The moment before the first date at iftar is one of the most answered moments of the year. The Prophet ﷺ said that the fasting person has, at the time of breaking the fast, a supplication that is not rejected. Most of us spend it reaching for the water. Here is what to say instead.
The dua for breaking fast
This is the one narrated from the Prophet ﷺ, in Abu Dawud. He said it after he broke his fast.
Arabic
ذَهَبَ الظَّمَأُ وَابْتَلَّتِ الْعُرُوقُ وَثَبَتَ الْأَجْرُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ
Transliteration
Dhahabaz-zama’u wabtallatil-‘uruqu wa thabatal-ajru in sha Allah.
Meaning
The thirst has gone, the veins are quenched, and the reward is confirmed, if Allah wills.
Say it after the first sip or the first date, since it describes what has just happened. It is short, it is in the Sunnah, and it is the one to teach the children.
The dua of Ibn Umar at iftar
Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, was heard saying this when he broke his fast. It is in Ibn Majah.
Arabic
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِرَحْمَتِكَ الَّتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَنْ تَغْفِرَ لِي
Transliteration
Allahumma inni as’aluka birahmatikal-lati wasi’at kulla shay’in an taghfira li.
Meaning
O Allah, I ask You by Your mercy which envelopes all things, that You forgive me.
This is the one to say in the quiet seconds before the adhan, when the dua is not rejected. It asks for the one thing that matters most, and it asks by the one thing that is biggest.
About “Allahumma laka sumtu”
You have probably seen a third dua, usually printed on iftar timetables: “Allahumma laka sumtu wa bika amantu wa ‘ala rizqika aftartu,” meaning “O Allah, I fasted for You, I believed in You, and with Your provision I break my fast.” Its chain of narration is weak according to the scholars of hadith, which is why it does not appear in Fortress of the Muslim. The meaning is sound and there is nothing wrong with the words. The two above are simply better established, so those are the ones we teach first.
Making the most of the moment
The dua before iftar is a moment many of us waste, because by the time Maghrib comes we are tired, the table needs setting, and the children are circling. A few things that help:
Set the table ten minutes early so the last minutes before the adhan are free. Have the dates and water already out. Sit down. Make your own dua in your own words for the things that matter to you this year, then say the dua for breaking fast after the first date. It takes two minutes, and it is two minutes the Prophet ﷺ said would be answered.
With children, keep it to the first dua. “The thirst has gone” is concrete enough for a five-year-old to understand and short enough to say every night for thirty nights. By the end of Ramadan they will say it before you do.
Related
Both of these duas are on the Duas page of the Ramadan Planner 2027, which also has a daily page for every day of the month with a suhoor and iftar section. The first one is card 28 in the 30 Everyday Duas for Kids set.
