Does fasting a voluntary fast once obligate one to continue it?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Is fasting on Mondays and Thursdays of every week, or in every month, such that if I fast them once, it becomes obligatory for me to do so permanently?
Answer:
Fasting on Mondays and Thursdays is an act of drawing near to Allah, and it is among the best of acts of worship. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast them and said:Sunan an-Nasa'i 2358Hasan (Darussalam). However, one who fasts them is not required to continue doing so; if he wishes, he fasts, and if he wishes, he leaves it off, because it is a voluntary act. If he fasts them and then leaves them off at times, there is no blame on him, or if he leaves them off permanently, there is no blame on him. But if it is easy for him to continue, that is better, due to his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Muslim 782c. It is better for the believer to be consistent in righteous work and to persist in it, because he is in need of it, and it benefits him in this world and the Hereafter.
So it is with the Duha prayer, so it is with the Tahajjud prayer at night, so it is with the prescribed prayers before and after the obligatory ones; they are all voluntary. Whoever guards them has a great reward, and whoever leaves them off at times owes nothing. So it is with fasting three days of every month, so it is with fasting the Day of 'Arafah, and fasting the Day of 'Ashura, fasting the day before it or the day after it; all of these are Sunnahs and voluntary acts. Whoever does them has done well and has a great reward, and whoever leaves them off has done nothing wrong. And Allah knows best. Yes.
Is fasting on Mondays and Thursdays of every week, or in every month, such that if I fast them once, it becomes obligatory for me to do so permanently?
Answer:
Fasting on Mondays and Thursdays is an act of drawing near to Allah, and it is among the best of acts of worship. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to fast them and said:
Those are two days in which deeds are shown to the Lord of the worlds, and I like my deeds to be shown (to Him) when I am fasting.
إنهما يومان تعرض فيهما الأعمال على الله فأحب أن يعرض عملي وأنا صائمThe deed liked most by Allah is one to which the doer adheres constantly even if it is small.
إن أحب العمل إلى الله ما دام عليه صاحبه وإن قلSo it is with the Duha prayer, so it is with the Tahajjud prayer at night, so it is with the prescribed prayers before and after the obligatory ones; they are all voluntary. Whoever guards them has a great reward, and whoever leaves them off at times owes nothing. So it is with fasting three days of every month, so it is with fasting the Day of 'Arafah, and fasting the Day of 'Ashura, fasting the day before it or the day after it; all of these are Sunnahs and voluntary acts. Whoever does them has done well and has a great reward, and whoever leaves them off has done nothing wrong. And Allah knows best. Yes.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.