by Asma bint Shameem š Al-Hafidh Ibn Hajar said:
āā¦Fasting Aashooraa comes under three categories;
š¹the lowest is to fast it alone,
š¹better than it, is to fast the ninth day with it, and
š¹the BEST is to fast the ninth AND the eleventh days with itā
[Fath Al-Bari by Ibn Hajar (4/246)]
In other words, itās BEST if we fast the ninth, tenth and eleventh of al-Muharram.
We all know that fasting on the Day of Aashooraa (meaning the tenth of Muharram) and the day before it, is recommended.
š Ibn `Abbaas radhi Allaahu anhumaa said:
āWhen the Messenger of Allah observed fast on the day of Aashooraa, and ordered Muslims to fast on it, they said to him: āO Messenger of Allaah!
This is a day which both the Jews and the Christians venerate.
Upon this, the Messenger of Allaah said, āWhen it is the next year, In Shaaā Allaah, we would observe fast on the ninth day (of Al-Muharram besides that day)ā.
But, it was not until the next year that the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam had diedā
(Saheeh Muslim 2666)
However, there are reasons why the ulama say itās recommended to fast the eleventh as well.
1ļøā£ Thereās a statement of Ibn Abbaas radhi Allaahu anhumaa that recommends fasting on the eleventh as well.
š Ibn Abbaas radhi Allaahu anhumaa said:
āFast the day of Aashooraaā, be different from Jews, fast one day before it or one day after itā
(At-Tabari in āTahdheeb Al-Atharā (Musnad `Umar/1430); authentic by Al-Albaani as āMawqoofā)
āMawqoofā is a tradition attributed to a Companion.
And we all know that itās ALL the Sahaabah are trustworthy and they would not say anything about the Deen thatās of their own thoughts.
They would only say that which was proven or approved by the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam.
2ļøā£ Also another reason to fast on the eleventh is to make sure that you have fasted on the tenth.
Thatās because sometimes thereās a mistake in the sighting of the moon.
So by fasting on the ninth, the tenth AND the eleventh, we can be SURE that weāve fasted the day of Aashooraa.
3ļøā£ In any case, itās good to fast as many days in Muharram as possible.
š The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:
āThe best fast after Ramadhaan is the month of Allaah, al-Muharram.ā (Saheeh Muslim 1163)
Thatās why the Salaf were keen to fast the ninth, tenth AND eleventh of al-Muharram.
š Imam Ahmad said:
āwhoever wants to fast āAshooraaā should fast on the ninth and the tenth, unless there is some uncertainty about the months, in which case he should fast for three days.ā (Al-Mughni, 4/441)
š Ibn Abi Shaybah reported:
āTawoos used to fast one day before it and one day after it, for fear of missing it.ā [al-Musannaf (2/313)]
šShaikh Muhammad Ali Ferkous said:
āIt is also recommended to fast the day preceding `Aashooraaā which is the ninth day of the month Al-Muharram as it is mentioned in the hadeeth of Ibn Abbaas.
Furthermore, it is recommended to fast a day AFTER Aashooraaā, that is to say, the ELEVENTH day of the month of Al-Muharram, as it is narrated in an authentic and mawqoof text according to Ibn Abbaas radhi Allaahu anhumaa: āFast the day of Aashooraa; be different from Jews, fast one day before it or one day after itā (Fatwa # 817)
And Shaikh Ibn Baaz said:
ā One may also observe fast on all three days, i.e. the ninth, the tenth, and the eleventh of Muharram as is reported in some narrations: āFast a day before (the Day of āAshuraā) and a day after it.ā
And he said:
āfasting the ninth (of Muharram) along with the tenth is better. If one fasts the tenth along with the eleventh then that suffices due to differing from the Jews, and if one fasts them both together along with the tenth then there is no harm.ā(Majmooā Fataawa vol 15 p.403)
And Allaah knows best.
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