SAWM 360
When does the fast actually start?
Eating and drinking stop at the entry of Fajr — true dawn, when the first light spreads across the horizon. That's why "suhoor time" really means "before Fajr": the sunnah is to delay suhoor close to Fajr, but stop cleanly when it enters. Some timetables show an imsak buffer ten minutes earlier as a precaution; the binding time is Fajr itself.
When does it end?
The fast ends at Maghrib — sunset — and the sunnah is to hasten iftar once the sun has set. A date and water, Maghrib prayer, then the meal.
Why the times move every day
Fajr and Maghrib are astronomical events tied to your exact latitude, longitude and the date. They shift one or two minutes daily and vary hugely between cities — Casablanca, London and Kuala Lumpur can differ by hours. A printed timetable for "your country" is often minutes off for your town; minutes matter at suhoor.
The reminder problem
Knowing the time isn't the hard part at 4 AM — waking up is. And at the other end, it's surprisingly easy to miss the first minutes of iftar in a busy kitchen. SAWM 360 computes both times from your geolocation and turns them into automatic notifications: a suhoor reminder with enough margin to eat, and an iftar alert at the exact minute of Maghrib. Travel somewhere new and the times follow you.
Set up suhoor & iftar reminders in SAWM 360
- Allow location access — Fajr and Maghrib are computed for your precise position, not a nearby city.
- Choose your reminder margin — e.g. wake 45 minutes before Fajr so there's time for suhoor and niyyah.
- Fast with the Today view open — it shows the countdown to iftar and your fast's estimated duration.
- Get the iftar alert at Maghrib — break your fast on the minute, then tap “Fast Completed.”
Frequently asked questions
Can I eat until the adhan finishes at suhoor?
The cutoff is the entry of Fajr — the adhan announces it. If a mouthful is in progress when Fajr is confirmed, stop; a precautionary imsak buffer avoids the edge case entirely.
What's the difference between imsak and Fajr?
Imsak is a precautionary mark some timetables print ~10 minutes before Fajr. The fast legally begins at Fajr; imsak is optional caution, not an obligation.
Do the reminders adjust when I travel?
Yes — SAWM 360 recalculates suhoor, iftar and all prayer times from your current location automatically. See how prayer times are computed.