Ruling on Voluntary Fasting Only on Saturday: Hadith, Scholarly Views, and Verdict
Source: Fatawa Ilmiyyah, Vol. 3 – Fasting, Sadaqat al-Fitr, and Zakat Issues – p. 151
Question
What is the ruling on keeping a voluntary fast only on Saturday?
Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ‘alā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Ba‘d!
Prophetic Instruction Regarding Saturday Fasting
A ḥadīth narrated from Sayyidunā ‘Abdullāh ibn Busr رضي الله عنه, his sister Ṣammā’ al-Māziniyyah, and other Companions states:
“Do not fast on Saturday except for a fast that has been made obligatory upon you. And if you find nothing but the peel of a grape stalk or a piece of wood from a tree (to chew), then chew it.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 2421, Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 744, who said: “Ḥasan”, Sunan Ibn Mājah: 1726)
Authenticity of the Ḥadīth
- Its chain is ḥasan li-dhātih.
- Graded authentic by: Ibn Khuzaymah (2164), Ibn Ḥibbān رحمه الله (in another chain: 3606), al-Ḥākim (1/435), and al-Dhahabī رحمه الله.
- However, Imām Abū Dāwūd رحمه الله said: “This ḥadīth is abrogated.”
- Many scholars have rejected the claim of abrogation.
Prophet ﷺ Fasting on Saturday and Sunday
Another ḥadīth states that the Prophet ﷺ, before his passing, fasted on Saturday and Sunday and said:
“These are the festival days of the polytheists (Jews and Christians), and I wish to differ from them.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah: 2167, Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān: 3607, 3516)
Authenticity of This Ḥadīth
- Ḥasan li-dhātih
- Graded authentic by Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Ḥibbān, al-Ḥākim (1/436, ḥadīth: 1593), and al-Dhahabī.
Notable Narrators:
- ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib رضي الله عنه: Graded thiqah by al-Dāraqutnī, Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Ḥibbān, al-Ḥākim, and al-Dhahabī.
- Muḥammad ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib رضي الله عنه: Mentioned among trustworthy narrators by Ibn Ḥibbān and al-Dhahabī; graded ṣadūq by Ibn Ḥajar.
The rest of the chain is completely authentic.
Comment on Weakening
Shaykh al-Albānī رحمه الله graded this ḥadīth weak due to Muḥammad ibn ‘Umar ibn ‘Alī (al-Ḍa‘īfah: 1099), but this is considered incorrect.
Permissibility of Combining Saturday with Sunday
From this ḥadīth, it is clear that one who wishes to fast on Sunday may also fast on Saturday.
Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Ḥibbān, and Ibn Shāhīn رحمهم الله held the same view.
The conjunction “و” in Arabic does not always require order; hence, fasting only on Saturday or only on Sunday is also permissible.
Reconciling the Two Ḥadīths
Al-Ḥākim al-Naysābūrī رحمه الله considered the second ḥadīth as a counterpart to the first, thus inclining towards the second opinion.
Statement of Imām al-Ṣan‘ānī رحمه الله
He said:
“وظاهرُه صوم كلٍّ على الانفراد والاجتماع“
Meaning: Its apparent meaning is that fasting on each of the two days separately or together is permissible.
(Subul al-Salām, p. 476, ḥadīth: 683)
The Fast of Prophet Dāwūd عليه السلام
A ḥadīth states:
“The most beloved fast to Allah is the fast of Dāwūd عليه السلام. He would fast one day and break the fast the next.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1131, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1159)
This also proves the permissibility of fasting on Saturday. Some contemporary scholars have used this as supporting evidence.
Statement of Imām al-Zuhrī رحمه الله
He said about fasting on Saturday: “There is no harm in it.” (Sharḥ Ma‘ānī al-Āthār, 2/81)
However, this narration has two defects:
① The reliability of Ṭaḥāwī’s teacher Muḥammad ibn Ḥumayd ibn Hishām is not established.
② ‘Abdullāh ibn Ṣāliḥ’s narrations are only acceptable when narrated by trustworthy imams, which is not the case here.
In another narration, Imām al-Zuhrī said regarding the ḥadīth of ‘Abdullāh ibn Busr رضي الله عنه:
“It is a ḥadīth from the people of Ḥimṣ.” (al-Mustadrak, 1/436)
This chain is also questionable due to the mixing (ikhtilāṭ) of Muḥammad ibn Ismā‘īl ibn Mihrān al-Nīsābūrī.
Summary
- Fasting only on Saturday is not virtuous in itself.
- If someone fasts on Saturday with the intention of opposing Jews and Christians, it is permissible.
- Fasting on Saturday along with Sunday, or even individually, is allowed based on authentic evidence.
Date: 5 August 2013
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
