What is the ruling on the people of a village agreeing to fast together on a specific day of every week?

Question:
What is the ruling on collective fasting, where a group of people, or an entire village, agrees to fast on Thursdays of every week? Is this permissible, or is it considered a religious innovation (bid'ah)? Are we rewarded for doing so? May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his Companions. As for fasting on Mondays and Thursdays of every week, it is recommended (mustahabb). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did this and informed us that deeds are presented to the Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, on these two days. He (peace and blessings be upon him) loved for his deeds to be presented while he was fasting, and so did the Muslims who followed his example. However, each person fasts individually and is not linked to others. As for collective fasting, it is a religious innovation (bid'ah) for which Allah has not sent down any authority. There is no collective fasting in Islam except for the fasting of Ramadan, for the Muslims all fast if they are among those for whom fasting is obligatory, as Allah the Exalted said: . Therefore, it is not permissible for anyone who enters the month of Ramadan while present, healthy, and able to fast, except to fast. As for voluntary fasting, there is no collective fasting in it; rather, each Muslim fasts separately from the others, without agreement and without being linked to them. Yes. May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.