Is it obligatory to fast the ninth day along with the tenth?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The phone rang.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Peace be upon you
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah
The questioner : May I have a question?
The Shaykh : Please go ahead.
The questioner : Fasting the ninth and the tenth, is it obligatory that we fast the ninth?
The Shaykh : Is it obligatory, what?
The questioner : That we fast the ninth?
The Shaykh : If you mean what you are saying, my brother, which is the legal obligation, then the answer is that the original fast of Ashura, let alone the ninth, is not obligatory; rather, it is among the recommended matters.
The questioner : In the hadith ...?
The Shaykh : Listen, my brother. It is obligatory for you to listen to the answer and pay attention so that you understand it. I am saying: you asked if it is obligatory, so I am answering you that what is obligatory by the Shari'ah is that which is not permissible to leave, and its leaver is punished. So I draw your attention to the fact that the fast of Ashura, let alone the ninth, is not an obligation (fard); rather, it is a recommended matter. However, this recommendation has two levels. The first, which is the higher, is to fast Ashura and before it the ninth. The second level, which is the lower, is to fast Ashura alone.
The questioner : May Allah preserve you, and may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And you, if Allah wills.
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Peace be upon you
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah
The questioner : May I have a question?
The Shaykh : Please go ahead.
The questioner : Fasting the ninth and the tenth, is it obligatory that we fast the ninth?
The Shaykh : Is it obligatory, what?
The questioner : That we fast the ninth?
The Shaykh : If you mean what you are saying, my brother, which is the legal obligation, then the answer is that the original fast of Ashura, let alone the ninth, is not obligatory; rather, it is among the recommended matters.
The questioner : In the hadith
If I live to the coming year, I will fast the ninth.
لئن عشت لعام قابل لأصومن التاسعThe Shaykh : Listen, my brother. It is obligatory for you to listen to the answer and pay attention so that you understand it. I am saying: you asked if it is obligatory, so I am answering you that what is obligatory by the Shari'ah is that which is not permissible to leave, and its leaver is punished. So I draw your attention to the fact that the fast of Ashura, let alone the ninth, is not an obligation (fard); rather, it is a recommended matter. However, this recommendation has two levels. The first, which is the higher, is to fast Ashura and before it the ninth. The second level, which is the lower, is to fast Ashura alone.
The questioner : May Allah preserve you, and may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And you, if Allah wills.
The questioner : Yes, Shaykh.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.