Eating or Prayer First?

Related hadiths and the conclusion basing on them are as follows:

1. Narrated Anas bin Malik (r.a.):

“If dinner is already served and iqamat-as-salat-al maghrib (evening prayer iqamat) is heard, you should
begin having dinner.” (Bukhari, Et’ime, 58; Muslim Mesajid, 64 (557).

2. Narrated Anas bin Malik (r.a.):

“If dinner is in front of you, start eating before the evening prayer. Do not haste leaving your meal.”
(Bukhari, Azan, 42; Muslim Mesajid, 64 (557)).

3. Narrated Aisha (r.a.):

“If dinner is in front of you and iqamat-as-salat-al maghrib (evening prayer iqamat) is heard in the
meantime, you begin having dinner.” (Bukhari, Azan, 42; Muslim Mesajid, 65 (558)).

4. Abdullah ibn Omar (r.a.):

“If dinner is in front of you, in the meantime iqamat-as-salat-al maghrib (evening prayer iqamat) is heard,
you begin having dinner. Do not haste leaving your meal.” (Bukhari, Azan, 42; Muslim Mesajid, 66 (559)).

There are several narrations from the companions of Messenger Muhammad, most of which advise to
eat first and offer the prayer after that.

According to Nawawi, it is makruh (disliked) to start the prayer before eating, because the serenity of
heart is disturbed when the mind is busy with the idea of eating. However, it depends on the time left. If
the prayer time is about to end, we should do the prayer first.

Related from Abu Hanifah: “I would think about prayer while eating, rather than think about food while
praying.”
Ahmed bin Hanbal tells that these expressions should be interpreted. According to him, a person who
started eating should join the prayer in case he/she hears the iqamat, because he/she has eaten enough
to be undisturbed in the heart.

Imam Shafi’i thinks: if dinner is served and the person is quite hungry due to fasting, he/she eats first.
Otherwise, prayer is preferred.

According to a narration from Imam Malik, prayer is preferred before meal, but meal may be preferred if
foods are light. (Ahmet Davudoğlu, Sahih-i Müslim Şerhi, Masajid, 67 (560) hadith explanation)

When health is also considered: having some simple food like soup first, doing the prayer afterwards and
completing the meal at last, is the best choice. Thus during the prayer, mind is undisturbed and body is
comfortable, since stomach is not full after long hours of fasting.

Should Maghrib prayer be given precedence over food or should food be given precedence over prayer?

Question

How should the Muslim break his fast? Because many people are distracted by eating until the time for
Maghrib prayer ends, and if you ask them they tell you: There is no prayer in the presence of food. Is it
permissible to quote these words as evidence, because the time for Maghrib is short? Now what should I
do? Should I break my fast with some dates and then pray Maghrib and after that finish eating, or should
I finish eating completely and then pray Maghrib?.

Answer
Praise be to Allaah.

The Sunnah is for the fasting person to hasten to break the fast as soon as he is certain that the sun has
set, because of the hadeeths “The people will continue to be fine so long as they hasten to break the
fast” and “The most beloved of the slaves of Allah to Allah are those who are quickest to break the fast.”
The best way for the one who is fasting is to break his fast with a few dates, then delay eating until after
Maghrib prayer, so that he may combine the Sunnah of hastening to break the fast and praying Maghrib
at the beginning of its time, in congregation, following the example of the Prophet (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him).

With regard to the hadeeths, “There is no prayer in the presence of food or when resisting the urge to
relieve oneself” and “If ‘Isha’ and dinner come at the same time, start with dinner,” and similar reports,
what is meant is if a person is offered food or if he comes to eat, then he should start with the food
before praying, so that he can pray without his mind being focused on the food and his prayer then will
be offered with proper focus and humility. But he should not ask for food to be brought before praying if
that means that he will miss out on offering the prayer at the beginning of its time or praying in
congregation.

And Allah is the source of strength; may Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad
and his family and Companions. End quote.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz, Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez Aal al-Shaykh, Shaykh ‘Abd-Allah ibn Ghadyaan,
Shaykh Saalih al-fawzaan, Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd.