#1047: The Best Of Voluntary Fast And Ruling On Fasting Saturdays
Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh wa barakātu.
May Allāh accept our du’a and could us among the successful ones.
I’d like to follow the fast of Dawud (‘alayhi salātu wa salām)… that is fasting every other day. I also want to benefit from the Prophet’s (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) sunnah of fasting Mondays and Thursdays.
My conclusion was to fast Thursdays, leave Fridays, fast Saturdays, leave Sundays, Fast Mondays and leave Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
What advice can you give me as it would be like I’m singling out Saturdays for fasting which I understand is not permissible.
Jazākallāhu khayran.
ANSWER:
Wa Alaykum Salam Warahmatullah Wabarakatuh
Praise be to Allah.
May Allah reward our good intentions and keep us steadfast upon his Deen.
The best form of voluntary fasting is the fast of Dāwud (peace be upon him). There is no voluntary fast that is better than it, and he use to fast a day and take a break the next day (i.e fast on alternate days).
It was reported on the authority of ‘Abdillah ibn ‘Amr ibn ‘Ās, may Allah be pleased him, that he said: The messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The most beloved kind of fast to Allah is the fast of Dāwud,… he used to fast a day and give up fasting for a day.”
[Reported by Bukhāri and Muslim]
So based on the statement of the prophet as in the quoted hadith, there is no voluntary fast better and beloved to Allah than the fasting of Dāwud (peace be upon him).
And with respect to the ruling on fasting Saturdays, As-Sammā’a bint Busr (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the messenger of Allah said: “Do not fast on Saturday unless it is an obligatory fast…”.
Ibn Hajar, in Bulūghul Marām mentioned that this hadith was classified to be Munkar (Disliked) by Imām Mālik and Mansūkh (Abrogated) by Abū Dāwud. Imām As-San’āni in Subulus-Salām says that probably Abu Dāwud say that the hadith is abrogated because of the hadith of Ummu Salamah. Imām An-Annasā’ī reported from Ummu Salamah, were she narrated that the messenger of Allah used to fast on Saturdays and Sundays. Ibnu Khuzaimah classed the hadith as Sahīh (authentic).
The authors of Ibānatul-Ahkām (one of the shurūh of Bulūghul Marām) stated in their commentary on the two mentioned hadith that the messenger of Allah used to prohibit fasting on Saturdays at the early time of Islām, but at the end of his life he used to fast Saturdays and Sundays in order to be different from the people of the book who take these days as their eid (a day for celebration).
In conclusion, Allah knows best, a person may fast on a Saturday if he is making up an obligatory fast that he has missed, fasting in fulfilment of a vow, the day of Arafah or Ashūrah, or if it coincides with his habitual fast, – such as if he fast alternate days, etc. This is also explained by our great scholars.
Lastly, I will advice myself and the beloved once to take from voluntary aspects of worship that which we can be steadfast upon as this is what is more beloved to Allah.
And Allah knows best.
Barakallahu Fikum
Jazakumullahu Khayran.
Abu Abdillah
8th Dhul Hijjah, 1441AH.
📚 IslāmNode
