#1175: Ruling on paying back Missed Fast of Monday and Thursday with Other Days
QUESTION:
Assalam alaykum
Question: If I miss my fast on Monday (am use to fasting every Mondays and Thursdays) and decide to pay back on Tuesday with the right intention made before commencement, will I get the equivalent reward of Monday fast? Pls I need a response validated with the Hadith.
Thank you
ANSWER:
Wa Alaykum Salām Warahmatullāh Wabarakātuh.
Alhamdulillāh
First, it is important to know that the fast of Mondays and Thursdays are a Sunnah among the Sunnahs that are practiced by the Rasūl Salallāhu Alayhi Wasallam and not an Obligation. Though, the Rasūl Salallāhu Alayhi Wasallam has encouraged us to be persistent and consistent with whatever ‘Ibādah we do, so as to earn consistent Rewards with Allāh, when He – Salallāhu Alayhi Wasallam – said when he was asked concerning the best of Deeds, in the Hadīth that was recorded by Muslim from Ummu Al-Mu’minīn ‘Ā’isha radiyallāhu ‘anha:
أدومه وإن قل
“The most consistent of them even if it were a little”.
This shows that consistency and persistence in the doing of the Deeds is very important and attains the higher rewards. Then it is also important to know that when a person has missed a fast that he does by way of Voluntary, it is not obligatory upon him to compensate for the missed day in accordance with the Hadīth.
In the Hadīth that was recorded by Imām Ahmad bn Hanbal from Umm Hānī radiyallāhu ‘anha the Rasūl Salallāhu Alayhi Wasallam said:
الصَّائِمُ الْمُتَطَوِّعُ أَمِيرُ نَفْسِهِ إِنْ شَاءَ صَامَ وَإِنْ شَاءَ أَفْطَرَ
“The One who observes a Voluntary Fast is the Amīr over himself, if he wills he completes his fast, if he wills he breaks it”
Al-Mubārakfūrī maintained in Tuh’fatu Al-Ahwadhī that this is proof that payback was not obligatory upon him if he misses his regular fast.
As for the payback, they are agreed on the preference of that, so that he attains the position of the one who is consistent in his Ibādah as mentioned in the Hadīth of Ummu Al-Mu’minīn ‘Ā’isha radiyallāhu ‘anha above.
What strengthens this is the Hadith recorded by Imām Al-Bayhaqī from Abū Sa’īd Al-Khudrī who mentioned that once he made meal for the Rasūl Salallāhu Alayhi Wasallam once and invited him to the feast. When the meal was set forth, a man said “I am fasting”.
The Rasūl Salallāhu Alayhi Wasallam said in response:
دَعَاك أَخُوك وَتَكَلَّفَ لَك , أَفْطِرْ فَصُمْ مَكَانَهُ إِنْ شِئْت
“Your brother invited you (to a meal) after exerting efforts to entertain you. So, break your fast and compensate the missed day on another day of fast, if you wish to do so”
As for the fast of Mondays, Thursdays, and other Fasts for which fasting was stipulated for a reason, then the Fuqahā differed on the ruling of compensating for them with another Day’s fast. The reason for this is the fact that the fasting was recommended for a particular reason which is no longer obtainable on another day. The one who fasts on Monday for instance, loses the bounty of fasting on Monday by missing it, therefore observing a compensation for it on a Tuesday for instance, does not make it in lieu for Monday. This is a position in the Shāfi’ī Madh’hab. Even though there is contrary position to this effect.
“As for the one who misses a day he fasts regularly such as the one who misses the fast of Monday, then there is no recommendation for him to pay it back due to the missing of the causative factor (that necessitated it’s fasting). This is in accordance with what Father gave as Fatwah, rahimahullāh Ta’ālā. But it conflicts with his earlier verdict on the recommendation for the one who misses the six or Shawwāl to pay for it with days in (Dhūl) Qa’adah where he held that it is preferred to compensate for the accustomed missed days. And this is stronger”
Imām Shamsuddīn bn Shihābuddīn Ar-Ramlī – Rahimahullāh – mentioned in Nihāyatu Al-Muh’tāj ‘Ilā Shar’hi Al-Minhāj:
“As for the one who misses a day he fasts regularly such as the one who misses the fast of Monday, then there is no recommendation for him to pay it back due to the missing of the causative factor (that necessitated it’s fasting). This is in accordance with what Father gave as Fatwah, rahimahullāh Ta’ālā. But it conflicts with his earlier verdict on the recommendation for the one who misses the six or Shawwāl to pay for it with days in (Dhūl) Qa’adah where he held that it is preferred to compensate for the accustomed missed days. And this is stronger”
From what Shamsuddīn said above, he differed with his Father on the ruling of compensating for the missed day of fasting Monday and Thursday. Though the chosen position by the Shāfi’ī Madh’hab after Shamsuddīn Ar-Ramlī is the preference for it’s payback, the position of his father, who was a Mujtahid Imām in the Madh’hab is held by many of them. This was mentioned in the Hāshiyatu Al-Maghribī on the Nihāyatu Al-Muh’tāj.
Shaykh Abdulazīz bn Abdillāh bn Bāz rahimahullāh held in his Fatwah that there was no need to compensate for the missed days of Monday and Thursday because it is not a tight thing about which there is no leave. Therefore, whichever one the Questioner takes of the two position is ok, and Allāh knows best.
As for the Day for which this is to be done, there is no blame on you, if you choose to compensate for it on a Tuesday or a Wednesday, and Allāh knows best.
Bārakallāhu Fīkum
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