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What Is Iftar? The Meal After Sunset During Ramadan, Its Timing, Suhoor (Sahur), and Dishes in Different Countries

Published: October 22, 2026 / Last updated: October 24, 2026

Category: For visitors

Iftar is the meal after sunset during Ramadan

Iftar is the meal that breaks the fast at sunset during Ramadan, the fasting month. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA) describes it as “the meal after sunset during the fasting period.” It is also spelled “iftar” in English. The UK’s Cambridge Dictionary defines it as the evening meal Muslims eat after the sun sets during Ramadan (secondary source).

During Ramadan, meals center on iftar and suhoor, the meal before dawn. Suhoor is called “sahur” in Indonesia and Türkiye. The glossary in the Japan Tourism Agency guide’s Reference Volume describes fasting, or sawm, as refraining from putting anything into the body, including food and drink, from before dawn until sunset. The daily fast runs from suhoor before dawn to iftar at sunset.

MealWhen it is eatenEnglish spelling
Suhoor (Sahur)Before dawnsuhoor、sahur
IftarAfter sunsetiftar

This article explains how iftar and suhoor times are set, what people eat first, dishes in different countries, and hosting or attending iftar. It is based on materials from MOFA and the Japan Tourism Agency, Islamic scripture, and information from government agencies in different countries. For Ramadan dates and the overall rules of fasting, see When Does Ramadan 2027 Start? Fasting Hours, the Rules, and What to Know When Spending Ramadan in Japan. We checked the sources on October 19, 2026.

Check iftar time under the sunset prayer on a mosque’s timetable

The Quran sets the time to end the fast. Quran 2:187, in Ryoichi Mita’s Japanese translation, commands people to eat and drink until dawn, then complete the fast until nightfall. Iftar is at sunset. The prayer at this time is Maghrib, the sunset prayer.

Some mosques in Japan, such as Tokyo Camii, publish daily prayer timetables. The table compares Tokyo Camii’s Ramadan calendar for 2026 with sunrise and sunset times for Tokyo calculated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ).

2026Tokyo Camii: Fajr (dawn prayer)Tokyo Camii: sunriseNAOJ: sunriseTokyo Camii: Maghrib (sunset prayer)NAOJ: sunset
February 19 (first day of Ramadan)4:58 a.m.6:17 a.m.6:24 a.m.5:33 p.m.5:26 p.m.
March 19 (last day of Ramadan)4:21 a.m.5:40 a.m.5:47 a.m.5:58 p.m.5:52 p.m.

Tokyo Camii’s Maghrib is six or seven minutes later than NAOJ’s sunset, and its sunrise is seven minutes earlier. Even within Tokyo, the times differ by a few minutes depending on which source you use. People who fast follow different mosques’ or organizations’ timetables. If you host a meal or serve food at a restaurant, asking which timetable your guests use gives you more certainty.

Using Tokyo Camii’s timetable, the fast on February 19, 2026 lasted 12 hours and 35 minutes, from Fajr at 4:58 a.m. to Maghrib at 5:33 p.m. On March 19, it ran from 4:21 a.m. to 5:58 p.m., 13 hours and 37 minutes. From February to March in Japan, fasting hours grow longer toward Ramadan’s end. After iftar come Isha, the night prayer, and Tarawih, prayers held only during Ramadan. Tokyo Camii’s 2026 timetable listed these together from 7:30 p.m. This can help you plan when to finish a meal gathering. For 2027, check the timetables each mosque announces before Ramadan. We list 2027 sunset times in major Japanese cities in What Your Place Can Do During Ramadan: Preparing Around Sunset Times, and Customer Flow After the Fast.

Take the first bite as soon as the sun sets

It is considered good not to delay iftar once the sun has set. Hadith 1957 in Sahih al-Bukhari reports the Prophet’s words that people remain on the right path as long as they hasten to break the fast.

Dates and water are traditionally the first things consumed. The Ramadan 2027 article introduced the account in Sunan Abi Dawud. MOFA explains that, after not eating all day, the custom is to start with a bite of dates or similar food, lightly fill the stomach with juice or water, and gradually prepare the body before the meal. The same explanation says that after the fast ends at sunset, people pray before iftar, then eat with family, relatives, colleagues, and friends.

Words said when breaking the fast are also reported. Sunan Abi Dawud 2357 says the Prophet recited words meaning that thirst had gone, the body was refreshed, and the reward was assured if Allah willed. Sunnah.com gives the scholar Al-Albani’s grading of this hadith as “hasan” (good).

Indonesian preserves this idea of “hastening” in a word. Its national dictionary, KBBI, lists “takjil” both as a verb meaning to hasten breaking the fast and as a noun meaning snacks and drinks taken to break the fast.

Suhoor (Sahur) is the meal before dawn

Suhoor is eaten before dawn, before fasting starts. Sahih al-Bukhari 1923 reports the Prophet’s words encouraging people to eat suhoor because it brings blessings. Hadith 1921 in the same collection says the interval between eating suhoor with the Prophet and the call to prayer, the adhan, was about the time needed to recite 50 Quran verses.

KBBI describes “sahur” as the meal eaten in the early hours by someone who will fast, recommended close to dawn but before the dawn prayer. Fajr on a mosque’s timetable is a guide to when to finish eating. As the table above shows, in Tokyo it was 4:58 a.m. on February 19, 2026 and 4:21 a.m. on March 19.

GoTürkiye, the tourism website of Türkiye Turizm Tanıtım ve Geliştirme Ajansı (TGA, Türkiye’s tourism promotion and development agency), says the tradition of drummers going around towns and villages at night to wake people to prepare sahur still continues in Türkiye.

Suhoor is an early morning meal for Muslims living in Japan too. If serving food in a hotel or dormitory, one point is whether you can provide breakfast before dawn. The Japan Tourism Agency’s guide also advises considering tour schedules and restaurant hours so Muslim travelers can eat breakfast before dawn and dinner after sunset.

Iftar dishes differ by country and region

What people eat for iftar varies by country and region. Here are examples introduced by government agencies in different countries.

CountryDishes and customsAgency presenting them
IndonesiaTakjil (snacks and drinks to break the fast); ngabuburit (spending time waiting for the sunset prayer)Indonesia’s national dictionary (KBBI)
MalaysiaBubur lambuk (savory spiced porridge); Ramadan bazaarsTourism Malaysia
TürkiyeRamazan pide (round bread topped with sesame); güllaç (a dessert with thin sheets made from rice starch); Ottoman sherbet (a drink made with fruit and spices)GoTürkiye, TGA’s tourism website

KBBI describes “ngabuburit” as waiting for the sunset call to prayer before breaking the fast during Ramadan. Borrowed from Sundanese, it has an example sentence about children spending the time playing.

Tourism Malaysia introduces bubur lambuk as one of the Muslim specialties of Ramadan. In 2013, Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism and Culture distributed 22,000 servings to the local community at a Kuala Lumpur mosque, presenting Ramadan bazaars as a tourism attraction. That event involved 150 volunteers cooking in 100 pots from 8:00 a.m. Distribution was planned at the mosque, Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station, and areas such as the busy Bukit Bintang district. KBBI defines “bubur” as soft, moist food made by boiling rice, beans, or similar ingredients, corresponding to Japanese porridge.

Türkiye’s tourism website says Ramazan pide appears in bakeries only during Ramadan, with lines forming for freshly baked bread as sunset nears. Güllaç is a Ramadan dessert inherited from Ottoman cuisine: thin rice-starch sheets are layered with walnuts, soaked in milk syrup, and scented with rose water. It also describes the custom of announcing sunset with cannon fire, continuing in some towns and villages since the 19th-century Ottoman period. During Ramadan, upscale restaurants and hotels also offer iftar menus with Turkish, Ottoman, and international dishes.

Which country’s dishes Muslims in Japan eat for iftar differs by person. If you are unsure what to serve, asking what they usually eat at home can also start a conversation.

Hosting or attending iftar

MOFA advises against inviting Muslims to ordinary meals during Ramadan. It also explains that iftar after sunset is shared with family, relatives, colleagues, and friends. If sharing a meal during Ramadan, arranging it for iftar after sunset rather than daytime is natural.

This order can make preparing an iftar gathering easier. First, check Maghrib on the mosque timetable your guests use. Start at sunset, with dates and water ready to serve first. As MOFA explains, some people pray before the meal. Allow a little time and space for prayer. For prayer practices and preparing a space, see Islamic Prayer Is Five Times a Day: Prayer Times from Fajr to Isha, and the Direction and Places to Pray in Japan.

Choose dishes without pork, pork-derived ingredients, or alcohol. For ingredients that can be hard to spot in seasonings or processed foods, see A List of Foods That Are Not Halal: Pork, Alcohol, and Easy-to-Miss Items in Japanese Food. How carefully people check differs, so ask your guests before inviting them.

If invited, arriving a little before sunset lets you share the moment the fast ends. Some iftar gatherings welcome non-Muslims. In Japan, Tokyo Camii held dinner gatherings during Ramadan 2026 that non-Muslims could attend with a reservation. We describe them in the Ramadan 2027 article.

For inviting people to iftar at work, see Being Considerate at Work During Ramadan: Breaks, Prayer, and Meal Invitations When Colleagues or Employees Are Fasting.

Iftar terms and their English spellings

Several terms come up around iftar. Here are those covered in this article.

TermMeaningSpelling in English or other languages
IftarThe meal after sunset during Ramadaniftar
Suhoor (Sahur)The meal before dawnsuhoor、sahur
MaghribSunset prayer; a guide to iftar timeMaghrib (as written in Tokyo Camii’s timetable)
FajrDawn prayer; a guide to when to finish suhoorFajr (as written in Tokyo Camii’s timetable)
SawmFasting―
TakjilSnacks and drinks to break the fast (Indonesia)takjil
NgabuburitSpending time waiting for the sunset prayer (Indonesia)ngabuburit

In English information, you can use “iftar” and “suhoor.” For example, to say that food is served after sunset, write “Iftar meals are served after sunset.” For English wording on restaurant signs and menus, see Halal Is “Halal” in English: How to Say Certification, Dishes, and Non-Pork in English.

Iftar both ends the day’s fast and brings family, friends, and colleagues together. Checking the mosque timetable, having dates and water ready first, and telling guests the ingredients can help non-Muslims share the table too.

Quotes from Japanese sources in this article are our own translations.

Sources

Primary sources

Secondary sources (cited in the article and identified as such)

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