Is it permissible to fast the recommended fasts, such as the Day of 'Arafah and 'Ashura, before making up the days I missed in Ramadan?
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The questioner : Is it permissible to fast the recommended fasts, such as the Day of 'Arafah and 'Ashura, before making up the days I missed in Ramadan? As you know, regarding Hawa, please inform us. May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. Voluntary fasting, which is a nafilah, is not obligatory upon a person, nor is it a debt upon his conscience. Making up Ramadan, or fasting as an obligatory expiation, is an obligatory fast that is a debt upon the fasting person's conscience, and his conscience is not cleared except by performing it. Since this is the case, it is well known that prioritizing the obligatory is more important. Whoever goes to fast voluntarily while the obligatory remains a debt upon his conscience has contradicted what he should do. For this reason, many scholars have held that if a person fasts voluntarily while he still has an obligation to make up Ramadan, his fast is not valid. Those who said his fast is valid consider it better to start with the obligatory, because it is more important, and because his conscience is occupied with it until he performs it. So whoever wants good should start with what is obligatory upon him before the voluntary. This applies to absolute voluntary fasting, or voluntary fasting tied to a specific day, such as the Day of 'Arafah and the Day of 'Ashura. As for voluntary fasting that follows Ramadan, such as fasting six days of Shawwal, it does not benefit him until he has finished all of Ramadan; that is, he does not obtain the reward of fasting six days of Shawwal until he has fasted all of Ramadan. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Ibn Majah 1716Sahih (Darussalam) It is well known that one who has days to make up from Ramadan cannot be said to have fasted Ramadan. If a person had ten days of Ramadan to make up, and when the people broke their fast on the day of the festival, he started fasting the six days, fasting six days of Shawwal, and then made up the ten days afterwards, we would tell him: You do not obtain the reward of fasting six days of Shawwal with these days you fasted, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) conditioned the fasting of these days to be after fasting Ramadan. Indeed, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) conditioned the reward attached to fasting these days to be after Ramadan, because he said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 759Sahih (Darussalam) Based on this, we say that whoever fasts six days of Shawwal before making up what he owes from fasting Ramadan does not obtain their reward. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. A listener from Sudan began her message with "Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings." To the honorable scholars, may Allah prolong your lives to illuminate for us and for the brother listeners in the Arab world and the large Muslim community many matters of their religion. A greeting full of affection and respect for you all, and I hope my message reaches you and I hear your response. She says.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. Voluntary fasting, which is a nafilah, is not obligatory upon a person, nor is it a debt upon his conscience. Making up Ramadan, or fasting as an obligatory expiation, is an obligatory fast that is a debt upon the fasting person's conscience, and his conscience is not cleared except by performing it. Since this is the case, it is well known that prioritizing the obligatory is more important. Whoever goes to fast voluntarily while the obligatory remains a debt upon his conscience has contradicted what he should do. For this reason, many scholars have held that if a person fasts voluntarily while he still has an obligation to make up Ramadan, his fast is not valid. Those who said his fast is valid consider it better to start with the obligatory, because it is more important, and because his conscience is occupied with it until he performs it. So whoever wants good should start with what is obligatory upon him before the voluntary. This applies to absolute voluntary fasting, or voluntary fasting tied to a specific day, such as the Day of 'Arafah and the Day of 'Ashura. As for voluntary fasting that follows Ramadan, such as fasting six days of Shawwal, it does not benefit him until he has finished all of Ramadan; that is, he does not obtain the reward of fasting six days of Shawwal until he has fasted all of Ramadan. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Whoever fasts Ramadan then follows it with six days of Shawwal
من صام رمضان ثم أتبعه بستٍ من شوالWhoever fasts Ramadan, then follows it with six from Shawwal
من صام رمضان ثم أتبعه ستاً من شوالThe questioner : May Allah bless you. A listener from Sudan began her message with "Peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings." To the honorable scholars, may Allah prolong your lives to illuminate for us and for the brother listeners in the Arab world and the large Muslim community many matters of their religion. A greeting full of affection and respect for you all, and I hope my message reaches you and I hear your response. She says.