Can I fast on a Friday if I have to make up a Ramadhaan fast?

by Asma bint Shameem

ANSWER

🔺Generally speaking it is disliked to fast Friday by itself because Friday is a day of ibaadah and duaas as well as a day of ‘celebration’ for the Muslims and is kind of like an ‘Eid’ for the week.

However, if we HAVE to fast on a Friday for a specific reason, it’s better to combine that with fasting a day before or after it.

📌 The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

‘None of you should fast on a Friday unless he fasts the day before or the day after.’”

(al-Bukhaari, Muslim)

So if you have to make up your missed days of Ramadhaan and it’s Friday, you’re allowed to fast on Friday.

Just ADD a day to it by fasting either Thursday or Saturday along with Friday.

🍃 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 Shaykh’s website)

🔺 What if I can fast Friday ONLY ?

Sometimes it so happens that Friday is the ONLY day when we can fast and it’s not possible to combine this with fasting the day earlier (Thursday) or a day later (Saturday). Then what?

In that situation it’s allowed to fast just Friday by itself because there’s a ‘need’ for it.

Similarly, it’s 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 there’s a ‘reason’ or ‘need’ to fast this day.

That’s because in such situations, the INTENTION is not to fast “Friday by itself” but to either make up a fardh fast or fast Aashhoraa or Arafah, or fast for a specific reason.

📌 PROOF

🍃The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fataawaa said:

“It 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.”

(Fatwa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 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. That’s preferred.

But if you can fast Friday ONLY and there’s no way you can fast any other day or combine it with another day, then it’s allowed to even fast Friday just by itself as well.

And Allaah knows best.