As for fasting on Friday, the author has dedicated a chapter to it, titled: “The Dislike of Singling Out Friday for Fasting and Its Night for Standing in Prayer”
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The Shaykh : As for fasting on Friday, the author has dedicated a chapter to it, which is: “The Dislike of Singling Out Friday for Fasting and Its Night for Standing in Prayer”:
Friday is the weekly festival, and it recurs every seven days; it is the eighth day. Since it is a festival, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited fasting on it. However, this is not a prohibition of harm, because it recurs more than fifty times a year.
As for the prohibition of fasting on the two festivals, 'Id al-Adha and 'Id al-Fitr, it is a prohibition of harm, because they do not recur more than once a year: 'Id al-Fitr once and 'Id al-Adha once.
As for Friday, it recurs, and therefore the prohibition regarding it is lighter; it is a prohibition of dislike. The dislike is removed if you add a day before it or a day after it. For this reason, the hadiths of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) came, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1144b. But if it is not a singling out, such as if a person stands in prayer every night, there is no harm in standing on the night of Friday. Or if he fasts one day and breaks the fast the next, and Friday happens to be his fasting day, there is no harm in fasting it. Likewise, if Friday happens to be the Day of 'Arafah or the Day of 'Ashura, there is no harm in fasting it, because this fasting is not a singling out of Friday, but a singling out of the day that coincided with Friday. So if Friday is the Day of 'Arafah, fast it and do not worry, even if you were not fasting before it. And if it coincides with the Day of 'Ashura, fast it and do not worry. But on the Day of 'Ashura, one should differ from the Jews in this by fasting a day before it or a day after it. For this reason, he said in another hadith: Bulugh al-Maram 5:41, or Sahih Muslim 1144b.
In the hadith of Juwayriyyah bint al-Harith (may Allah be pleased with her), the Mother of the Believers, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to her while she was fasting on Friday:: there is evidence that if a day before Friday or a day after it is fasted, there is no harm. And in his saying: : there is evidence of the permissibility of fasting on Saturday as a voluntary act, and that there is no harm or dislike in it if Friday is added to it.
A hadith has been reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in which he said:As-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Nasa'i 13:358, or as he (peace and blessings be upon him) said. But the scholars differed regarding this hadith: some said that it is weak and not acted upon. Our Shaykh, the hadith scholar, 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Baz, said that: “This hadith prohibiting fasting on Saturday is weak and anomalous, and is not acted upon”.
Some said that it is abrogated.
Some said: “The prohibition is only of singling it out, but if Friday or Sunday is fasted, there is no dislike”. Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) held this view. In any case, if one fasts it, there is no sin on him, but it is better not to fast it unless a day before it or a day after it is added to it.
The hadith of Juwayriyyah is authentic in Sahih al-Bukhari, and the hadith of Muhammad ibn 'Abbad is in Sahih Muslim. Both indicate that fasting on Saturday is not forbidden, and that it is permissible if one fasts on Friday.
By this, we know that a person should not be a follower who imitates others; whenever someone mentions something, he should not imitate them without looking at the evidence and reconciling them. Because some scholars look at the apparent chain of narration and judge the hadith authentic without looking at its text. Looking at the text is important, because the error of one of the transmitters is less severe than an error that contradicts the principles of the Shari'ah, and contradicts the authentic, explicit, and clear hadiths that are stronger in chain and more forceful in text.
Therefore, a student of knowledge, especially a student of hadith who is concerned with it, should be alert to this and not judge a hadith authentic merely based on the apparent chain of narration. Rather, he must look at the text: does it contradict the known principles of the Shari'ah? Does it contradict the hadiths narrated by the trustworthy, steadfast, and mountain-like scholars of hadith? Then he should judge it as anomalous and not accept it, because, as I told you, one error in transmission is less severe than the error of the trustworthy, steadfast imams, or the error of the legal principles observed in the Shari'ah.
In any case, fasting on Saturday voluntarily is not forbidden, but one should not fast it unless he fasts a day before it or a day after it with it. And success is from Allah.
Friday is the weekly festival, and it recurs every seven days; it is the eighth day. Since it is a festival, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited fasting on it. However, this is not a prohibition of harm, because it recurs more than fifty times a year.
As for the prohibition of fasting on the two festivals, 'Id al-Adha and 'Id al-Fitr, it is a prohibition of harm, because they do not recur more than once a year: 'Id al-Fitr once and 'Id al-Adha once.
As for Friday, it recurs, and therefore the prohibition regarding it is lighter; it is a prohibition of dislike. The dislike is removed if you add a day before it or a day after it. For this reason, the hadiths of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) came, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Abu 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 بقيامunless he fasts together with the day before or the day after
إلا أن يصوم يوما قبله أو يوما بعدهbut only when anyone among you is accustomed to fast
إلا أن يكون في صوم يصومه الإنسانIn the hadith of Juwayriyyah bint al-Harith (may Allah be pleased with her), the Mother of the Believers, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to her while she was fasting on Friday:
Do you intend to fast tomorrow? She said: No. He said: Did you fast yesterday? She said: No. He said: Then break your fast
أتريدين أن تصومي غدا؟ قالت: لا ، قال: أصمت أمس؟ قالت: لا، قال : فأفطريDo you fast tomorrow?
أتصومين غداA hadith has been reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in which he said:
Do not fast on Saturday except in what is obligatory upon you, even if one of you takes a grape leaf and chews it
لا تصوموا يوم السبت إلا فيما افترض عليكم ، ولو أن يأخذ أحدكم لحاء عنب فيضمهSome said that it is abrogated.
Some said: “The prohibition is only of singling it out, but if Friday or Sunday is fasted, there is no dislike”. Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) held this view. In any case, if one fasts it, there is no sin on him, but it is better not to fast it unless a day before it or a day after it is added to it.
The hadith of Juwayriyyah is authentic in Sahih al-Bukhari, and the hadith of Muhammad ibn 'Abbad is in Sahih Muslim. Both indicate that fasting on Saturday is not forbidden, and that it is permissible if one fasts on Friday.
By this, we know that a person should not be a follower who imitates others; whenever someone mentions something, he should not imitate them without looking at the evidence and reconciling them. Because some scholars look at the apparent chain of narration and judge the hadith authentic without looking at its text. Looking at the text is important, because the error of one of the transmitters is less severe than an error that contradicts the principles of the Shari'ah, and contradicts the authentic, explicit, and clear hadiths that are stronger in chain and more forceful in text.
Therefore, a student of knowledge, especially a student of hadith who is concerned with it, should be alert to this and not judge a hadith authentic merely based on the apparent chain of narration. Rather, he must look at the text: does it contradict the known principles of the Shari'ah? Does it contradict the hadiths narrated by the trustworthy, steadfast, and mountain-like scholars of hadith? Then he should judge it as anomalous and not accept it, because, as I told you, one error in transmission is less severe than the error of the trustworthy, steadfast imams, or the error of the legal principles observed in the Shari'ah.
In any case, fasting on Saturday voluntarily is not forbidden, but one should not fast it unless he fasts a day before it or a day after it with it. And success is from Allah.