The Fasting of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause

“I heard abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), say, ‘The Messenger of Allah continued fasting for such a long time that people thought he would not discontinue it. He then discontinued fasting for such a long time that people thought he would not fast. Then he began fasting as Dawud (a.s.), did. One day he would fast and not fast the next day. He left this world with a practice of fasting three days every month. The Imam said, ‘Fasting three days every month is like fasting a whole month. This removes wahr from one’s chest. Wahr means temptation.’ Hammad has said, ‘I then asked, which days are they?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘Every first Thursday, every first Wednesday after the tenth of the month and the last Thursday therein.’ I then asked, ‘How did these days become as such?’ He replied, ‘The days when torment descended on the people of the past were one of these days. Because of fear, the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, would fast during these days.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, continued fasting for such a long time that people thought he would not discontinue it. He then discontinued fasting for such a long time that people thought he would not fast. Then he began fasting as Dawud (a.s.), did. One day he would fast and then not fast the next day. He left this practice and would fast three bright days (13, 14 and 15) of every month. He then left this practice and divided them by one day in each ten days of the month, of which two were Thursdays with a Wednesday between the two Thursdays. He passed away with this practice.”

“I heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), say, ‘The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, continued fasting for such a long time that people thought he was not to discontinue his fasting. He then discontinued fasting for such a long time that people thought he did not intend to fast anymore. He then would fast one day and eat the next day. He then fasted every Monday and Thursday. Then he would fast three days every month, Thursday of the beginning of the month, Wednesday of the middle of the month and the last Thursday of the month. He would say, “It is like fasting forever.’” My father would say, ‘There is no other thing more hateful to me than one to whom it is said that the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, did this, but he says, “Allah will not punish me if I tried to perform Salat (prayer)” as if he thinks the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, neglected some of the virtuous acts because of his failure.’”

“Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that wives of the Holy Prophet, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, when required to fast, would wait up to the month of Sha‘ban, due to anticipation that he may forbid them. In the month of Sha‘ban they would fast and the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, has said, ‘Sha‘ban is my month.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘Had any of your ancestors fasted during the month of Sha‘ban?’ He replied, ‘The best of my ancestors was the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, who fasted in it.’”

“Once, I asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘Had any of your ancestors ever fasted during the month of Sha‘ban?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘The best of my ancestors, the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, fasted in it.’” Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa ibn ‘Ubayd from Yunus from ibn Muskan from al-Halabiy from abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), a similar Hadith. There are narrations about fasting in the month of al-Sha‘ban. He (the Imam) (a.s.), was asked about it and he (the Imam) said, ‘The Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, did not fast (during the month of Sha‘ban) neither did any of my ancestors.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is because certain people said that fasting in the month of al-Sha‘ban is obligatory like fasting in the month of Ramadan. If one destroys one day of fasting of month of al-Sha‘ban, the expiation for it is like the expiation for destroying one day of fasting of the month of Ramadan. The words of the scholar (a.s.), ‘The Messenger of Allah did not fast neither did any of my ancestors’ means they did not fast it as an obligatory fast. It was to refute what certain people thought it to be. Their fast was only as Sunnah in which there is virtue but it is not harmful to one who does not fast.

“He (the Imam) ‘Alayhi al-Salam, has said, ‘The Messenger of Allah left this world practicing the fast of month of al-Sha‘ban and three days of every month, the first Thursday, the middle Wednesday and the last Thursday of the month. Abu Ja‘far, and abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, would also do so.