Anas ibn Zaid ibn Thabit...

Anas ibn Zaid ibn Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him, once said, "The Prophet (pbuh) ate suhoor with us once, after that he stood for the prayers. lie was asked, "What was the length of time from the suhoor till the adhan?" He answered, "About the time it takes one to recite fifty Quranic verses." This tradition is recorded by al-Bukhari, Muslim, and Ibn Khuzaymah.

Muhammad ibn Ya’qub quotes Abu Yahya al-San’ani quoting Imam Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (as) saying, "lf a believer fasts and reads Surat al-Qadr during the time of his iftar and suhoor, he will be rewarded with the rewards due to a martyr." This tradition is recorded on p. 344, Vol. 94, of Bihar al-Anwar. The real meaning of suhoor transcends the physical and nutritious benefits with which it provides the person who observes the fast.

Quoting what the Almighty has said explains the real meaning of suhoor: "Little do they sleep during the night, and they seek their Lord’s forgiveness in the early hours of the morn" (Holy Qur’an, 51:17-18). He has also said, "The patient, and the truthful, and the obedient (to Allah), and those who spend (benevolently), and those who ask forgiveness during the time of fthe morn" (Holy Qur’an, 3:17).

The first verse tells us that nighttime is the time for sleep, and the zenith of times to adore the Almighty and seek His forgiveness is during the Suhoor the plural of which is ashar The second verse contains the definition of the status of those who seek their Lord’s forgiveness during the as/tar times, a status which is quite lofty and is compared only to those to whom the Almighty refers as "those who persevere, and the truthful, and the obedient (to Allah)." We may derive the following conclusions from the above-quoted verses: The time of suhoor has its own status and function which transcends eating and drinking, which help the fasting person during his daytime abstention from both, and this function is to wake up during the night to perform an act of worship.

The epic of adoration and the seeking of His forgiveness, which the Almighty, out of His divine wisdom, has decreed, is during the time of as/Jar otherwise, why has He not specified other periods during which His servants adore Him during the glorious month of Ramadhan?