Prefers to Break the Fast with Family and then Head to Pray in the Mosque

2-2-2003 | IslamWeb

Question:

I live near a mosque which provides breaking of fast meals. However I prefer to break fast with my wife and children and then proceed to perform the Maghrib prayer at the mosque. My preference is a based on my appreciation for my wife who cooks the meals for the family. Is it a sunnah to break fast with the Jemaah at the mosque? If not, is it still preferable to do that? thank you
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

The Sunnah is to break the fast in one's home and then head to the mosque to pray the Maghrib prayer. The evidence for this is the sound Hadeeth reported by Ibn Hibbaan that 'Qays Ibn sermah was fasting. When the time of breaking the fast came, he went to his wife and said: 'Do you have any food?' She replied: 'No’.'

Abdur-Razaaq also reported from Abu Hurayrah may Allaah be pleased with him that 'a woman invited him to break his fast at her home and he did. Then he said to her: 'I inform you that no person breaks the fast at some people's home, but they get the same reward he gets.' Thereupon, she said: 'I wish you to keep on breaking the fast with me.' He said: 'I want to give it (that reward) to my family members.' But there is no harm that the Muslim breaks the fast with other fellow Muslims at the mosque from time to time, if he sees any Sharee'ah advantage in that like increasing tolerance, love, and cooperation in goodness and piety.

Allah knows best.

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