What is the reason for the prohibition of fasting on Friday alone, without fasting the day before it or the day after it, knowing that it is the best day of the week?
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The questioner : What is the reason for the prohibition of fasting on Friday alone, without fasting the day before it or the day after it, knowing that it is the best day of the week? And is this prohibition specific to voluntary fasting, or does it apply even if it is making up a missed fast?
The Shaykh : It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Sahih Muslim 1144b.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The wisdom behind the prohibition of singling out Friday for fasting is that Friday is the festival of the week; it is one of the three festivals prescribed in Islam. The festivals in Islam are three: the Festival of Breaking the Fast (‘Id al-Fitr) at the end of Ramadan, the Festival of Sacrifice (‘Id al-Adha), and the weekly festival, which is Friday. For this reason, it is prohibited to fast on it alone. Also, Friday is a day when men should proceed to the Friday prayer and engage in supplication and remembrance of Allah. It is similar to the Day of ‘Arafah, on which it is not prescribed for the pilgrim to fast because he is occupied with supplication and remembrance. It is well known that when acts of worship conflict and some can be postponed, what cannot be postponed is prioritized over what can be postponed. If someone were to say: "This reasoning, based on it being the festival of the week, implies that fasting on it is forbidden, not just singling it out," we would say: Yes, it is like the two major festivals. We say that it differs from the two major festivals because it recurs four times every month. Therefore, the prohibition regarding it is not one of absolute prohibition (haram). Furthermore, there are other meanings associated with the two major festivals that are not present in Friday. As for fasting the day before it or the day after it, the fasting at that time is known not to be intended to single out Friday for fasting, because he fasted the day before it, which is Thursday, or the day after it, which is Saturday.
As for the questioner's question: Is this specific to voluntary fasting, or does it include making up missed fasts? The apparent indication of the evidence is that it is general, and that it is disliked to single it out for fasting, whether it is for an obligatory fast or a voluntary one. However, if a person is a worker who does not have free time from work and it is not possible for him to make up his fast except on Friday, then it is not disliked for him to fast on it alone, because he needs to do so.
The questioner : Yes, this is a question from the listener Muhammad Ahmad Muhammad Sudani, residing in Ta’if.
The Shaykh : It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as saying: Do not single out the night (preceding) Friday among the nights for prayer and do not single out Friday among days for fasting but only when anyone among you is accustomed to fast (on dates) which coincide with this day (Friday).
لا تخُصوا يوم الجمعة بصيام ولا ليلتها بقيامThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The wisdom behind the prohibition of singling out Friday for fasting is that Friday is the festival of the week; it is one of the three festivals prescribed in Islam. The festivals in Islam are three: the Festival of Breaking the Fast (‘Id al-Fitr) at the end of Ramadan, the Festival of Sacrifice (‘Id al-Adha), and the weekly festival, which is Friday. For this reason, it is prohibited to fast on it alone. Also, Friday is a day when men should proceed to the Friday prayer and engage in supplication and remembrance of Allah. It is similar to the Day of ‘Arafah, on which it is not prescribed for the pilgrim to fast because he is occupied with supplication and remembrance. It is well known that when acts of worship conflict and some can be postponed, what cannot be postponed is prioritized over what can be postponed. If someone were to say: "This reasoning, based on it being the festival of the week, implies that fasting on it is forbidden, not just singling it out," we would say: Yes, it is like the two major festivals. We say that it differs from the two major festivals because it recurs four times every month. Therefore, the prohibition regarding it is not one of absolute prohibition (haram). Furthermore, there are other meanings associated with the two major festivals that are not present in Friday. As for fasting the day before it or the day after it, the fasting at that time is known not to be intended to single out Friday for fasting, because he fasted the day before it, which is Thursday, or the day after it, which is Saturday.
As for the questioner's question: Is this specific to voluntary fasting, or does it include making up missed fasts? The apparent indication of the evidence is that it is general, and that it is disliked to single it out for fasting, whether it is for an obligatory fast or a voluntary one. However, if a person is a worker who does not have free time from work and it is not possible for him to make up his fast except on Friday, then it is not disliked for him to fast on it alone, because he needs to do so.
The questioner : Yes, this is a question from the listener Muhammad Ahmad Muhammad Sudani, residing in Ta’if.