Can I fast on the day of Aashooraa even if it’s on a Saturday?

by Asma bint Shameem

ANSWER

Fasting the day of Aashooraa is a confirmed Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ and his Sahaabah.

🍃 The Prophet ﷺ said:

“As for (fasting) the Day of ‘Ashooraa' i.e. the tenth of Muharram, it forgives the sins of the previous year.” (Ahmad, Muslim and Abu Dawud)

But this year Aashooraa is falling on a Saturday.

And some of the scholars said that it’s disliked to fast Saturday by itself.

🍃The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Do not fast on Saturdays apart from days when you are obliged to fast. If any one of you cannot find anything other than grape stalks or the twigs of a tree, let him chew it (to make sure that he is not fasting).”

(at-Tirmidhi - saheeh by al-Albaani)

That’s because the Jews honor Saturdays and we’re supposed to be different from the non Muslims. 

🍃Imaam at-Tirmidhi said:

“What is makrooh in this case is for a man to single out Saturday for fasting, because the Jews venerate Saturday.”

However there’s no problem in fasting on Saturday for Aashooraa.

That’s because first of all, there’s a difference of opinion among the scholars about the authenticity of this Hadeeth.

Secondly, in any case, we are encouraged to fast the ninth of Muharram along with the tenth (Aashooraa), so since we’ll be combining the fast of a Saturday with Friday, there should be no issue.

🍃 Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:

“If it happens to be one of the days when it is prescribed to fast, such as Ayyaam al-Beed (the 13th, 14th and 15th of each hijri month), ‘Arafah, ‘Aashooraa’, six days of Shawwaal for one who has fasted Ramadhaan, and the ninth of Dhu’l-Hijjah.

There is nothing wrong with that, because he is not fasting because it is “Saturday”, rather it is because it is one of the days when it is prescribed to fast.”

(Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il 20/57)

🍃 And Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen also said:

“It is established from the Sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ in speech and action that fasting on a Saturday is not forbidden.

The Scholars differ with respect to the hadeeth that forbids fasting on Saturday as to whether it is acted upon.

From them are those who say that it is not to be acted upon at all, and there is no harm in fasting on a Saturday, whether it be on its own or not on its own because the hadeeth is not authentic. And a regulation cannot be established from a hadeeth which is not authentic.

From them are those who have said the hadeeth is Saheeh or Hasan, and they said:

The reconciliation between this hadeeth [that forbids fasting on a Saturday] and the other ahaadeeth [that allow fasting on a Saturday], is that it is forbidden to single out Saturday on its own – meaning that Saturday is singled out without Friday or Sunday.

This was the position of Imaam Ahmad (rahimahullaah), wherein he said: “If one fasts alongside Saturday another day, then there is no harm, such as fasting with it Friday or Sunday…

Indeed I have heard that some of the people fast on the ninth and tenth of Muharram (‘Aashooraa), and one the days happens to be a Saturday, and some of the brothers forbid them and command them to break the fast – this is wrong and it is upon this brother to ask before issuing a verdict without knowledge.” (Majmoo’ Fatawa Ibn al-Uthaymeen, vol. 20, p. 37)

So it would be good to fast Friday (ninth of Muharram) as well if someone can do that.

Otherwise, even fasting Saturday by itself (Aashooraa) is also perfectly fine.

🔺In any case, think about it this way.

Don’t we fast on Saturdays when we fast like the fasting of Dawood Alayhis Salaam?

He would fast one day and skip fast the next day.

So it would so happen that sometimes the day of fasting would fall on a Saturday by itself.

YET that fasting is the most beloved to Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala.

🍃 Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr Radhi Allaahu anhu reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“The best fasting is the fast of Dawood: he used to fast one day and not the next.” (al-Bukhaari, Muslim)

🍃 Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:

“The hadeeth of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr Radhi Allaahu anhu indicates that if fasting on a Friday or Saturday coincides with a day one usually fasts, without intending to single that day out for fasting, then there is nothing wrong with it, because if he fasts alternate days, then that will coincide with some Fridays and Saturdays.

Thus it becomes clear that fasting on these days is not haraam. Otherwise the Prophet ﷺ would have said: Fast one day and not the next, so long as that (fasting) does not coincide with a Friday or Saturday.”

(Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 6/476)

So go ahead and take advantage of this beautiful day of Aashooraa and fast even if it’s falling on a Saturday.

And if you can add Friday, the ninth of Muharram, to this fasting, that would be even better and more rewarding.

And Allaah knows best