The Dhikr Library · Ramadan 2027 · 4 min read

The dua for breaking the fast

When the Prophet ﷺ broke his fast he would say Dhahabaz-zama'u wabtallatil-'uruqu wa thabatal-ajru in sha' Allah, "The thirst is gone, the veins are moistened, and the reward is certain, if Allah wills," as Ibn 'Umar reported in Sunan Abi Dawud 2357, a narration graded hasan (good) by al-Albani.

Ibn 'Umar said that when the Prophet ﷺ broke his fast, he would say this.

When to say it

The words describe thirst that has already gone, so this dua is said after your first sip of water or your first date, not before it. The scholar Ibn 'Uthaymin advised making your own dua before you break the fast, while you are still fasting, and saying this one afterward (IslamQA 293455).

Before you eat, say Bismillah, as the Prophet ﷺ taught for every meal:

Make your own dua in the minutes before sunset

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Three persons, their supplication is not rejected: The just ruler, the fasting person when he breaks his fast, and the supplication of the wronged person" (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2526, graded sahih by al-Albani; at-Tirmidhi said its chain is not strong, and Zubair Ali Zai graded it weak). The Qur'an's verses on fasting carry the same hope: in the middle of them, Allah says that He is near and answers the one who calls on Him (Qur'an 2:186).

There is no set wording for this part; it is your own asking. For example, you might sit down five or ten minutes before sunset with your dates and water ready, and use those minutes to ask for forgiveness, for your parents and children, and for anyone you know who is ill. That timing is a practical suggestion based on the sources above, not a prescribed ritual.

How the Prophet ﷺ broke his fast

• Promptly at sunset. "The people will remain on the right path as long as they hasten the breaking of the fast" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1957; Sahih Muslim 1098a). In practice, break your fast at the Maghrib time on your mosque's timetable without delaying it.
• With dates or water, before praying Maghrib. Anas reported that the Prophet ﷺ broke his fast with fresh dates before he prayed; if there were none, with dry dates; and if there were none, with water (Sunan Abi Dawud 2356, graded hasan sahih by al-Albani; Jami' at-Tirmidhi 696, graded sahih by al-Albani).
• With hope. The fasting person has two joys: one when breaking the fast, and one when meeting his Lord (Sahih al-Bukhari 1904). The Prophet ﷺ also said that Allah frees people from the Fire at the time of every iftar, and that this happens every night of Ramadan (Sunan Ibn Majah 1643, graded hasan sahih by al-Albani).

When someone feeds you iftar

If you break your fast at someone's home, or at a mosque table someone has paid for, you can thank them with this dua. The Prophet ﷺ said it after eating at the home of Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah, and its words fit an iftar well:

Anas reported that the Prophet ﷺ visited Sa'd ibn 'Ubadah, who brought bread and oil. He ate, and then said this.

Whoever gives a fasting person something to break the fast with has a reward like that person's, without anything being taken from the faster's reward (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 807, graded sahih by al-Albani). Hosting or helping to pay for an iftar is one way to act on this.

A simple order for iftar

This order is a practical way to bring the narrations above together; each step's source is given in the sections above.

1. A few minutes before sunset: your own dua, while you are still fasting (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2526).
2. At Maghrib time: say Bismillah and break the fast with a date, or with water (Sunan Abi Dawud 2356).
3. After the first sip or date: Dhahabaz-zama'u wabtallatil-'uruqu wa thabatal-ajru in sha' Allah (Sunan Abi Dawud 2357).
4. Pray Maghrib.
5. If you were someone's guest: Aftara 'indakumus-sa'imun, wa akala ta'amakumul-abrar, wa sallat 'alaykumul-mala'ikah (Sunan Abi Dawud 3854).

When Ramadan 2027 begins, the first iftar is expected on Monday, February 8 (a calculated date that depends on moonsighting). See Ramadan 2027 dates.

Keep this dua with you at sunset

In Dhikr for iPhone, this dua is in the dua library's Fasting & Ramadan section, with a recitation of the Arabic by Hamad al-Duraihim that highlights each word as it is read, its English and Urdu meanings, and a link to its source. You can find it by searching "iftar" or "roza kholne ki dua" and save it to your saved duas. The app does not show iftar or prayer times, so use your mosque's timetable for sunset. Dhikr is free to download; using its features requires an active subscription.

This page is educational. The suggested iftar order is a practical arrangement of the cited narrations, not a fixed ritual. Translations are approximate; consult qualified scholars for religious rulings.

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