Lesson 2 – Voluntary Fasts and Prohibited Fasts

What are the categories of fasting? What are the voluntary fasting rules? What is prohibited fasting? Today’s blog is focused on all of these questions.

Categories of Fasting

The types of fasting are:

Compulsory Fasting

Fasting during the month of Ramadhaan is the only fasting that has been made compulsory for all Muslims. It is the fourth pillar of Islaam.

Highly Recommended fasts (Voluntary Fasting after Ramadan)

Highly recommended fasts include days on which it is Mustahab to fast. The virtues and rewards of fasting on these days are immense. These days include:

• The fast of the day of Ashoora (10^th Muharram)
• The fast of the day or Araafah (9^th Dhul Hijjah) for non-pilgrims
• First 9 days of Dhul Hijjah
• The six days of Shaw’aal
• Fasting on the 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th nights of each lunar moon
• Fasting on Mondays and Thursdays
• Fasting on the 9th, 10th & 11th or 9th & 10th or 10th & 11th of Muharram
• Fasting in the month of Sha’baan
• Fasting during the four sacred months, Dhul Qaddah, Dhul Hijjah, Muharram, Rajab.

Discouraged Fasts

Discouraged fasting is one of the different kinds of fasting, including fasting exclusively on Friday and Saturday. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Do not fast on a Friday unless you fast a day before or after it.” (Sunan Abu Dawood – Vol 3 Hadeeth 2420)

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Do not fast on a Saturday, except what has been made obligatory on you. If one of you cannot find anything but a skin of a grape, or a piece of wood from a tree, then let him chew it.” (Sunan Abu Dawood – Vol 3 Hadeeth 2421)

Prohibited Fasts

Prohibited fasts are the fasts that are prohibited. The days on which fasting is prohibited include:

• Fasting on the days of doubt: 1 or 2 days before Ramadhaan
• Fasting every day of the year
• A married woman keeping a voluntary fast without her husband’s permission
• Fasting all day & night continuously
• Fasting on Ayyaamut Tashreeq: The three days following ‘Eidul Adha.
• Fasting on ‘Eidul Fitr and ‘Eidul Adhaa.

Difference Between Voluntary Fasting and Compulsory Fasting

There are certain differences between voluntary and compulsory fasts. One of the differences between voluntary and compulsory fasts is that you have to make the intention of a compulsory fast before Fajr. In the case of voluntary types of fasting, you can make the intention after Fajr too.

“If a person intentionally breaks a compulsory fast, he has to compensate for it later.” (Sunan Abu Daawood – Vol 3 Hadeeth 2392)

“A voluntary fast can be broken even without a valid reason without compensating for it later.”

(Jaami’ At Tirmidhi – Vol 2 Hadeeth 732)