Is it commendable to break the fast after a precautionary few mintutes?

Question

Some people break their fast approximately one or two minutes after the precaution timetable. Is it a commendable act?

What about the injunction against hastening in breaking the fast?

Answer 1

One should break one's fast once one confirms (through listening to adhān, or through other means) that the time for maghrib has started. Delaying it by 1-2 minutes, or any other arbitrary number of minutes for that matter, is a custom that was not followed by the Prophet ﷺ. In fact, he commanded us to do the opposite:

عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ:‏ لاَ يَزَالُ النَّاسُ بِخَيْرٍ مَا عَجَّلُوا الْفِطْرَ

Narrated Sahl bin Sa'd: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The people will remain on the right path as long as they hasten the breaking of the fast."

Sahih al-Bukhari 1957

This hadith was also documented in Sunan Ibn Majah 7/1768 with an addition for this command from the Prophet ﷺ that the Jews used to delay their breaking of their fasting, and in Sunan Abi Dawud 14/41 with an addition that both the Jews and Christians used to do so.