by Asma bint Shameem
ANSWER
đşGenerally speaking it is disliked to fast Friday by itself because Friday is a day of ibaadah and duaas as well as a day of âcelebrationâ for the Muslims and is kind of like an âEidâ for the week.
However, if we HAVE to fast on a Friday for a specific reason, itâs better to combine that with fasting a day before or after it.
đ The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
âNone of you should fast on a Friday unless he fasts the day before or the day after.ââ
(al-Bukhaari, Muslim)
So if you have to make up your missed days of Ramadhaan and itâs Friday, youâre allowed to fast on Friday.
Just ADD a day to it by fasting either Thursday or Saturday along with Friday.
đ Shaykh Saalih bin Fawzaan Al-Fawzaan said:
"Yes, the supererogatory fasting on Friday has been prohibited; the supererogatory fasting.
However if he fasts out of making up for fasts from Ramadhaan then there is no harm in that.
Yet if he fasts Friday with other than it (Thursday or Saturday) he will have smoothed away the prohibition.
And the wisdom behind it (i.e. the prohibition), and Allaah knows best, is that Friday is the day of the weekly 'Eid, and that the individual gains enough strength to attend the Jumu'ah and to go to the Jumu'ah (prayer). Yes."
(Taken from the Shaykhâs website)
đş What if I can fast Friday ONLY ?
Sometimes it so happens that Friday is the ONLY day when we can fast and itâs not possible to combine this with fasting the day earlier (Thursday) or a day later (Saturday). Then what?
In that situation itâs allowed to fast just Friday by itself because thereâs a âneedâ for it.
Similarly, itâs allowed to fast on Fridays for someone who usually fasts alternate days like the fast of Dawood Alayhis Salaam and the fast falls on a Friday, or if Friday is one of the Sunnah days of fasting the 13th, 14th and 15th of every month, or if Arafah or Aashooraa falls on a Friday, etc
So the prohibition to not fast on a Friday will not apply in situations such as these because thereâs a âreasonâ or âneedâ to fast this day.
Thatâs because in such situations, the INTENTION is not to fast âFriday by itselfâ but to either make up a fardh fast or fast Aashhoraa or Arafah, or fast for a specific reason.
đ PROOF
đThe scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fataawaa said:
âIt is permissible for a Muslim to fast on a Friday to make up a day from Ramadhaan, even if he fasts the Friday on its own.â
(Fatwa al-Lajnah al-Daaâimah, vol. 10, p. 347)
So go ahead and fast on a Friday if you have leftover fasts to make up, but do add a day to this by fasting on either Thursday or Saturday if possible. Thatâs preferred.
But if you can fast Friday ONLY and thereâs no way you can fast any other day or combine it with another day, then itâs allowed to even fast Friday just by itself as well.
And Allaah knows best.
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