Completing the tape material with an explanation of the chapter on voluntary fasting from Zad al-Mustaqn.
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The Shaykh : The author (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The Chapter on Voluntary Fasting"
Fasting is the modified noun, and voluntary is the modifier, and the modification here is to specify the type. This is because fasting is of two types: obligatory and voluntary. Both are called voluntary in the general sense, for voluntary means performing an act of obedience, but it is usually applied to obedience that is not obligatory. Otherwise, the original meaning of voluntary includes both obligatory and recommended obedience. Based on this, we say: there is no objection to the terminology. If the jurists (may Allah have mercy on them) made voluntary the opposite of obligatory, this is a terminology that contains no religious prohibition, so it is followed. It is said: voluntary prayer is any prayer that is not obligatory, and voluntary fasting is any fasting that is not obligatory. Thus, voluntary fasting means fasting that is not obligatory.
Know that from the mercy and wisdom of Allah is that He made for the obligatory acts corresponding voluntary acts. This is to patch the deficiencies that occur in the obligatory acts from one angle, and to increase the reward and recompense for the doers from another angle. For if these voluntary acts were not prescribed, performing them would be a misleading innovation. But from the grace of Allah is that He prescribed this voluntary worship for His servants.
It has come in the hadith that voluntary acts complete the obligatory acts on the Day of Resurrection. Then the author listed voluntary fasting in a general manner without detail, but in reality it is divided into two parts: absolute voluntary and restricted voluntary. Restricted voluntary is more emphasized than absolute voluntary, just as in prayer, restricted voluntary is better than absolute voluntary.
The author says: "It is recommended to fast the white days" It is recommended, and here we request two things:
The first thing: the establishment of its recommendation.
And the second: that it is not obligatory.
As for it not being obligatory, it is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned the pillars of Islam and mentioned among them fasting Ramadan and no other. And the Bedouin asked him, or rather Jibril (peace be upon him) asked him about the pillars of Islam, and he clarified to him that among them is fasting Ramadan, and nothing else is obligatory except by vow. As for the recommendation of fasting them, we say: the recommendation of fasting them is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed or ordered that the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth days be fasted. They were called white because of the whiteness of their nights by the light of the moon. For this reason, it is said the white days, meaning the days of the white nights. What is white is a description of the days, rather a description of the nights, because they became white by the light of the moon.
The white days are the thirteenth day, the fourteenth day, and the fifteenth day.Riyad as-Salihin 1260 Riyad as-Salihin 1260 And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast three days of every month. Aisha said: So here there are two things:
The first thing: the recommendation of fasting three days of every month, whether at the beginning of the month, the middle, or the end, and whether they are consecutive or scattered.
The second is that it should be that these days are in the white days, the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth. So specifying them in the white days is like specifying prayer in its first time, meaning the best time for the three days is the white days. But whoever fasts the three days other than the white days obtains the reward and obtains for him fasting the year.
The second he says: Fasting Monday and Thursday, and fasting Monday is more emphasized than fasting Thursday. It is recommended for a person to fast the days of Monday and Thursday of every week. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained that because they are two days on which deeds are presented to Allah the Exalted and Majestic. He said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 747Hasan (Darussalam) And he was asked about fasting Monday, so he said: Bulugh al-Maram 5:31 So the Messenger (peace be upon him) clarified that fasting Monday is required, and on this basis it is recommended to fast two days of every week, which are Monday and Thursday.
Now let us review the days of the week:
Fasting Tuesday and Wednesday is not a recommended practice nor disliked. It is not a recommended practice means specifically, otherwise it is an absolute recommended practice. It is recommended for a person to increase in fasting, but we do not say it is recommended to fast Tuesday, nor is it recommended to fast Wednesday, and it is not disliked.
Friday: It is not recommended to fast its day, and it is disliked to single it out with fasting, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Bulugh al-Maram 5:41 And because he said to one of the mothers of the believers, and she was fasting on Friday: Did you fast yesterday? She said: No. He said: Will you fast tomorrow? She said: No. He said: Then break your fast. So that indicates that the day of Friday is not to be singled out with fasting, rather the prohibition of that has come. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 1144b.
Saturday: It was said: it is like Wednesday and Tuesday, it is permissible. And it was said: it is not permissible except in the obligatory. And it was said: it is permissible but without singling it out. And the correct is that it is permissible without singling it out, meaning: if you fast with it Sunday or fast with it Friday, there is no harm. As for the hadith narrated by Abu Dawud:As-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Nasa'i 13:357 Meaning: let him eat it. This hadith is disputed: is it authentic or weak? Is it abrogated or not abrogated? Is it anomalous or not anomalous? And is the intended meaning singling it out without combining it with Friday or Sunday? And the most correct opinion in that is that what is prohibited is singling it out. As for if it is combined with the day of Friday or the day of Sunday is combined with it, there is no dislike in it. And its evidence is what I mentioned to you just now, where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to the woman: Will you fast tomorrow?
What is left with us? Sunday. Sunday: Some scholars recommended it, they recommended that a person fast it. And some scholars disliked it. As for those who recommended it, they said: because it is a day of celebration for the Christians, and a day of celebration is a day of eating, joy, and happiness, so the best is to oppose them and fast it.
And some scholars said: rather it is disliked to fast it, meaning alone. Why? They said: because fasting is a type of exalting the time, and if Sunday is a day of celebration for the Christians, then fasting it is exalting it, and it is not permissible for us to exalt what the disbelievers exalt in the sense that it is one of their rituals.
Fasting is the modified noun, and voluntary is the modifier, and the modification here is to specify the type. This is because fasting is of two types: obligatory and voluntary. Both are called voluntary in the general sense, for voluntary means performing an act of obedience, but it is usually applied to obedience that is not obligatory. Otherwise, the original meaning of voluntary includes both obligatory and recommended obedience. Based on this, we say: there is no objection to the terminology. If the jurists (may Allah have mercy on them) made voluntary the opposite of obligatory, this is a terminology that contains no religious prohibition, so it is followed. It is said: voluntary prayer is any prayer that is not obligatory, and voluntary fasting is any fasting that is not obligatory. Thus, voluntary fasting means fasting that is not obligatory.
Know that from the mercy and wisdom of Allah is that He made for the obligatory acts corresponding voluntary acts. This is to patch the deficiencies that occur in the obligatory acts from one angle, and to increase the reward and recompense for the doers from another angle. For if these voluntary acts were not prescribed, performing them would be a misleading innovation. But from the grace of Allah is that He prescribed this voluntary worship for His servants.
It has come in the hadith that voluntary acts complete the obligatory acts on the Day of Resurrection. Then the author listed voluntary fasting in a general manner without detail, but in reality it is divided into two parts: absolute voluntary and restricted voluntary. Restricted voluntary is more emphasized than absolute voluntary, just as in prayer, restricted voluntary is better than absolute voluntary.
The author says: "It is recommended to fast the white days" It is recommended, and here we request two things:
The first thing: the establishment of its recommendation.
And the second: that it is not obligatory.
As for it not being obligatory, it is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned the pillars of Islam and mentioned among them fasting Ramadan and no other. And the Bedouin asked him, or rather Jibril (peace be upon him) asked him about the pillars of Islam, and he clarified to him that among them is fasting Ramadan, and nothing else is obligatory except by vow. As for the recommendation of fasting them, we say: the recommendation of fasting them is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed or ordered that the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth days be fasted. They were called white because of the whiteness of their nights by the light of the moon. For this reason, it is said the white days, meaning the days of the white nights. What is white is a description of the days, rather a description of the nights, because they became white by the light of the moon.
The white days are the thirteenth day, the fourteenth day, and the fifteenth day.
Observing Saum (fasting) on three days of every month is equivalent to a full month's fasting.
صيام ثلاثة أيام من كل شهر صوم الدهر كلهObserving Saum (fasting) on three days of every month is equivalent to a full month's fasting.
صيام ثلاثة أيام من كل شهر صوم الدهر كلهHe does not care whether he fasted them from the beginning of the month or the end of it.
لا يبالي أصامها من أول الشهر أو آخرهThe first thing: the recommendation of fasting three days of every month, whether at the beginning of the month, the middle, or the end, and whether they are consecutive or scattered.
The second is that it should be that these days are in the white days, the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth. So specifying them in the white days is like specifying prayer in its first time, meaning the best time for the three days is the white days. But whoever fasts the three days other than the white days obtains the reward and obtains for him fasting the year.
The second he says: Fasting Monday and Thursday, and fasting Monday is more emphasized than fasting Thursday. It is recommended for a person to fast the days of Monday and Thursday of every week. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained that because they are two days on which deeds are presented to Allah the Exalted and Majestic. He said:
and I love that my deeds be presented while I am fasting.
فأحب أن يعرض عملي وأنا صائمThis is the day on which I was born and the day on which I was sent (with the Message of Islam) and the day on which I received revelation.
ذاك يوم ولدت فيه وبعثت فيه أو أنزل علي فيهNow let us review the days of the week:
Fasting Tuesday and Wednesday is not a recommended practice nor disliked. It is not a recommended practice means specifically, otherwise it is an absolute recommended practice. It is recommended for a person to increase in fasting, but we do not say it is recommended to fast Tuesday, nor is it recommended to fast Wednesday, and it is not disliked.
Friday: It is not recommended to fast its day, and it is disliked to single it out with fasting, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
None of you should fast on Friday, unless he fasts together with the day before or the day after.
لا تصوموا يوم الجمعة إلا أن تصوموا يوماً قبله أو يوماً بعدهAbu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) as saying: Do not single out the night (preceding) Friday among the nights for prayer and do not single out Friday among days for fasting but only when anyone among you is accustomed to fast (on dates) which coincide with this day (Friday).
لا تخصوا يوم الجمعة بصيام ولا ليلتها بقيامSaturday: It was said: it is like Wednesday and Tuesday, it is permissible. And it was said: it is not permissible except in the obligatory. And it was said: it is permissible but without singling it out. And the correct is that it is permissible without singling it out, meaning: if you fast with it Sunday or fast with it Friday, there is no harm. As for the hadith narrated by Abu Dawud:
Do not fast on the day of Saturday except for what is obligatory upon you, even if one of you finds nothing but the bark of a tree.
لا تصوموا يوم السبت إلا فيما افترض عليكم ولو لم يجد أحدكم إلا لحاء شجرWhat is left with us? Sunday. Sunday: Some scholars recommended it, they recommended that a person fast it. And some scholars disliked it. As for those who recommended it, they said: because it is a day of celebration for the Christians, and a day of celebration is a day of eating, joy, and happiness, so the best is to oppose them and fast it.
And some scholars said: rather it is disliked to fast it, meaning alone. Why? They said: because fasting is a type of exalting the time, and if Sunday is a day of celebration for the Christians, then fasting it is exalting it, and it is not permissible for us to exalt what the disbelievers exalt in the sense that it is one of their rituals.