Authored by: Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai
(Question by: Naveed Shaukat, Derby, UK)
"Do not fast on Saturday except for what has been made obligatory upon you. Even if you only find a piece of grapevine bark or a piece of wood to chew, do so."
(Sunan Abi Dawood: 2421, Sunan Tirmidhi: 744 who said: “Hasan”, Sunan Ibn Majah: 1726)
The chain of this Hadith is Hasan (good) in itself, and it has been declared authentic by Ibn Khuzaymah (2164), Ibn Hibban (in another chain: 3606), Al-Hakim (1/435, 1592) and Adh-Dhahabi.
However, Imam Abu Dawood stated:
"This Hadith is abrogated."
Many scholars have rejected the claim of abrogation.
Another narration states that before his death, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would observe fasts on Saturday and Sunday, and he said:
"These are the festive days of the polytheists (Jews and Christians), and I wish to oppose them."(Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah: 2167, Sahih Ibn Hibban: 1351/3607)
The chain of this narration is Hasan (good) in itself and it has been authenticated by Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Hibban, Al-Hakim (1/436, 1593), and Adh-Dhahabi.
The narrators Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Umar bin Ali bin Abi Talib have been declared trustworthy and reliable by several Hadith scholars:
✔ Dar Qutni said:
Thiqah (trustworthy)
(Su’alat al-Barqani: 85 summarized)
✔ Ibn Khuzaymah (through authenticating his narrations)
✔ Ibn Hibban (also)
✔ Al-Hakim (also)
✔ Adh-Dhahabi said in Al-Kashif (2/114):
Thiqah (trustworthy)
Similarly, Muhammad bin Umar bin Ali bin Abi Talib has been declared reliable:
✔ Ibn Hibban (listed him among trustworthy ones)
✔ Adh-Dhahabi:
Thiqah
(Al-Kashif 3/73)
✔ Dar Qutni:
Thiqah
(Su’alat al-Barqani: 85 summarized)
✔ Ibn Khuzaymah (through authenticating his narrations)
✔ Al-Hakim (also)
✔ Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani:
Saduq (truthful)
(Taqreeb at-Tahdhib No. 6170)
The rest of the chain is absolutely authentic.
Sheikh Al-Albani’s grading of this Hadith as weak (in Adh-Dha’ifah 1099) is very strange and incorrect.
From this Hasan narration, it is clear that if a person wants to observe a voluntary fast on Sunday, it is permissible for him to fast on Saturday as well, and scholars like Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Hibban, and Ibn Shahin understood the Hadith in this manner.
Since the conjunction "و" (waaw) in Arabic does not necessarily imply strict order, if a person wishes to fast solely on Saturday or solely on Sunday, it would also be permissible according to this narration.
Al-Hakim an-Naysaburi declared the second narration to be in contradiction to the first, implying that he leaned towards this understanding. والله أعلم
Muhammad bin Ismail Al-Amir As-San'ani also wrote:"Its apparent meaning supports observing fasts on either of the two days individually or together."(Subul As-Salam, p. 476, Hadith 683)
Another Hadith mentions:"The most beloved fast to Allah is the fast of Dawood (عليه السلام); he would fast one day and break his fast the next."(Sahih Bukhari: 1131, Sahih Muslim: 1159 summarized)
From this narration, it is understood that observing a fast solely on Saturday is permissible, and some contemporary scholars have also deduced this ruling from it.
Another narration mentions that Imam Az-Zuhri said regarding fasting on Saturday:"There is no harm in fasting on this day."(Sharh Ma'ani al-Athar by At-Tahawi 2/81)
However, the chain of this narration is weak for two reasons:① The teacher of At-Tahawi, Muhammad bin Humaid bin Hisham, has not been proven to be trustworthy or reliable.② Abdullah bin Salih’s narrations from Al-Layth are only authentic or Hasan when transmitted by reliable and proficient scholars, and this is not among those narrations.
Another narration states that Imam Az-Zuhri commented on the Hadith of Abdullah bin Busr (رضي الله عنه):"It is a Hadith from the people of Homs."(Al-Mustadrak 1/436)
The chain of this narration is doubtful due to the mixing up (Ikhtilat) of Muhammad bin Ismail bin Mehran An-Naysaburi.
(5th August 2013)
❀ Question
What is the ruling on observing a voluntary fast only on Saturday?(Question by: Naveed Shaukat, Derby, UK)
❀ The Answer
A summary of a narration reported from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Busr (رضي الله عنه) and his sister Samā’ al-Māziniyyah and others is that the Prophet ﷺ said:"Do not fast on Saturday except for what has been made obligatory upon you. Even if you only find a piece of grapevine bark or a piece of wood to chew, do so."
(Sunan Abi Dawood: 2421, Sunan Tirmidhi: 744 who said: “Hasan”, Sunan Ibn Majah: 1726)
The chain of this Hadith is Hasan (good) in itself, and it has been declared authentic by Ibn Khuzaymah (2164), Ibn Hibban (in another chain: 3606), Al-Hakim (1/435, 1592) and Adh-Dhahabi.
However, Imam Abu Dawood stated:
"This Hadith is abrogated."
Many scholars have rejected the claim of abrogation.
Another narration states that before his death, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would observe fasts on Saturday and Sunday, and he said:
"These are the festive days of the polytheists (Jews and Christians), and I wish to oppose them."(Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah: 2167, Sahih Ibn Hibban: 1351/3607)
The chain of this narration is Hasan (good) in itself and it has been authenticated by Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Hibban, Al-Hakim (1/436, 1593), and Adh-Dhahabi.
The narrators Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Umar bin Ali bin Abi Talib have been declared trustworthy and reliable by several Hadith scholars:
✔ Dar Qutni said:
Thiqah (trustworthy)
(Su’alat al-Barqani: 85 summarized)
✔ Ibn Khuzaymah (through authenticating his narrations)
✔ Ibn Hibban (also)
✔ Al-Hakim (also)
✔ Adh-Dhahabi said in Al-Kashif (2/114):
Thiqah (trustworthy)
Similarly, Muhammad bin Umar bin Ali bin Abi Talib has been declared reliable:
✔ Ibn Hibban (listed him among trustworthy ones)
✔ Adh-Dhahabi:
Thiqah
(Al-Kashif 3/73)
✔ Dar Qutni:
Thiqah
(Su’alat al-Barqani: 85 summarized)
✔ Ibn Khuzaymah (through authenticating his narrations)
✔ Al-Hakim (also)
✔ Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani:
Saduq (truthful)
(Taqreeb at-Tahdhib No. 6170)
The rest of the chain is absolutely authentic.
Sheikh Al-Albani’s grading of this Hadith as weak (in Adh-Dha’ifah 1099) is very strange and incorrect.
From this Hasan narration, it is clear that if a person wants to observe a voluntary fast on Sunday, it is permissible for him to fast on Saturday as well, and scholars like Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Hibban, and Ibn Shahin understood the Hadith in this manner.
Since the conjunction "و" (waaw) in Arabic does not necessarily imply strict order, if a person wishes to fast solely on Saturday or solely on Sunday, it would also be permissible according to this narration.
Al-Hakim an-Naysaburi declared the second narration to be in contradiction to the first, implying that he leaned towards this understanding. والله أعلم
Muhammad bin Ismail Al-Amir As-San'ani also wrote:"Its apparent meaning supports observing fasts on either of the two days individually or together."(Subul As-Salam, p. 476, Hadith 683)
Another Hadith mentions:"The most beloved fast to Allah is the fast of Dawood (عليه السلام); he would fast one day and break his fast the next."(Sahih Bukhari: 1131, Sahih Muslim: 1159 summarized)
From this narration, it is understood that observing a fast solely on Saturday is permissible, and some contemporary scholars have also deduced this ruling from it.
Another narration mentions that Imam Az-Zuhri said regarding fasting on Saturday:"There is no harm in fasting on this day."(Sharh Ma'ani al-Athar by At-Tahawi 2/81)
However, the chain of this narration is weak for two reasons:① The teacher of At-Tahawi, Muhammad bin Humaid bin Hisham, has not been proven to be trustworthy or reliable.② Abdullah bin Salih’s narrations from Al-Layth are only authentic or Hasan when transmitted by reliable and proficient scholars, and this is not among those narrations.
Another narration states that Imam Az-Zuhri commented on the Hadith of Abdullah bin Busr (رضي الله عنه):"It is a Hadith from the people of Homs."(Al-Mustadrak 1/436)
The chain of this narration is doubtful due to the mixing up (Ikhtilat) of Muhammad bin Ismail bin Mehran An-Naysaburi.
❀ Summary of the Research
It is better not to fast exclusively on Saturday, but if a person fasts on Saturday out of the intention to oppose the Jews and Christians, then it is permissible. والله أعلم(5th August 2013)
