What is your opinion on fasting on the day of 'Ashura alone?

The questioner : Your Eminence, what is your opinion on fasting on the tenth of Muharram, which is the day of 'Ashura, alone?

The Shaykh : Yes, do you mean on the Friday, or in general?

The questioner : In general.

The Shaykh : Fasting on 'Ashura has four levels:
The first level is to fast on the ninth, the tenth, and the eleventh. This is the highest level, based on what Ahmad narrated in al-Musnad: , and because if a person fasts for three days, he obtains the virtue of fasting three days of the month.
The second level is the ninth and the tenth, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): , when it was said to him that the Jews used to fast on the tenth day, and he loved to differ from the Jews, indeed, to differ from every disbeliever.
The third level is the tenth with the eleventh.
The fourth level is the tenth alone.
Some scholars said that it is permissible, while others said that it is disliked.
Those who said it is permissible cited as evidence the generality of the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) when he was asked about fasting on 'Ashura, where he said: , and he did not mention the ninth.
Those who said it is disliked stated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: or another wording: , and this necessitates adding a day to it for the sake of differing, or at least the dislike of fasting it alone.
The opinion that it is disliked is strong; the opinion that fasting it alone is disliked is a strong opinion. Therefore, we see that a person should get out of this by fasting the ninth before it or the eleventh.