What is the understanding of the Salaf of the Ummah regarding the hadith prohibiting fasting on Saturday, and who do you cite from the Salaf of the Ummah who held to the apparent meaning of the hadith?

The Shaykh : What is your question?
Wafi: We are always revolving around the Book and the Sunnah with the understanding of the Salaf of the Ummah. So some people say, meaning, what is the understanding of the Salaf of the Ummah for this hadith? Who do you cite from the Salaf of the Ummah who held to the apparent meaning of the hadith?
Al-Albani: We have answered this, but of courseThe questioner : The one who asked the question was not present. Our answer is from two aspects. When we say we are Salafis, we do not hold to a statement unless we are preceded to it. I think you know that this is our saying in understanding a text that may have more than one aspect, especially since I personally, as is known, am of non-Arab origin. So I accuse myself, and the race is treacherous. Therefore, when there is a text that allows for more than one aspect, I am the most timid at that time unless I have a predecessor. But if the matter is clear, like the discussion that just took place regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted: Because this is an explicit text. And in such a case, Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said, and I mentioned his text on that in *Adab al-Zafaf* when we discussed the group that says that all gold is lawful for women. I quoted the words of Ibn al-Qayyim and Imam al-Shafi'i to the end: that the hadith—meaning the ruling—is established by it alone and does not need to be supported by the practice of some of the scholars of knowledge. And we understand from this hadith that is so clear, this is answer number one.
Answer number two: That none of these fanatics who did not hear this hadith until this recent period: were surprised by this hadith, and their inner state, and some of them may have it in their written words: So they begin and raise the problems. You say we do not act upon a hadith that no one has preceded us to act upon, how do you say this? So our answer number two, we know answer number one: Do you claim consensus on fasting on Saturday because it was the Day of 'Arafah or the Day of 'Ashura or any day of virtue by custom? They cannot claim consensus on that. This relieves us and suffices us in refuting their doubt. Because they do not say by consensus, so we are even less likely to say by consensus. If their claim is dropped.
Answer number three, and it is the last: Yes, a group went to the non-prescription of fasting on Saturday alone absolutely. And this is certainly mentioned in the book *Sharh Ma'ani al-Athar* by Imam Ibn Jafar al-Tahawi. And it is perhaps mentioned also in an old research I read in the book *"Iqtida' Sirat al-Mustaqim li-Mukhalafat Ahl al-Jahim"* by Ibn Taymiyyah.
Al-Halabi : *Bidayat al-Mujtahid*, our Shaykh referred to the disagreement in the issue.

The Shaykh : So the important thing is that the issue is one of disagreement, and Imam al-Tahawi transmits this from a group of the people of knowledge. So we are not alone in this.
Wafi: He transmits the non-isolation of Saturday, he does not transmit the non-permissibility of fasting on Saturday.

The Shaykh : It is this.
Al-Halabi : The fatwa of Abdullah ibn Busr to the one who asked him, this is an explicit statement.

The Shaykh : So this helps us in the matter. There is a hadith narrated by Ibn Lahi'ah as marfu', and narrated by others who are more trustworthy than him as mawquf upon the narrator of the first hadith: And he is Abdullah ibn Busr, who was the last Companion to die in Sham. Abdullah ibn Busr said this: "Fasting on Saturday is not for you and not upon you." And we, the Salafis, understand from his saying: "not for you," meaning it is not prescribed for you. Because this is like his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): So is it permissible to fast the whole year as long as he did not fast and did not break the fast? He did not fast by Shari'ah and did not break the fast in reality. So in what does a person tire himself, starving himself by abstaining from drink and food and all permissible pleasures except in hope of reward, and the Messenger says: So fasting on Saturday is not prescribed by the testimony of the narrator of the hadith.
Wafi: It is understood from this statement that it is not prescribed for him.

The Shaykh : Yes, without a doubt.
Wafi: "It is not for you" means you have no reward.

The questioner : "And not upon you," what does it mean?

The Shaykh : "And not upon you," this means that if you fast it, there is no sin upon you for which you are held accountable. But how can this text be understood with the understanding of the first part of the hadith?
This cannot be understood except on the basis that the one who understands that fasting on Saturday is not prescribed for him, it will be upon him. Because it is in the meaning of: But many people, and this is the reality, fast on the basis of hope for reward, but they do not imagine that it is prohibited. And therefore he said: "Not for you and not upon you." As for the one who understands the meaning of "not for you" in the sense we explained, he will understand that it is not upon him, not in the case of this one who understood the Shari'ah ruling, especially if the hadith comes to him: .
We perform wudu and pray, do you see the drowsiness, O Abu 'Abdullah?
Al-Halabi : Our Shaykh, Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him), in *Tahdhib al-Sunan* goes to this opinion on its apparent meaning, unlike what he went to in *Zad al-Ma'ad*.

The Shaykh : No, I do not believe this. He researched this research extensively. In the beginning of his speech, it is what you are saying, but at the end of the speech he goes with the majority. Oh Allah, I want to perform wudu to renew my wudu.