<b>Guidance from the Hadiths:</b><br> 1) It is better for a fasting person to break his fast with fresh dates; and if he cannot find any, he may break his fast with dried dates. If he cannot find it still, he may break his fast with water. In doing so, he complies with the Prophet’s command and maintains his health, for the body readily accepts sweet stuff after the long period without food.<br> 2) If a person cannot find what to break his fast therewith, he can hold the intention of breaking the fast in his heart until he finds something to eat.<br> Note:<br> As we tackled Hadith No. (332), we pointed out the weakness of the Hadith reported by Salmān ibn ‘Āmir, who is mentioned here, and that this is not an authentic statement by the Prophet. Rather, it is a practice of the Prophet narrated by Al-Tirmidhi that, “He used to break his fast before praying by having fresh dates. If there were no fresh dates, he would have dried dates; and if there were no dried dates, he would drink a few sips of water.”