Chapter on the prohibition of fasting before Ramadan after the middle of Sha'ban, except for one who connects it to what came before it, or if it coincides with his custom.

The reciter: He said -may Allah have mercy on him-: "Chapter on the prohibition of fasting before Ramadan after the middle of Sha'ban, except for one who connects it to what came before it, or if it coincides with his custom:
From Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said:

None of you should fast a day or two before the month of Ramadan unless he has the habit of fasting (Nawafil) (and if his fasting coincides with that day) then he can fast that day.

لا يتقدمن أحدكم رمضان بصوم يوم أو يومين، إلا أن يكون رجل كان يصوم صومه فليصم ذلك اليوم

Sahih al-Bukhari 1914

Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
And it was narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Do not fast before Ramadan. Fast when you see the new moon, and break your fast when you see it. If it is obscured from you by clouds, then complete thirty days

لا تصوموا قبل رمضان، صوموا لرؤيته، وأفطروا لرؤيته، فإن حالت دونه غَيابة فأكملوا ثلاثين يومًا

Sahih Ibn Hibban 14:179

Al-Tirmidhi narrated it and said: It is a good, authentic hadith.
And it was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

When a half of Sha'ban remains then do not fast.

إذا بقي نصف مِن شعبان فلا تصوموا

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 738Sahih (Darussalam)

Al-Tirmidhi narrated it and said: It is a good, authentic hadith.
And it was narrated from 'Ammar ibn Yasir (may Allah be pleased with them both) who said:

Whoever fasts on the day concerning which there is doubt, has disobeyed Abu Al-Qasim.

مَن صام اليوم الذي يُشك فيه فقد عصى أبا القاسم صلى الله عليه وسلم

Sunan an-Nasa'i 2188Sahih (Darussalam)

Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi narrated it, and al-Tirmidhi said: It is a good, authentic hadith".

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:
The author al-Nawawi -may Allah have mercy on him- said in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*: "Chapter on the prohibition of fasting before Ramadan after the middle of Sha'ban":
Then he mentioned hadiths -may Allah have mercy on him-:
Among them is the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) : For example, if it is his custom to fast on Mondays, and a Monday falls one or two days before Ramadan, there is no harm. Or if it is his custom to fast the white days (the 13th, 14th, and 15th) and he was unable to fast the 13th, 14th, and 15th, and it was not possible for him except to fast one or two days before Ramadan, there is no harm.
And this indicates that the intent of the prohibition is the fear that a person will be cautious about the entry of Ramadan and say: I will fast one or two days before it as a precaution. This precaution has no basis. For this reason, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: meaning for the sighting of the new moon, meaning: clouds, haze, or something similar meaning the count of Sha'ban.
The scholars -may Allah have mercy on them- differed regarding this prohibition: is it a prohibition of prohibition (tahrim) or a prohibition of dislike (karahah)? The correct view is that it is a prohibition of prohibition, especially on the day of doubt. For 'Ammar ibn Yasir (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: . Based on this, we say: It is not permissible for a person to fast one or two days before Ramadan except for one who has a custom. And it is not permissible to fast on the day of doubt, which is the 30th of Sha'ban, if there are clouds or haze in the night that prevent the sighting of the new moon, absolutely. Because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
As for the prohibition of fasting after the middle of Sha'ban, although al-Tirmidhi said: "Good, authentic", it is weak. Imam Ahmad said: "It is anomalous", because it contradicts the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . The implication of this is that it is permissible to fast three days, four days, or ten days before Ramadan. And even if the hadith were authentic, the prohibition in it is not for prohibition (tahrim) but for dislike (karahah), as some scholars -may Allah have mercy on them- adopted this view. Except for one who has a custom of fasting, for he may fast even after the middle of Sha'ban. Based on this, fasting falls into three categories:
From after the middle to the 28th, this is disliked, except for one who is accustomed to fasting. But this opinion is based on the authenticity of the hadith, and Imam Ahmad did not authenticate it. Based on this, there is no dislike.
The second: One or two days before Ramadan, this is forbidden, except for one who has a custom.
The third: The day of doubt, this is absolutely forbidden. Do not fast on the day of doubt, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited it. But as I said: It appears that the prohibition is for one who intends to make it part of Ramadan. As for one who intends to fast it voluntarily, it is forbidden by the prohibition of blocking the means (sadd al-dhara'i'), meaning that it is feared that if people see this man has fasted, they will think he fasted as a precaution, and this is not permissible. One should not be cautious in this way. , and success is from Allah.