The Book of Fasting

وَحَدَّثَنِي هَارُونُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الأَيْلِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي عَمْرٌو، أَنَّ أَبَا النَّضْرِ، حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّ عُمَيْرًا مَوْلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ - رضى الله عنهما - حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّهُ، سَمِعَ أُمَّ الْفَضْلِ، - رضى الله عنها - تَقُولُ شَكَّ نَاسٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي صِيَامِ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ وَنَحْنُ بِهَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَرْسَلْتُ إِلَيْهِ بِقَعْبٍ فِيهِ لَبَنٌ وَهُوَ بِعَرَفَةَ فَشَرِبَهُ ‏.‏

Umm al-Fadl (Allah be pleased with her) is reported to have said that some people among the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) were in doubt about fasting on the day of 'Arafa and we were with him on that day. I (Umm al-Fadl) sent him a cup of milk and he was halting at 'Arafa, and he drank that.

وَحَدَّثَنِي هَارُونُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الأَيْلِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي عَمْرٌو، عَنْ بُكَيْرِ بْنِ، الأَشَجِّ عَنْ كُرَيْبٍ، مَوْلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ - رضى الله عنهما - عَنْ مَيْمُونَةَ، زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ إِنَّ النَّاسَ شَكُّوا فِي صِيَامِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَوْمَ عَرَفَةَ فَأَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِ مَيْمُونَةُ بِحِلاَبِ اللَّبَنِ وَهُوَ وَاقِفٌ فِي الْمَوْقِفِ فَشَرِبَ مِنْهُ وَالنَّاسُ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيْهِ ‏.‏

Kuraib, the freed slave of Ibn 'Abbas (Allah be pleased with him), reported from Maimuna, the wife of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), that people had doubt about the fasting of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) on the day of 'Arafa. Maimuna sent him a cup of milk and he was halting at a place and he drank it and the people were seeing him.

"‏ مَنْ شَاءَ صَامَهُ وَمَنْ شَاءَ تَرَكَهُ ‏"

He who wishes to observe this fast may do so, and he who wishes to abandon it may do so.

وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَأَبُو كُرَيْبٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرْ فِي أَوَّلِ الْحَدِيثِ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَصُومُهُ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ فِي آخِرِ الْحَدِيثِ وَتَرَكَ عَاشُورَاءَ فَمَنْ شَاءَ صَامَهُ وَمَنْ شَاءَ تَرَكَهُ ‏.‏ وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْهُ مِنْ قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَرِوَايَةِ جَرِيرٍ ‏.‏

This hadith is narrated on the authority of Hisham with the same chain of transmitters, but he made no mention in the first part of the hadith that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to observe fast, and said about the second part that he abandoned the (fast) of Ashura, and he who wished observed the fast and who wished otherwise abandoned it, and he did not hold it as the words of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as mentioned in the narration transmitted by Jarir.

حَدَّثَنِي عَمْرٌو النَّاقِدُ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، - رضى الله عنها - أَنَّ يَوْمَ، عَاشُورَاءَ كَانَ يُصَامُ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَلَمَّا جَاءَ الإِسْلاَمُ مَنْ شَاءَ صَامَهُ وَمَنْ شَاءَ تَرَكَهُ ‏.‏

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported. In the pre-Islamic days fast was observed on the day of Ashura, but with the advent of Islam (its position was ascertained as that of a voluntary fast). Then he who wished to fast fasted, and he who liked to abandon it abandoned it.

حَدَّثَنَا حَرْمَلَةُ بْنُ يَحْيَى، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي يُونُسُ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي عُرْوَةُ بْنُ الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّ عَائِشَةَ، - رضى الله عنها - قَالَتْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَأْمُرُ بِصِيَامِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُفْرَضَ رَمَضَانُ فَلَمَّا فُرِضَ رَمَضَانُ كَانَ مَنْ شَاءَ صَامَ يَوْمَ عَاشُورَاءَ وَمَنْ شَاءَ أَفْطَرَ ‏.‏

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had ordered to observe fast (on 'Ashura) before the fasting in Ramadan was made obligatory. But when it became obligatory, then he who wished fasted on the day of Ashura, and he who wished did not observe it (on that day).

"‏ مَنْ شَاءَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ وَمَنْ شَاءَ فَلْيُفْطِرْهُ ‏"

He who wishes to fast should do so, and he who wishes to break it may do so.

"‏ إِنَّ عَاشُورَاءَ يَوْمٌ مِنْ أَيَّامِ اللَّهِ فَمَنْ شَاءَ صَامَهُ وَمَنْ شَاءَ تَرَكَهُ ‏"

'Ashura is one of the days of Allah, so he who wished should observe fast and he who wished otherwise should abandon it.

وَحَدَّثَنَاهُ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، وَزُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، وَهُوَ الْقَطَّانُ ح وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، كِلاَهُمَا عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، ‏.‏ بِمِثْلِهِ فِي هَذَا الإِسْنَادِ ‏.‏

A hadith like this has been narrated on the authority of Abdullah through the same chain of transmitters.

"‏ كَانَ يَوْمًا يَصُومُهُ أَهْلُ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَمَنْ أَحَبَّ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يَصُومَهُ فَلْيَصُمْهُ وَمَنْ كَرِهَ فَلْيَدَعْهُ ‏"

That was a day on which the people of pre-Islamic days used to observe fast. So he who amongst you likes to observe fast should do so, and he who does not like it should abandon it.