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I want to know what where the days in the arabic months that Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) used to fast on. i heard that they where the 13, 14, and 15 of every months. is that right.

Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

i want to know what where the days in the arabic months that Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) used to fast on. i heard that they where the 13, 14, and 15 of every months. is that right. where those the days. and i also heard that he used to fast on every mondays and thursdays of the week. is that right. Jazakallah 

 

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Answer:

 

Voluntary and prohibited days of fasting

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Keeping voluntary fasts to earn the pleasure of Allah Subhanah is a meritorious act of worship in Islam, and one may keep a voluntary fast on any day except some specific days which are prohibited by Allah’s Messenger (saws).

 

Amr al-'Ashari reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) say: "Verily, Friday is a day of Eid for you, so do not fast on it unless you fast the day before or after it."

Related by al-Bazzar.

 

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 3.120a

Hadrat Umar (r.a.) said: "The Messenger of Allah (saws) has forbidden fasting on the two days of Eid (Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha). Concerning the Eid of breaking the fast, it is for you to break your fast [of Ramadan]; and on the Eid of sacrifice, you should eat from what you sacrifice."

Related by Ahmad, an-Nasa'i, atTirmidhi, Abu Dawud, and Ibn Majah.

 

Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah (saws) sent 'Abdullah ibn Hudhaqah to announce at Mina: "You are not to fast the days of ‘tashreeq’ (the three days after the Eid ul-Adha). They are days of eating, and drinking, and remembering Allah."

Related by Ahmad.

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.629 Narrated by Abdullah bin Amr

Allah's Messenger (saws) was informed that I have said: "By Allah, I will fast all the days and pray all the nights as long as I live." On that, Allah's Messenger (saws) asked me: "Are you the one who says: 'I will fast all the days and pray all the nights as long as I live?' " I said, "Yes, I have said it." He (saws) said, "You cannot do that! So fast (sometimes) and do not fast (sometimes). Pray and sleep. Fast for three days a month, for the reward of a good deed is multiplied by ten times, and so the fasting of three days a month equals the fasting of a year." I said, "O Allah's Messenger (saws)! I can do (fast) more than this." He (saws) said, "Fast on every third day." I said: "I can do (fast) more than that." He (saws) said: "Fast on alternate days and this was the fasting of Prophet Dawood (a.s.) which is the most moderate sort of fasting." I said, "O Allah's Messenger (saws)! I can do (fast) more than that." He (saws) said, "There is nothing better than that!"

 

In light of the above guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws), the believers must abstain from fasting on:

Fridays, for the day of Friday is a day of Eid for the believers.

The days of the Eid-ul-Fitr and the Eid-ul-Adha.

The three days of ‘tashreeq’ after the Eid-ul-Adha (when performing the Hajj pilgrimage)

It is not permissible for a believer to keep continuous fasts.

 

Apart from the above listed prohibited days, one may keep voluntary fasts as often and as many as one wishes and is easy for them.

 

Your Question: i want to know what where the days in the arabic months that Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) used to fast on.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 3.127

The Prophet would fast most of the month of Sha'ban. 'Aishah said: "I never saw the Messenger of Allah fast a complete month save for Ramadan, and I have never seen him fast more in a month than he did in Sha'ban."

Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

 

Usamah ibn Zaid inquired: "O Messenger of Allah (saws), I never find you fasting in any month like you do during the month of Sha'ban." The Prophet responded: "That is a month the people neglect. It comes between Rajab and Ramadan. It is a month in which the deeds are raised to the Lord of the Worlds. I love that my deeds be raised while I am fasting."

Related by Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, and by Ibn Khuzaimah.

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 1267 Narrated by Abu Dharr

The Prophet (saws) said: ‘If you observe fast on three days in a month, then make them the days of the 13th, 14th and 15th nights of the moon.’

 

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 3.128a

Abu Dharr al-Ghafari reported: "The Messenger of Allah ordered us to fast for three days of every month--that is, on the days of the full moon (the 13th, 14th, and 15th of the lunar month). And he (saws) said: 'It is like fasting the whole year.'"

Related by an-Nasa'i and by Ibn Hibban.

 

It is related that the Prophet would fast on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of one month and on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of the next month. He (saws) would also fast for three days at the beginning of the month, or on the first Thursday and the next two Mondays of the month.

 

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 3.128

Abu Hurairah reported that the most the Prophet (saws) would fast would be on Mondays and Thursdays. He (saws) was asked about that and he (saws) said: "The actions are presented to the Lord on every Monday and Thursday. Allah forgives every Muslim or every believer, except for those who are boycotting each other. He (Allah Subhanah) says [about them]: 'Leave them!'"

Related by Ahmad.

Muslim relates that the Prophet (saws), when asked about fasting on Monday, said: "That is the day on which I was born and the day on which I received Revelations."

 

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 1261 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

The Prophet (saws) said: ‘A man's deeds are reported (to the Lord Most Exalted) on Mondays and Thursdays, and I prefer that I should be observing the fast when my deeds are reported.’

 

In light of the above established and authentic narrations it was the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) to observe regular voluntary fasts on:

The majority of the month of Shaabaan.

The 13th, 14th, and 15th days of the lunar month.

At times he (saws) would fast the Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays of one month; and the next month he would observe fast on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

The Mondays and Thursdays of the week.

 

Sahih Muslim Hadith 2581 Narrated by Aisha

Abu Salamah reported: I asked Aisha about the fasting of the Messenger of Allah (saws). She said: ‘He (saws) used to observe fast (at times so continuously) that we said: “He (saws) has fasted (never to break his fasting!)”; and he (saws) did not observe fast till we said: “He (saws) has given up perhaps never to fast!”, and I never saw him observing (voluntary fasts) more in any other month than that of the month of Sha'ban. (It appeared as if) he (saws) observed fast throughout the whole of the month of Sha'ban except a few (days).’

 

The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to rotate his regular voluntary fasts from time to time, so much so that at times the companions believed he (saws) had fasted continuously never to break his fasts; and at times he (saws) did not fast for so long a period that the companions believed that he (saws) had given up fasting! Praise be to Allah Subhanah Who appointed His Messenger (saws) and made the following of the deen of Islam easy for the believers.

 

In light of the above guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws), one may observe voluntary fasts as often and as many as one wishes and is easy for them. If one wishes to observe regular voluntary fasts for their Lord, they may fast any three days of the month, preferably the 13th, 14th and 15th of the lunar month. If one wishes to do more, then one may fast two days a week, preferably on Mondays and Thursdays. If one wishes to fast even more, then one may fast any three days of the week; and the absolute maximum and best fasting is the fasts of the Noble Prophet Dawood (a.s.) who would fast every other day and there is no better fasting than that.

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your Brother in Islam,

 

 

Burhan

 


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