Fasting on Mondays and Thursdays
Hadith 33-35: It is in Sunan Tirmizi from Abu Hurairah ؓ◌ that
Rasoolullah صلى الله عليه وسلم said, ‘Our deeds are presented on a Monday and
Thursday, and I prefer that I should be fasting when my deeds are
being presented.’
Similar narrations are reported from Usama bin Zaid and Jaabir.
Hadith 36: Ibn Majah reports from him as well (i.e. Abu Hurairah
that Rasoolullah صلى الله عليه وسلم used to keep fast on a Monday and Thursday.
When He صلى الله عليه وسلم was asked about this, He صلى الله عليه وسلم said, ‘On these two days
Almighty Allah forgives every Muslim, except for those two people
who have separated from each other? Concerning them, it is said to
the Angels, ‘Let them be, until such time that they have resolved their
issues (with one another).’’
Hadith 37: It is in Tirmizi Shareef from Ummul Mo’mineen Siddiqa
that Rasoolullah صلى الله عليه وسلم would pay particular attention to the
Monday and Thursday and keep fast in them.
Hadith 38: It is in Sahih Muslim Shareef from Abu Qatadah that
Rasoolullah صلى الله عليه وسلم was asked about his reason for fasting on a Monday, so
He صلى الله عليه وسلم said, ‘It is the day on which I was born, and it is the day on
which Revelation (Wahi) descended upon me.’
Fasts of Some Other Days
Hadith 39: It is reported from Abu Ya’la and Ibn Abbas
that Rasoolullah صلى الله عليه وسلم said, ‘For the one who fasts on a Wednesday,
salvation from Jahannam will be recorded for him.’
Hadith 40-42: It is reported in Tabrani Awsat from them as well,
that Rasoolullah صلى الله عليه وسلم said, ‘For the one who fasts on a Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday, Almighty Allah will erect for him a Mansion in
Jannat, the outside of which can be seen from inside, and the inside of
which can be seen from the outside.’
It is mentioned in the narration of Anas ؓ◌ that, Allah will erect for
him a Mansion of pearls, emeralds and topaz, and salvation from Hell
will be recorded for him.
The narration of Ibn Umar mentions that one who fasts on
these three days, and then gives a little or a lot of charity on a Friday,
then whatever sins he committed will be forgiven, and his condition
will be as he was when his mother had given birth to him. However,
to fast specifically only on a Friday is Makruh.
Hadith 43: Muslim and Nasa’i report from Abu Hurairah ؓ◌ that
Rasoolullah صلى الله عليه وسلم said, ‘From amongst the nights, do not specify the eve
of a Friday to stand (in Ibaadat) and from amongst the days do not
specify a Friday to keep fast.’
However, if someone was already keeping some type of fasts, and it
happened to fall on a Friday, then there is no harm in this.
Hadith 44: Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmizi, Nasa’i, Ibn Majah and Ibn
Khuzaimah reported from him as well, that Rasoolullah صلى الله عليه وسلم said, ‘Do
not fast specifically on a Friday unless you fast a day before it, or after
it.’
Ibn Khuzaimah’s narration mentions that Friday is (a day off) Eid, so
do not fast on the day of Eid (i.e. on a Friday), unless you fast other
fasts before or after it.
Hadith 45: It is in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim from Muhammad bin
Ubaad ؓ◌ that Jaabir ؓ◌ was performing Tawaaf of the Holy Kaaba. I
asked him, ‘Did Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم disallow us from keeping fast on a Friday?’ He
replied, ‘Yes, Qasm on the Rub of this House (i.e. the Kaaba)!’