Dear respected Shaykh, assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. What is the ruling of fasting after having eaten during the athaan of Fajr? صيام من أكل مع الأذان

Praise be to Allah, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family and his companions.   Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.   As to what follows:   In response to your question, we say:               Athaan, in most countries depends on timetables, and the timetables are not very precise concerning the start of dawn and the separation of day from night. Therefore, I cannot say that whoever eats during the time of athaan, whilst the muezzin is calling out the athaan, his fasting is invalid. However, if the muezzin calls out the athaan after dawn is clearly evident, then a person is not allowed to eat, drink or engage in anything which breaks the fast, because dawn will have become evident, and Allah the Exalted  said, “And eat and drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night), then complete your Saum (fast) till the nightfall” [al-Baqarah 2: 187]. If a person is unsure and wants to take precautions then there is great scope for that, he may take precautions and desist from eating and drinking. However, as far as the invalidity or otherwise of fasting is concerned I cannot positively affirm that the person who eats while athaan is being called has invalidated his fast, if the muezzin relied on timetables for his athaan.