Eating After the True Fajr Due to a Mistaken Interpretation - Jurisprudential Answers - Miscellaneous Issues, Vol 4

Ahmed al-Hasan Response:

The question attributes to me an imprecise statement, namely that I say true dawn is always 90 minutes before sunrise. Please read my answer in Al-Jawab al-Munir carefully. I arranged the matter as follows: ‘As for the time of dawn, if it is possible to observe it and recognize it by the sign I explained in Al-Shara'i, that is the method. Otherwise, it is when the sun is 19 degrees below the horizon. If that cannot be determined, then it is one and a half hours-90 minutes-before sunrise.’ In general, determining dawn from the sun's angle is easy today because internet programs can readily give the relevant time for your location, if you are unable to determine it by observation as explained above. The 90-minute rule is a general fallback ruling for someone compelled to use it, as I explained in the rulings concerning prayer and fasting at and around the polar regions. As for someone who diligently investigated the dawn time, did not treat the legal ruling lightly, and arrived at a probable time that later proved mistaken, there is no problem with his past prayers or fasts once their time has passed.