The Ruling on Fasting on Saturday
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Question:
This questioner (N.A.M.) from Jordan has a set of questions. In the first question, she says: O Shaykh! What is the ruling on fasting on Saturday? I have heard many opinions regarding fasting on this day. Some people say that it should not be fasted unless it is preceded by a day of fasting and followed by a day of fasting. Others say that it is not permissible to fast on this day at all, except if it is an obligatory fast, but not as a voluntary one. If that is the case, and I want to fast the fast of Dawud (peace be upon him), I must let the day of Saturday pass without fasting on it, without preceding it with a day of fasting or following it with a day of fasting. What is your opinion on this?
Answer:
The hadith regarding the prohibition of fasting on Saturday... is a weak, anomalous, and confused hadith. It is what is narrated from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: This hadith is weak and confused, and the scholars of hadith have pointed this out.
So the hadith is not authentic. There is no harm in fasting on Saturday with Friday, or with Sunday, or alone. There is no blame in it. This is the correct and authentic position. The hadith is weak and cannot be used as evidence.
And what indicates its weakness is what is established in the two Sahihs from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Bulugh al-Maram 5:41 So he permitted people to fast on the day after it... after Friday, which is Saturday, as a voluntary fast. This indicates that the hadith prohibiting its fasting except as an obligation is a false hadith, contradicting the authentic hadiths.
And so it was, (peace and blessings be upon him), that he would fast on Sunday and on Saturday, and he would say:Mishkat al-Masabih 2068.
In conclusion: The hadith regarding the prohibition of fasting on Saturday is a weak hadith, indeed a false one that is not authentic. There is no harm in fasting on Saturday alone, or with Friday, or with Sunday. All of this is permissible, and praise be to Allah.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.
This questioner (N.A.M.) from Jordan has a set of questions. In the first question, she says: O Shaykh! What is the ruling on fasting on Saturday? I have heard many opinions regarding fasting on this day. Some people say that it should not be fasted unless it is preceded by a day of fasting and followed by a day of fasting. Others say that it is not permissible to fast on this day at all, except if it is an obligatory fast, but not as a voluntary one. If that is the case, and I want to fast the fast of Dawud (peace be upon him), I must let the day of Saturday pass without fasting on it, without preceding it with a day of fasting or following it with a day of fasting. What is your opinion on this?
Answer:
The hadith regarding the prohibition of fasting on Saturday... is a weak, anomalous, and confused hadith. It is what is narrated from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
No one should fast on Saturday except in what is obligatory upon him. If he finds nothing but the bark of a grapevine or a stick from a tree, let him chew it.
لا يصومن أحد يوم السبت إلا فيما افترض عليه، فإن لم يجد إلا لحاء عنب، أو عود شجرة؛ فليمضغSo the hadith is not authentic. There is no harm in fasting on Saturday with Friday, or with Sunday, or alone. There is no blame in it. This is the correct and authentic position. The hadith is weak and cannot be used as evidence.
And what indicates its weakness is what is established in the two Sahihs from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
None of you should fast on Friday, unless he fasts together with the day before or the day after.
لا يصومن أحد يوم الجمعة إلا أن يصوم يومًا قبله، أو يومًا بعدهAnd so it was, (peace and blessings be upon him), that he would fast on Sunday and on Saturday, and he would say:
They are days of festival for the polytheists, and I like to act contrary to them.
إنهما يوما عيد للمشركين، فأنا أريد أن أخالفهمIn conclusion: The hadith regarding the prohibition of fasting on Saturday is a weak hadith, indeed a false one that is not authentic. There is no harm in fasting on Saturday alone, or with Friday, or with Sunday. All of this is permissible, and praise be to Allah.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.