Assalamu alaykum warahmatullah wabarakaatuh!

A message has been circulation under subject title claiming that because “this year’s Arafah day accidentally falls on Friday and we are forbidden to make a non-compulsory fast on Fridays by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)” quoting the hadith from Al-Bukhaari (1985) and Muslim (1144) that Abu Hurayrah (RA) said: ‘I heard the Prophet (SAW) say: “No one of you should fast on Friday, unless he fasts (a day) before it or after it.”

Other two ahadith with similar implication were also cited. The author concludes that “Since we can’t fast on Salah day, we should strive to fast on Thursday and Friday.”

O servants of Allah! Arafah on Friday has been occurring without any scholar bringing up these ahadith to frustrate the humble and sincere Muslims for engaging in fasting which Abu Qatadah (RA) the Prophet (SAW) to have said: “Fasting on the day of ‘Arafah is an expiation (of sins) for two years, the year preceding it and the year following it” (Ibn Majah).

Of all the days of the week, only Friday and Saturday have been singled out by the Prophet (SAW) as days in which we should not dedicate for voluntary fast. For instance, we can say that I will fast on Mondays or Thursdays on continuous basis because of the avalanche of authentic ahadith of the Prophet (SAW) on the merit of these days – Monday (as a day of gratitude for he was born on that date and given prophethood same day) and Thursday (a day in which our deeds are presented to Allah).

Fasting on Saturday is disliked because it is day of festival for the Jews and it is disliked to fast on any day of feasting celebrated by the disbelievers or on any day singled out by them for celebration.

Contrary to the fast specifically done for the honour of the days as mentioned above, the fast of Arafah is not for the sake of Friday which the Hadith spoke about. We are to observe the fast for the sake of Arafah being on that day. Forget not that “Actions are judged according to intention”; says the Prophet SAW.
Scholars have long addressed this matter and below are agreed:

Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar stated in al-Fath al-Bari that an exception to the prohibition on fasting on Friday is made if a person habitually fasts on a certain day, such as ‘Arafah, and it coincides with Friday. It is proven in al-Sahihayn that the Prophet (SAW) said: “The most beloved of fasting to Allah is the fast of Dawud; he used to fast one day and not the next.” So, it could happen that he will sometimes fast on a Friday on its own without a preceding or following fast.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him) 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 Ramadan fast during Ramadan or making it up later on, or observing a fast as expiation (kaffarah), 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 day before or after, there is nothing wrong with it, because the Prophet (SAW) said to Juwairiya (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 Ayyam al-Beed (the 13th, 14th and 15th of each hijri month), ‘Arafah, ‘Ashura, six days of Shawwal for one who has fasted Ramadan, and the ninth of Dhul-Hijjah. There is nothing wrong with that, because he is not fasting because it is Friday or 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 Friday or a Saturday, then there is nothing wrong with it, as the Prophet (SAW) said when he forbade fasting one or two days before Ramadan 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 hadith forbidding it is proven to be sahih.”
(Majmu’ Fatawa wa Rasail al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymin, 20:57)
And Allah knows best.

Suleiman Zubair