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I was taught in my school that there is du’a for iftar only and not for sahur; for sahur it is the intention in heart but my husband says there is du’a for sahur too. Please guide me to what is correct.
Praise be to Allah.
Yes, there are du’as that are narrated in the Sunnah which the fasting person may say at the time of breaking the fast. He may say “Dhahaba al-zamau wa abtalat al-‘uruq wa thabat al-ajru in sha Allah (Thirst has gone, the veins are moist, and the reward is assured, if Allah wills).” He may also say whatever du’a he wants, not because that is mentioned specifically in the Sunnah, but because it is the end of an act of worship, and it is prescribed for the Muslim to say du’a in that case.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
Is there any du’a narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) which is to be said at the time of breaking the fast? When should it be said? Should the fasting person repeat the adhan after the muadhdhin or continue breaking his fast?
He replied:
“The time of breaking the fast is a time when du’as are answered , because it is the end of an act of worship, and because a person is usually at his weakest when breaking his fast. The greater a person’s sense of helplessness and weakness is, the closer he is to humility before Allah. The du’a that is narrated is: “Allahumma laka sumtu wa ‘ala rizqika aftartu (O Allah, for You have I fasted and by Your provision I have broken my fast).” And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Dhahaba al-zamau wa abtalat al-‘uruq wa thabat al-ajr in sha Allah (Thirst has gone, the veins are moist, and the reward is assured, if Allah wills).” Although there may be some weakness in these two hadiths, some scholars classed them as hasan. Whatever the case, if you says these du’as or some others when breaking the fast, this is a time when du’as are answered.” (Majmu’ Fatawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin, 19/question no. 341)
For information on the isnad of these hadiths (Dhahaba al-zamau and Allahumma laka sumtu) please see the answer to question no. 26879 , where it states that the former is hasan and the latter is da'if, and refers to a fatwa of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah concerning fabricated du’as.
With regard to suhur, there is no specific du’a to be said at this time. What is prescribed is to say Bismillah at the beginning and to praise Him when one stops eating, as should be done at every meal.
But the one who delays his sahur until the last third of the night also catches up with the time of the divine descent, and this is a time when du’as are answered.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Our Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, comes down to the lowest heaven every night when the last third of the night is left, and He says: ‘Who will call upon Me, that I may answer him? Who will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will ask Me for forgiveness, that I may forgive him?’” Narrated by al-Bukhari (1094) and Muslim (758). So he should say du’a at this time because it is a time when du’a is answered, not because of sahur.
With regard to the intention , the site thereof is the heart, and it is not prescribed to utter it out loud . Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: “Whoever thinks in his heart that he will fast tomorrow has formed the intention.”
And Allah knows best.