The ruling on fasting Friday or Saturday for one who fasts one day and breaks the fast the next
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Question:
The questioner, a woman from the Republic of Egypt, Fayyum Governorate, says to the Honorable Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan (may Allah preserve him): I hope you will kindly answer my questions. She says: If one intends to fast one day and break the fast the next, does he fast Friday alone, and likewise Saturday, or is that disliked for him? And how can one reconcile the prohibition of fasting Friday alone with fasting one day and breaking the fast the next? And is it not the case that Saturday is never to be fasted absolutely, except in the case of an obligation?
Answer:
If it is his custom that he fasts one day and breaks the fast the next, this is the fasting of Dawud (peace be upon him). In fact, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 1131. So he fasts, even if it falls on Friday. If it falls on Friday, the day he fasts, or on Saturday, the day he fasts, there is no harm. The scholars said that it is disliked to single out Friday or Saturday for fasting if it is not his custom to fast days, or to fast one day and break the fast the next. But if Friday comes during his fasting and he would fast it, or Saturday comes during his fasting and he would fast it, whether obligatory or voluntary, he fasts and there is no dislike in that. Yes.
The questioner, a woman from the Republic of Egypt, Fayyum Governorate, says to the Honorable Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan (may Allah preserve him): I hope you will kindly answer my questions. She says: If one intends to fast one day and break the fast the next, does he fast Friday alone, and likewise Saturday, or is that disliked for him? And how can one reconcile the prohibition of fasting Friday alone with fasting one day and breaking the fast the next? And is it not the case that Saturday is never to be fasted absolutely, except in the case of an obligation?
Answer:
If it is his custom that he fasts one day and breaks the fast the next, this is the fasting of Dawud (peace be upon him). In fact, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Narrated `Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`As: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) told me, "The most beloved prayer to Allah is that of David and the most beloved fasts to Allah are those of David. He used to sleep for half of the night and then pray for one third of the night and again sleep for its sixth part and used to fast on alternate days."
أحب الصيام إلى الله صيام داود، وكان يصوم يوما ويفطر يوما
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 6084- حكم صيام الجمعة أو السبت لمن يصوم يوماً ويفطر يوماً - الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.