Fasting Saturday by itself

by Asma bint Shameem

There’s a difference of opinion among the scholars about this issue.

Some scholars said that there’s nothing wrong with fasting on a Saturday by itself because the hadeeth regarding this matter is not authentic.

However other scholars said that the hadeeth is authentic.

So it’s not recommended to fast Saturday by itself unless you add a day,  either before it or after it. 

🍃That’s because 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)

🍃 And the Prophet ﷺ also said:

“No one of you should fast on Friday, unless he fasts (a day) before it or after it.” (al-Bukhaari 1985, Muslim 1144)

🍃 Our Mother Juwayriyah bint al-Harith radhi Allaahu anhaa said that the Prophet ﷺ entered upon her on a Friday and she was fasting.

He ﷺ said:

“Did you fast yesterday?”

She said, “No.”

He said: “Do you intend to fast tomorrow?”

She said: “No.”

He said: “Then break your fast.” 

(al-Bukhaari 1986)

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.”

🍃 Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen 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)

🔺 Thus, according to the second opinion, it is DISLIKED to fast Saturday by itself unless you add a day to it.

So you can fast Saturday plus Friday.

Or Saturday plus Sunday. 

However if there’s a REASON like you’re making up your Ramadhaan fasts or you’re fasting every other day as a routine and Saturday happens to be one of those days or if the day of Arafah or Aashooraa falls on a Saturday, etc then theres nothing wrong with fasting Saturday by itself.

🍃 Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:

“It should be noted that different scenarios may apply with regard to fasting on a Saturday. 

1. It may be obligatory, such as observing a Ramadhaan fast during Ramadhaan or making it up later on, or observing a fast as expiation (kafaarah), or instead of offering a sacrifice when performing Hajj tamattu’, and so on.

There is nothing wrong with that so long as he does not single it out deliberately thinking that there is some virtue in that. 

2. If he fasts on the Friday before, there is nothing wrong with it, because the Prophet 

‎ﷺ  said to one of the Mothers of the Believers who was fasting on a Friday: “Did you fast yesterday?”

She said: “No.” 

He said: “Are you going to fast tomorrow?” 

She said, “No.” 

He said: “Then break your fast.” 

The words, “Are you going to fast tomorrow?” indicate that it is permissible to fast Saturday along with Friday. 

3. If it happens to be one of the days when it is prescribed to fast, such as Ayyaam al-Beedh (the 13th, 14th and 15th of each hijri month), ‘Arafah, ‘Ashooraa’, 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. 

4. When it happens to be a day when he habitually fasts, such as a person whose habit is to fast alternate days, and the day that he fasts happens to be a Saturday, then there is nothing wrong with it, as the Prophet ﷺ said when he forbade fasting one or two days before Ramadhaan begins: “except a man who (habitually) observes a fast, in which case let him fast.” This is similar. 

5. If he singles it out to observe a voluntary fast for one day only. 

This is what is forbidden, if the hadeeth forbidding it is proven to be saheeh.”

(Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il 20/57)

And Allaah knows best.