Voluntary fasting

“The day of ‘Ashura’ was considered as ‘Eid day by the Jews. So the Prophet [saws] ordered, ‘I recommend you [Muslims] to observe saum on this day.’”[38]

Now abrogated by obligatory fasting in Ramadan

“The Prophet [saws] came to Al-Madinah and he found the Jews observing a fast. He said, ‘What is this?’ They said, ‘This is the day when Allah [swt] saved Musa [as] and drowned Pharaoh so Musa [as] fasted this day in gratitude.’ The Messenger of Allah [saws] said, ‘We have more right to Musa [as] than you do.’ So he fasted [that day] and enjoined [others] to fast it also.’”[39]

“That was a day [of ‘Ashura’] when the people of Ignorance used to fast. So whoever among you wants to fast may do so and whoever does not want to may leave it.”[40]

’Ashura’ was a day we used to fast during Jahiliyyah. When [the obligation of fasting] Ramadan was revealed the Messenger of Allah [saws] said, ‘This day is among Allah’s Days,’ so whoever wanted to he would fast it and whoever wanted to he would leave it.” [41]

“The Quraish used to fast on ‘Ashura’ during the Jahiliyyah and the Messenger of Allah [saws] used to fast on [that day] too. When he emigrated to Al-Madinah he fasted this day and ordered that this fast be observed. When [fasting during] the month of Ramadan was enjoined he said, ‘Whoever wishes may fast it and whoever wishes may forsake it.’”[42]

‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar [ra] narrated that the people of Jahiliyyah used to fast on the day of ‘Ashura’ and the Messenger of Allah [saws] and the Muslims fasted it before Ramadan was made obligatory. When the month of Ramadan was made obligatory the Messenger of Allah [saws] said, “’Ashura’ is one of the days of Allah [swt] so whoever wishes may fast it and whoever wishes may leave it.”[43]

“Al-Ash’ath bin Qais [ra] entered upon Ibn Mas’ud [ra] when he was eating on the day of ‘Ashura’. He said, ‘O Abu ‘Abdur-Rahman today is the day of ‘Ashura’.’ He said, ‘It was fasted before Ramadan was enjoined and when Ramadan was enjoined it was abandoned. So if you are not fasting come and eat.’”[44]

“The Messenger of Allah [saws] used to enjoin us and encourage us to fast on the day of ‘Ashura’ and he used to check on us when that day came. When Ramadan was enjoined he neither commanded us nor forbade us and he did not check on us.”[45]

“The Prophet [saws] observed the saum on the tenth of Muharram [‘Ashura’] and ordered [Muslims] to observe saum on that day but when the fasting of the month of Ramadan was prescribed the fasting of the ‘Ashura’ was abandoned. ‘Abdullah did not observe fast on that day unless it coincided with his routine fasting by chance.”[46]

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