Please note before reading:
The fasting of the first nine days of
Dhul-Hijjah is often referred to as the fasting of the first 10 days of
Dhul-Hijjah. The intended meaning is still the first 9 days as Eid is the 10th
day of Dhul-Hijjah and it is impermissible to fast on the day of Eid.
Day of Arafah
1) Is
fasting the Day of Arafah legislated?
The answer is Yes. It is Mustahab
(recommended) as it comes in the hadith of Abu Qatadah al-Ansari reported by
Muslim that the Messenger of صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم was asked
concerning fasting on the Day of ‘Arafah. He صلّى اللَّهُ
عليه وسلّم replied:
(Fasting on the day of Arafah is an expiation
of last year’s and next year’s sins.)
The First 9 days of Dhul-Hijjah
2) Is
fasting the first 9 days of Dhul-Hijjah legislated?
We begin by mentioning that there does
not exist any authentic ahadith which specify the fasting of the first 9 days
of Dhul-Hijjah. Likewise, there does not exist any authentic ahadith which
state that the Messenger صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم
fasted
these first nine days of the month either.
One may then feel compelled to ask
where has the tradition of fasting the first 9 days come from?
The answer is that it is taken from the
generality of the hadith of Ibn Abbasرضي اللّه عنـه
that
the Messenger صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم
said:
عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال:قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
: «ما من أيام العمل الصالح فيها أحب إلى الله من هذه الأيام – يعني أيام العشر – قالوا: يا رسول الله، ولا الجهاد في سبيل
الله؟ قال: ولا الجهاد في سبيل الله، إلاّ رجل خرج بنفسه وماله ثم لم يرجع من ذلك
بشيء»
(رواه
البخاري)
“There are no days during which the righteous
action is more pleasing to Allaah than these days (i.e., the first ten days of
Dhul-Hijjah).” He was asked: “O Messenger of Allaah, not even Jihad in the cause
of Allaah?” He (صلى الله عليه وسلم) replied,
“Not even Jihad in the cause of Allaah, except in the case when one goes forth
with his life and his property and does not return with anything (i.e. either
of them).”
[Reported by Al- Bukhari]
Fasting is from the most beloved acts
of obedience to Allaah and thus enters into the generality of the Messenger’s
statement of Righteous actions.
Al-Imâm
Haafidh Ibn Hajr رحمه الله explains in his book Fathul Baari:
” This (Hadith) has been used to prove the great virtue
of fasting the (first) ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, and that is because fasting
enters under (the umbrella of) righteous actions.”
3) The negation that the Messenger صلّى
اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم never fasted the ten days of
Dhul-Hijjah.
: جاء
عند مسلم من حديث عائشة رضي الله عنها أنها قالت
(( .ما
رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم صائما في العشر قط ))
Imâm
Muslim reports the hadith of Aaisha May رضي الله عنها in
his Saheeh that she said:
(I have never seen the
Messenger صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم fasting in the ten (days of Dhul-Hijjah)).
There
is no contradiction between this hadith and the aforementioned one of Ibn
Abbass .
Imâm Nawawi رحمه الله
offers the explanation that the Messenger صلّى
اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم (never fasted the 10 days),
commenting:
“Due to a reason of illness or embarking on a travel or
other than that. Or that she never saw him fasting during these 10 days, and
this does not necessitate that he never fasted.”
[End of his speech from his explanation of Saheeh Muslim]
Al-Imâm
al-Haafidh Ibn Hajr رحمه الله offers another possibility for the hadith
in Fathul Baari stating:
“It could be that (he left off fasting in these days) as
he used to leave off (certain) actions despite his love for them, (and) due to
his fear that these actions would be obligated upon his Ummah.”
Al-Allaamah
Yahya al Hajooree حفظه
الله explains:
“He didn’t fast the ten days and that is according to her
(Aisha’s) knowledge, and the Hadith is Mawqoof, that which is correct is it is
waqf.”
In
summary of the 3rd point:
The negation of the Messenger صلّى
اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم’s fasting of the first 10 days is not
established.
3) Lastly,
if the fasting of the Messenger صلّى اللَّهُ
عليه وسلّم is not established, then, is it a bid’ah
(innovation) to fast these days?
Al-Allaamah
Yahya al Hajooree حفظه
الله was asked:
Question: Is fasting the 10
days of Dhul-Hijjah considered to be from the newly invented innovations?
Answer: There is weakness in
the statement that its Bid’ah, especially as the Hadith is in the
Saheeh (Bukhari) on the authority of Ibn Abbass رضي اللّه عنـه:
“There are no days during
which the righteous action is more pleasing to Allaah than these days (i.e.,
the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah).” He was asked: “O Messenger of Allaah, not
even Jihad in the cause of Allaah? …”
(….to the end of the Hadith. See above).
The
Sheikh حفظه
الله
also
said:
“As for the fasting of the
day of Arafah, then the preference (of its fasting) is known from other
evidences. As for other than that from the eight days, then for the one who
fasts it is not looked down upon or criticized. Rather, Khayr (good) is hoped
for him, and that he enters under the (previously mentioned) hadith and that he
enters under righteous action. And it is possible that he fasts what he is able
to fast from those days and that he increases in the night prayer and the
reading of the Qur’aan and that he increases in Dhikr (the remembrance of Allaah)
and the different types of Sadaqah and other than that of righteous actions.
All of this is from the righteous actions. And if he was to fast all of the 10
days, then it’s NOT to be said that he did an act of bidd’ah (innovation).”
[End of the Sheikh’s speech]
And insha’Allaahu ta’ala there is sufficiency in response to our fourth
point, in the Sheikh’s speech.
Walhamdulilahi
Rabil Aalamiin.
Compiled
and translated by:
Abu
Mu’aawiyah Abdullah as-Somali
Source: Toronto Dawah
Source: Toronto Dawah
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