Must We Fast Until Maghrib (Sunset) or Night (Layl)?

Many Muslims accept the traditional belief that fasting is prescribed till sunset and that night begins at the point of sunset. Though an extremely popular view, this claim is difficult to support completely from the Quran's perspective which we will note below.

The Quran clearly states that fasting is to be initiated before sunrise (at dawn) and is to be completed until 'night' (Arabic: Layl).

002:187 (Part) "...and eat and drink, until the white thread of dawn appears to you distinct from its black thread. Then complete the fast till the night (Arabic: layl)..."

DESCRIPTIONS OF SUNSET IN THE QURAN

The Quran makes use of the word 'layl' as a word well known to the Arabs to describe a particular part(s) of the complete day. A gradual movement into the night is certainly implied by the Quran which we will note later in the article. However, it is to be noted that at no place in the Quran is 'layl' (night) the same thing as sunset. In fact, descriptions of sunset are clearly expressed by the Quran in Arabic.

018:086 "Until when he reached the setting of the sun (Arabic: Maghriba-l-shams)"

The word 'maghriba' comes from its root word 'Ghurub' (G-R-B) which inherently means to retire, to depart, to be hidden from view or to be absent. Used along with 'shams' (sun) it refers to sunset, or the west which is clearly the setting place of the sun.

Verse 2:187 does not instruct believers to fast until the 'ghurub' of the 'shams' (setting of the sun). Rather, it informs believers to fast till 'layl' (night).

In another verse, we note the following expression:

017:078 (part) “Establish regular prayers - at the sun's decline (Arabic: Duluk-e-Shams) till the darkness of the night..."

Opinions on this expression are divided, but it is important to note the possible relationship with sunset.

Dhuluk = Dal-Lam-Kaf = rubbing, squeezing, pressing, decline, sinking, become red, set, incline downwards from the meridian (sun).

Source: Edward Lanes Lexicon [1]

Source: Edward Lanes Lexicon [2]

In another verse of the Quran we note the expression 'shafaq' as a twilight glow in the evening after sunset. It is interesting to note that 'layl' (night) is somewhat separated from 'shafaq' but nevertheless, is a process which gradually occurs.

084:16-17 "But nay! I swear by the sunset redness / twilight glow (Arabic: bil-shafaq), And the night (Arabic: al-layl) and that which it drives on"

The Quran has also clearly cited the term 'ghurub' to denote sunset (20:130 and 50:39) in other verses of the Quran.

020:130 "...before the rising of the sun, and before its setting (Arabic: ghurubiha)"

050:039 ...before the rising of the sun and before the setting (Arabic: ghurubiha)"

As the term 'ghurub' is well known to the Quran, it could have used such a term clearly to denote the ending of the fasting period without any ambiguity. However, it simply did not. Instead, it used the word 'layl' (night) to describe the period of the fast's end.

Various translations of “ghurub” according to various reputable lexicons are available at the end of this article.

COMPLETE / TOTAL NIGHT (LAYL)

Complete / total night (Arabic: layl) is not the point at sunset where there is still discernible light in the sky, but rather, it is the point when the sunlight has completely vanished from the sky (i.e. night). This is the point at which all twilight ends (when there is no scattered light in the sky from the sun).

Furthermore, it is clear from verses 91:1-4 that 'layl' (night) is the point at which both the Sun and its light or brilliance is concealed.

091.001-4 "By the Sun and its brightness (splendour, brightness, brilliance - duha) and the moon when it follows it and the day (Arabic: nahar) when it displays it (sun's glory) and the night (Arabic: layl) when it covers / conceals it"

This is the point when the day (nahar), which constitutes both the sun and its light, is completely concealed. If only the sun is concealed (ghurub), but its light is still evident in the sky as in sunset, this is arguably not complete 'layl' (night).

Therefore, 'nahar' (daytime) which is contrasted with 'layl' (night) can be understood as the period where there is a ‘spreading of the light’ and its ‘dispersion’ for the purposes of sight.

This is also supported by the Quran.

010:067 "He who made for you the night to repose in it / rest, and the day (nahara), to see / giving visibility (mubsiran)"

At sunset one does not lose visibility.

The necessity of 'light' for 'nahar' is also recognised by Arabic lexicons which can be perused at the end of this article below.

In other words, 'nahar' is simply not a period from sunrise as commonly understood but in its classical sense, signifies the period from the point of dawn where there is a ‘spreading of the light’ for sight before the sun rises and therefore from a Quran's perspective, should continue until discernible visibility remains (after sunset). Once this disappears, night (layl) begins.

Please also note below examples of the usage of 'layl' in the Quran to clearly denote a part of night which is not synonymous with sunset.

025.047 "And He it is Who made the night (Arabic: al-layla) as a robe / covering for you and sleep as rest and makes the Day (as it were) a Resurrection"

034.018 "And We made between them and the towns which We had blessed, towns easy to be seen, and We made stages of journey between them easy, (saying): Travel in them safely both by night (Arabic: layliya) and day.

073.020 (Part) "Indeed your Lord knows that you stand forth (to prayer) nearly two-thirds of the night (Arabic: al-layli), or half it or a third of it, and so do a party of those with you..."

It would be difficult to accept that any of the above references to 'layl' are referring to the point at sunset. Therefore, complete 'layl' is a reference to night, when the sky is completely devoid of sunlight.

In verse 79:29 of the Quran, we note another powerful definition of complete 'layl' as night being devoid of light (dark).

079:029 "And He darkened its night (Arabic: layla-ha) and brought out its brightness"

SO WHEN DOES 'LAYL' (NIGHT) ACTUALLY BEGIN?

As mentioned earlier in the article, a gradual movement into the night (layl) is certainly implied by the Quran and arguably the onset of night would not necessarily mean to imply total darkness.

Total darkness is described elsewhere in the Quran such as 'al-layli muzliman' (10:27) or 'ghasaq al-layl' (17:78).

The Quran even makes use of the word ‘Isha’ to denote a period which corresponds to the segment of the night when there is total darkness (12:16). Muslims will be familiar with the prayer that is offered at night (Salat al-Isha - 24:58)

Neither of these expressions or the like is used to describe the culmination of the fast. Furthermore, the fact that 'night' (layl) is segmented into parts is clearly implied by many other verses of the Quran (11:81) as is the emergence of night as a gradual process which begins before total darkness.

022.061 "That is because God merges night into day, and He merges day into night, and verily it is God Who hears and sees (all things).

031.029 (part) "Do you not see that God merges Night into Day and he merges Day into Night..."

074:33-34 "And the night (Arabic: al-layl) when it departs (Arabic: adbara) and the morning when it brightens"

In the above verses (74:33-34), the slow departure of the night is clearly implied. Therefore, the reverse would also be implied when one slowly enters into the period of the night sealing the interpretation of a gradual movement into 'layl' (night).

PROPHET ABRAHAM'S (pbuh) EXAMPLE

We have noted earlier in the article that the start of fasting was based on an observer's perception "...until the white thread of dawn appears to you distinct from its black thread..." (2:187).

Similarly, the Quran does not make use of any known expression to describe sunset as the end of the fasting period, but uses the expression 'layl' (night) as a perception to end fasting. We also noted that the onset of 'layl' did not imply the darkness of the night which again, the Quran has many other expressions for.

Arguably a good perception of 'night' is when the earliest stars / planets are visible in the sky.

The Quran makes use of the Arabic word 'kawkab'an' which in its indefinite form (as in 6:76) is used to imply a star or stars (12:4), but in its definite form (al-kawkab) is also used to describe Venus which is an early twilight planet. In the following verse we note the appearance of 'kawkab' used along with the onset of 'night' which arguably would be a short period after sunset when stars / planets begin to appear but well before total darkness.

006.076 When the night (Arabic: al-laylu) covered over him, He saw a star (Arabic: kawkab'an): He said: "This is my Lord." But when it set, He said: "I love not those that set."

Source: Edward Lanes Lexicon [3]

TWILIGHTS

The twilight phases in the morning are often called dawn, while the twilight phases in the evening are referred to as dusk. However, unlike the term twilight, which describes a time span, the terms dawn and dusk refer to moments during the transitions between day and night.

Civil dawn is the moment when the geometric center of the Sun is 6 degrees below the horizon in the morning. It is preceded by nautical twilight.

Similarly, civil dusk is the instant when the geometric center of the Sun is 6 degrees below the horizon in the evening. It marks the beginning of nautical twilight.

Following is an example of the different parts of a day (and night) for San Francisco on June 5, 2017.

Day, night, and twilight times in San Francisco today. Black is nighttime, light blue is daytime. The darker blue shadings represent the twilight phases during dawn (left) and dusk (right).

As you can see, sunset / dusk / ghurub begins at 8:28 PM. This is also the beginning of civil twilight and corresponds to the time when Muslims pray Maghrib. However, you’ll notice that when you step outside at Maghrib, there’s still plenty of sunlight in the sky. Obviously, this is not night (layl). Complete night (total darkness), in this example, begins at 10:21 PM. The beginning of night should therefore, at least, be at the beginning of nautical twilight which, in this example, is at 8:59 PM. According to Weather Underground (https://www.wunderground.com/), last light is at 8:57 PM. If you step outside at this time, you’ll notice that the sky is dark. Therefore, it is reasonable to take the beginning of “layl” (night) to be at the beginning of nautical twilight.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Despite popular practice and understanding, the Quranic usage of 'layl' is not the same thing as 'sunset' (ghurub). The Quranic command remains unequivocal.

Fasting has been prescribed from dawn till 'night' which is a period arguably after sunset and likely to be at the beginning of nautical twilight.

002:187 (Part) "...and eat and drink, until the white thread of dawn appears to you distinct from its black thread. Then complete the fast till the night (Arabic: layl)..."

It undoubtedly remains an individual responsibility to assess the information that reaches one.

017.036 "And do not follow that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed! the hearing and the sight and the heart - of each of these you will be questioned"

DEFINITIONS OF “GHURUB”

AL MAWRID - A Modern Arabic-English Dictionary. Dr. Rohi Baalbaki, Dar El-Ilm Lilmalayin, Seventh Edition 1995, Page 797

OMAR, A M, Dictionary of the Holy Quran, Arabic Words - English Meanings, Noor Foundation - International Inc, First Edition May 24, 2003, Reprint used February 26 2010, Page 400

KASSIS. H E, A Concordance of the Qur'an, University of California Press: Berkeley-Los Angeles-London, Page 471

WEHR. H, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, Edited by J.Milton Cowan, 3rd Edition, Spoken Languages Services Inc. 1976, Page 669

WORTABETS Arabic English Dictionary, Page 457

LANE. E.W, Edward Lanes Lexicon, Williams and Norgate 1863; Librairie du Liban Beirut-Lebanon 1968, Volume 3, Page 971

DEFINITIONS OF “NAHAR”

LANE. E.W, Edward Lanes Lexicon, Williams and Norgate 1863; Librairie du Liban Beirut-Lebanon 1968, Volume 8, Page 2858

OMAR, A M, Dictionary of the Holy Quran, Arabic Words - English Meanings, Noor Foundation - International Inc, First Edition May 24, 2003, Reprint used February 26 2010, Page 580

KASSIS. H E, A Concordance of the Qur'an, University of California Press: Berkeley-Los Angeles-London, Page 832

WEHR. H, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, Edited by J.Milton Cowan, 3rd Edition, Spoken Languages Services Inc. 1976, Page 1003

WORTABETS Arabic English Dictionary, Page 713

PENRICE, J, A Dictionary and Glossary of the Koran 1873; Reprint 1991 Adam Publishers & Distributors, Delhi, Page 151

REFERENCES

 [1] LANE. E.W, Edward Lanes Lexicon, Williams and Norgate 1863; Librairie du Liban Beirut-Lebanon 1968, Volume 3, Page 906

[2] Ibid.

[3] LANE. E.W, Edward Lanes Lexicon, Williams and Norgate 1863; Librairie du Liban Beirut-Lebanon 1968, Volume 7, Page 2623