✦ By: ʿUbaydullah Tahir ḥafiẓahullāh
❀ Ḥadīth:
«عن صلة، قال:” كنا عند عمار رضى الله عنه فى اليوم الذى يشك فيه، فاتى بشاة فتنحى بعض القوم”، فقال عمار رضى الله عنه :” من صام هذا اليوم فقد عصى ابا القاسم صلى الله عليه وسلم. »
Ṣillah رحمه الله said:
We were with ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir رضي الله عنه on the day of doubt, and a goat was brought forward. Some people withdrew (as if fasting). ʿAmmār رضي الله عنه said:
“Whoever fasts on this day has disobeyed Abū al-Qāsim (i.e., the Messenger of Allah ﷺ).”
[Sunan Abū Dāwūd 2334, Sunan al-Tirmidhī 686, Sunan al-Nasāʾī 2188, Sunan Ibn Mājah 1645, Ṣaḥīḥ]
The Day of Doubt refers to the 30th of Shaʿbān, when no moon is sighted on the 29th, leaving uncertainty as to whether the next day is the 30th of Shaʿbān or the 1st of Ramaḍān.
① The majority of scholars have declared fasting on the Day of Doubt as Makrūh (discouraged).
② If a person fasts on this day assuming it might be Ramaḍān, and it later becomes confirmed that it indeed was the first day of Ramaḍān, that fast will not be valid and must be made up (Qaḍāʾ).
③ However, if someone has a habit of fasting on a specific weekday, and it happens to coincide with the 30th of Shaʿbān, then it is not Makrūh for such a person to fast on that day.
④ The intention behind the fast is key — precautionary fasting out of doubt is discouraged, while habitual or unrelated voluntary fasting is allowed.
❖ Prohibition of Fasting on the Day of Doubt (30th Shaʿbān)
❀ Ḥadīth:
«عن صلة، قال:” كنا عند عمار رضى الله عنه فى اليوم الذى يشك فيه، فاتى بشاة فتنحى بعض القوم”، فقال عمار رضى الله عنه :” من صام هذا اليوم فقد عصى ابا القاسم صلى الله عليه وسلم. »
Ṣillah رحمه الله said:
We were with ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir رضي الله عنه on the day of doubt, and a goat was brought forward. Some people withdrew (as if fasting). ʿAmmār رضي الله عنه said:
“Whoever fasts on this day has disobeyed Abū al-Qāsim (i.e., the Messenger of Allah ﷺ).”
[Sunan Abū Dāwūd 2334, Sunan al-Tirmidhī 686, Sunan al-Nasāʾī 2188, Sunan Ibn Mājah 1645, Ṣaḥīḥ]
❖ Explanation of the “Day of Doubt”
The Day of Doubt refers to the 30th of Shaʿbān, when no moon is sighted on the 29th, leaving uncertainty as to whether the next day is the 30th of Shaʿbān or the 1st of Ramaḍān.
✔ Key Rulings:
① The majority of scholars have declared fasting on the Day of Doubt as Makrūh (discouraged).
② If a person fasts on this day assuming it might be Ramaḍān, and it later becomes confirmed that it indeed was the first day of Ramaḍān, that fast will not be valid and must be made up (Qaḍāʾ).
③ However, if someone has a habit of fasting on a specific weekday, and it happens to coincide with the 30th of Shaʿbān, then it is not Makrūh for such a person to fast on that day.
④ The intention behind the fast is key — precautionary fasting out of doubt is discouraged, while habitual or unrelated voluntary fasting is allowed.
