy in 'sahur' activity during Ramadhan | url=https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018/05/20/malang-village-children-find-joy-in-sahur-activity-during-ramadhan.html | access-date=17 April 2021 | publisher=The Jakarta Post | date=20 May 2018}}</ref>
== Significance == Suhur is a key significant act during fasting, it is considered a recommended act by the prophet. This made the Sahur not just eating as a means of sustenance, but also as an act of worship.{{Citation needed|date=May 2026}}
== References == {{Reflist}} ==External links== * {{Commons category-inline}}
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Category:Breakfast Category:Fasting in Islam Category:Ramadan Category:Islamic cuisine Category:Islamic terminology