The Prophet ﷺ said fasting the Day of ʿArafah results in the expiation of sins of the year that has passed, and the year that is to come. He ﷺ also said that fasting the Day of ʿĀshūrāʾ results in the expiation of the sins of the year that has passed [Muslim (1162 (197))].
Does this expiation of sins include major and minor sins, or just minor sins?
Sh. Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn رَحِمَهُ اللهُ explains that the apparent meaning of the ḥadīth indicates the expiation of both major and minor sins. This is because the Prophet ﷺ mentioned it in an unqualified manner and did not elaborate further, and whatever the Prophet ﷺ left unrestricted, it is taken to be unrestricted. This is why some scholars took the view, that the expiation of sins, refers to both minor and major because the Prophet ﷺ left it unrestricted, and did not elaborate further.
Most of the scholars take the view the expiation is only of minor sins. As for major sins then they must be accompanied with repentance. They support their view by arguing that fasting the Day of ʿArafah is not superior to the five daily prayers or Jumuʿah or Ramaḍān, and the Prophet ﷺ said, “The five daily prayers, Jumuʿah to Jumuʿah, and Ramaḍān to Ramaḍān, expiate what is between them as long as the major sins are avoided.” [Muslim (233)]. They say if these great and noble acts of worship, which are from the pillars of Islām, are not strong enough to expiate major sins, then this even more the case with this optional day of fasting. This is the weightier view – that it is qualified, just as the five daily prayers and Ramaḍān to Ramaḍān are qualified.
Sh. Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn رَحِمَهُ اللهُ was asked:
If she is menstruating when ʿĀshūrāʾ comes, can she make up the fast?
Is there a guiding principle for which optional deeds can be made up, and which ones cannot?
The Shaykh رَحِمَهُ اللهُ replied:
“Optional deeds are of two types: a type which has a cause, and a type which does not have a cause.
The one which has a cause – it elapses along with the elapsing of the cause and is not made up. For example: the prayer for “greeting the masjid” (taḥiyyat al-masjid). If a man comes and sits down, and his sitting continues for a long time, and then he wants to pray taḥiyyat al-masjid, there is no taḥiyyat al-masjid because it is a prayer which has a cause, it is tied to a cause, so when it elapses so does its legality.
Similar to that is what is apparent with the Day of ʿArafah and the Day of ʿĀshūrāʾ. If a person delays fasting the Day of ʿArafah and the Day of ʿĀshūrāʾ without an excuse, there is no doubt he does not make it up, and it will not benefit him if he did make it up, meaning: it will not benefit him in that being [a substitute for] the Day of ʿArafah and the Day of ʿĀshūrāʾ.
As for the case where it passes by a person while he is excused, such as the menstruating woman, the one experiencing post-natal bleeding, and the ill, then what is apparent is that it is not made up because this is specific to a specific day, the ruling of which elapses with the elapsing of that day.”
In the Name of Allāh, the Most Merciful, the Giver of Special Mercy
All praise is due to Allāh the Most High and Most Great, the One Who is alone in creating and controlling, the One Who honoured His friends with His help, and humiliated His enemies through His forsaking [of them], so how excellent a Protector is our Lord, and how excellent a Helper is He.
I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh alone without any partners, to Him belong the Kingdom and praise, and He is, over all thing, completely capable. And I bear witness that Muḥammad is His slave and His Messenger; the bringer of glad tidings, the warner, and shining lantern, may the praise and protection of Allāh be upon him, his family, his Companions, and those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Recompense.
To proceed:
Indeed, in this month, the month of Muḥarram, was the salvation of Mūsá, may praise and protection be upon him, and his people from the enemy of Allāh – Pharaoh and his army. By Allāh it was a major blessing obligating gratitude towards Allāh the Almighty and Majestic. This is why, when the Prophet ﷺ arrived in al-Madīnah, and he found the Jews fasting the tenth day of this month, the Prophet ﷺ said, “I have more right to Mūsá than you”, thus he fasted it and commanded its fasting. He was asked about the virtue of fasting it and he said, “I hope in Allāh that it may expiate for (the sins of) the year that came before it.” After that he commanded contradicting the Jews by fasting the tenth and a day before it which is the ninth, or a day after it which is the eleventh.
Consequently, it is best to fast the tenth day and add to it a day before it, or a day after it. Adding the ninth day to it is better than the eleventh.
Thus, it is necessary for you, my Muslim brother, to fast the Day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, likewise the ninth day, in order to actualise contradicting the Jews which the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ commanded.
May Allāh facilitate success for me and you to be grateful for His blessings, and worship Him with excellence, and may He protect us from the evils of our souls through His care – indeed He is the Most Generous and Most Bountiful.
I have no objections to spreading it (i.e., this letter).
Written by Muḥammad al-Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn 21/12/1409.
Sh. Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn رَحِمَهُ اللهُ said:
“The scholars say, regarding the fasting of the Day of ʿĀshūrāʾ, that it is either [fasted] on its own, or he fasts with it the 9th, or he fasts with it the 11th. There is a fourth mode: which is to fast the 9th, 10th, and 11th – so it is three days of the month.
It is better for the one who wants to fast two days, that he fasts the 9th and the 10th.”
On the authority of Abū ʿAbd Allāh Jābir b. ʿAbd Allāh al-Anṣārī, may Allāh be pleased with them both, who said, “We were with the Prophet ﷺ on a military expedition and he said, “Indeed in al-Madīnah, there are men (who have been left behind); you have not covered any distance, nor crossed any valley, except that they were with you – they were held back by illness.”
And in a narration: “except that they shared the reward with you.”
Reported by Muslim (1911).
Sh. Muḥammad b. Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn رحمه الله makes the following points, regarding this ḥadīth, in his explanation of Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn (1: 36-38):
The word ghazāh and ghazwah mean the same thing, i.e., military expedition.
If a person intends to do a righteous deed, however he is prevented by an obstacle, he will have recorded for him, the reward of what he intended.
If he used to do a good deed when he was capable of doing it, then he became incapable afterwards, he will have the reward of the complete deed recorded for him, because the Prophet ﷺ said, “If a slave becomes ill, or he travels, he will have recorded for him the like of what he used to do when resident and healthy” [al-Bukhārī (2996)].
The one who wishes for good and is keen on it, if doing that good deed was his habit, but then he was prevented by an obstacle from doing it, he will have the complete rewarded recorded for him.
Examples:
(1) If it was the habit of the person to pray in congregation in the masjid, and he was then prevented from attending due to sleep or illness etc, he will have the complete reward of having prayed in congregation without any deduction.
(2) If it was his habit to pray optional prayers, but he was then prevented by something making him unable to pray them, he will have the complete reward written for him.
(3) If it was his habit to fast three days out of every month, then he was incapable of that and was prevented by something, he will have the complete reward recorded for him.
There are many other examples like this.
If it was not his habit to do that good deed, he will have the reward of the intention written for him but not the reward of the action.
The proof for this is the ḥadīth in which the poor Companions mentioned to the Prophet ﷺ about how the rich Companions had gone ahead of them in terms of charity and freeing slaves. The Prophet ﷺ taught them to do tasbīḥ, takbīr and taḥmīd 33 times each after every obligatory prayer, and that if they did that, none would equal them, except one who does the same. The rich heard about this and began doing this good deed as well! The poor Companions went back to the Prophet ﷺ and said that their rich brothers were doing the same as them. The Prophet ﷺ replied, “This is the grace of Allāh, He gives it to whom He wishes.” He did not say that you have achieved the reward of their deed, but there is no doubt that they will have the reward for the intention of the deed [al-Bukhārī (843)].
This is why the Prophet ﷺ said regarding the one to whom Allāh gave wealth, and he spends it in the paths of goodness, and there is a poor man who sees this and says, ‘If I had the money of so-and-so I would have done the same deed’; the Prophet ﷺ said regarding this person, “He has his intention, so their rewards are the same.” [al-Tirmidhī (2325)]. Meaning: the same in the reward of the intention, as for the deed itself, its reward is not recorded for him, unless it was something he used to do habitually.
This ḥadīth contains an indication that whoever goes out in the path of Allāh in a military expedition, he will be rewarded for his walking, this is why the Prophet ﷺ said, “…you have not covered any distance nor crossed any valley but they are with you…”.
This is indicated by Allāh’s statement: {It was not [proper] for the people of Madīnah and those surrounding them of the Bedouins that they remain behind after [the departure of] the Messenger of Allāh or that they prefer themselves over his self. That is because they are not afflicted by thirst or fatigue or hunger in the cause of Allāh, nor do they tread on any ground that enrages the disbelievers, nor do they inflict upon an enemy any infliction but that it is registered for them as a righteous deed. Indeed, Allāh does not allow to be lost the reward of the doers of good. Nor do they spend an expenditure, small or large, or cross a valley but that it is registered for them that Allāh may reward them for the best of what they were doing.} [al-Tawbah (9): 120-121].
What is similar to this is when a man performs well ablution at home, and then goes out to the masjid – not being brought out of his house except for prayer – then indeed there is no step that he takes except that Allāh raises him one level by it, and removes one sin by it.
This is from the grace of Allāh, the Almighty and Majestic, that the means of deeds contain this reward which the Prophet ﷺ has explained to us.
{Say [O Prophet], “O People of the Book! You have nothing to stand on unless you observe the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to you from your Lord [i.e., the Qurʾān].” And that which has been revealed to you [O Prophet] from your Lord will surely increase many of them in transgression and disbelief. So do not grieve over the disbelieving people.}
They leave out the part which mentions the Qurʾān because it does not support their claim.
In explanation of this verse, al-Ṭabarī (d. 310) states, “This is a command from Allāh, exalted be His mention, to His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ to convey to the Jews and Christians who were in the midst of his place of emigration, [that] He, exalted be His mention, says to him {Say!} O Muḥammad to these Jews and Christians, {O People of the Book}; the Torah and the Gospel, {You have nothing to stand on} from that which you claim to stand on from what Mūsá came to you with O community of Jews, nor what ʿĪsá came to you with O community of Christians, {unless you observe the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to you from your Lord} from that which Muḥammad ﷺ came to you with from The Criterion (al-Furqān), acting on all of that, having faith in what it contains in terms of faith in Muḥammad ﷺ and believing in his truthfulness, and affirming that all of that is from Allāh, so do not disbelieve in any of it, and do not distinguish between the Messengers of Allāh thereby believing a part and disbelieving in a part, for indeed disbelieving in a part of that is disbelief in all of it, because the Books of Allāh confirm the truthfulness of each other, so whoever disbelieves in one of them has disbelieved in all of them.” [8: 572, ed. al-Turkī].
Lesson: whenever your opponent quotes something, do not take his word for it – look at the original source and read it yourself to ensure he has cited it accurately.
I ask Allāh to aid us over those who seek to cast doubt into the hearts of the believers.
“This verse contains a great sentence which is: restriction of reverential fear (خَشْيَة) of Allāh سبحانه وتعالى to the scholars.
Reverential fear is: fear coupled with veneration of the feared, i.e., it is fear that comes as a result of the greatness of the one feared. Allāh is the most deserving of being feared with reverence, and He is the most deserving of being venerated, and He is the most deserving of being feared. However, none has reverential fear of Him except one who is knowledgeable of the greatness, ultimate pride, ability, and honourable might that He possesses.
The scholars intended here (in this verse) are those knowledgeable of Allāh, His Names, His Attributes, and His signs. The intent is not the scholars of manufacturing and technology etc, for indeed those are scholars of the dunyá who know the apparent worldly life, and that is because reverential fear only comes from knowing the condition of the one feared, and it is known that knowledge of these crafts is not connected to the greatness of Allāh عز وجل for it is purely material, in contrast to knowledge of Allāh and His greatness, and so the people who are knowledgeable of this, they are the people who have reverential fear of Him.”
Source: Majmūʿ al-Fatāwá (26: 26).
I ask Allāh, the Almighty and Majestic, to grant us all reverential fear of Him.
Is it Better to Pray Night Prayer or Seek Knowledge?
Sh. al-ʿUthaymīn رَحِمَهُ اللهُ said, “Seeking knowledge is better than night prayer because seeking knowledge, as Imām Aḥmad said, nothing equals it for the one who corrects his intention, in that he intends through it to lift ignorance from himself and from others. Thus, if a person stays awake in the first part of the night to seek knowledge seeking the Face of Allāh, whether he be studying or teaching people, then indeed it is better than night prayer. If it is possible for him to combine both matters then that is better.
However, if the two matters clash with each other, seeking knowledge of the Sharīʿah is better and more deserving. This is why the Prophet ﷺ commanded Abū Hurayrah that he pray Witr before sleeping. The scholars say the reason for that is because Abū Hurayrah would memorise the aḥādīth of the Prophet ﷺ in the first part of the night and sleep in the latter part of the night, so the Prophet ﷺ directed him to pray Witr before he sleeps.”
“Greeting with salām comes before asking a question; so, whoever begins with the question before greeting with salām, do not answer him.”
Source of the Ḥadīth
This ḥadīth is recorded by Ibn ʿAdī in al-Kāmil (2: 303) via al-Sarī b. ʿĀṣim who narrated to us: Ḥafṣ b. ʿUmar al-Aylī who narrated to us: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz b. Abī Rawwād narrated to us: from Nāfiʿ: from Ibn ʿUmar who said: “The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said…” then he mentioned it.
Ibn Abī Rawwād
Ibn ʿAdī mentions this ḥadīth in the biography of Ibn Abī Rawwād, and says regarding him, “And in some of his transmissions [there is] that which is not followed up.”
al-Albānī says that this is soft impugnment of him, and that a group have declared him reliable, and Muslim utilised him as proof. So, if the chain did not contain other than him, it would have been good.
Ḥafṣ b. ʿUmar
However, al-Albānī notes, the defect lies in those lower than him, for indeed, Ibn ʿAdī said regarding Ḥafṣ b. ʿUmar: “His traditions – all of them – are rejected either in the text or the chain, and he is closer to weakness.”
Abū Ḥātim said, “He was a lying shaykh.”
al-Sarī b. ʿĀṣim
And al-Sarī b. ʿĀṣim was declared feeble by Ibn ʿAdī, and he said, “He steals traditions.”
Ibn Khirāsh declared him a liar.
al-Dhahabī cited some of his rejected traditions and said, “Indeed they are from his trials and afflictions.”
After citing these criticisms of al-Sarī, al-Albānī states that it would have been closer to correctness for Ibn ʿAdī to have cited the ḥadīth in the biography of one of them instead of including it in the biography of Ibn Abī Rawwād.
He then opines that perhaps Ibn ʿAdī only mentioned it in the biography of Ibn Abī Rawwād because the ḥadīth is recognised due to him.
Other Routes
Others, besides these two (Ḥafṣ b. ʿUmar and al-Sarī b. ʿĀṣim) have reported it from him:
Ibn Abī Ḥātim states in al-ʿIlal (2: 331): “Abū Zurʿah was asked about the ḥadīth reported by Abū Taqī who said: Baqiyyah narrated to me and said: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz b. Abī Rawwād narrated to me with it…then he mentioned it with the wording, “Do not initiate speech before extending salām, thus, whoever begins with speech before extending salām – do not answer him.” Abū Zurʿah said, ‘This ḥadīth does not have any basis; Baqiyyah did not hear this ḥadīth from ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz – it is only from the people of Ḥimṣ, and the people of Ḥimṣ do not differentiate this [i.e., the mode of audition being ambiguous or explicit].”
al-Albānī notes that Abū Taqī’s name is Hishām b. ʿAbd al-Malik, and that Abū Nuʿaym reports it via him in his Ḥilyat al-Awliyāʾ (8: 199) and says at the end: “[It is] strange (gharīb); from the ḥadīth of ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, we did not write it except from the ḥadīth of Baqiyyah.”
al-Albānī then states that Abū Nuʿaym’s report does not contain explicit audition, but that it does in another transmission recorded by Ibn al-Sunnī in his ʿAmal al-Yawm wa al-Laylah (210). The chain is: al-ʿAbbās b. Aḥmad al-Ḥimṣī informed us: Kathīr b. ʿUbayd narrated to us: Baqiyyah b. al-Walīd narrated to us: Ibn Abī Rawwād narrated to us in an abridged form with the wording:
“Whoever begins with speech before extending salām, then do not answer him.”
Kathīr b. ʿUbayd, al-Albānī says, is Ḥimṣī and reliable, and that he finds it difficult to agree with Abū Zurʿah that the mere fact he is Ḥimṣī – while being reliable – would necessitate him not making a distinction between Baqiyyah saying “from” (ambiguous audition) and “he narrated to us” (explicit audition)! This is the reason why al-Albānī remarks that he holds the view that the ḥadīth with this chain is, at a minimum, the level of ḥasan.
With regards to al-ʿAbbās b. Aḥmad al-Ḥimṣī, al-Albānī states that Ibn ʿAsākir included a biographical entry for him in his Tārīkh (8: 444: 21), but did not mention any validation or impugnment of him, although a group has narrated from him.
I (Salal) say: the point of al-Albānī mentioning that a group has narrated from him is to indicate that al-ʿAbbās is not an unknown narrator. One can also add to this, the fact that, Ibn Ḥibbān includes al-ʿAbbās in his Ṣaḥīḥ which is an indication of his validation of him. However, due to Ibn Ḥibbān’s leniency in validating transmitters, we would need to find another leading transmitter-critic, who grades this al-ʿAbbās reliable as well, in order for any validation of him to be accepted.
al-Albānī then goes on to mention other routes via which this report is transmitted via Nāfiʿ, however, he states that they are all weak.
Firstly: al-Ṭabarānī records in his al-Awsaṭ via Hārūn b. Muḥammad Abū al-Ṭayyib: from ʿAbd Allāh al-ʿUmarī. al-Haythamī (8: 32) states, “Hārūn b. Muḥammad is an inveterate liar.” According to al-Albānī, when Abū Zurʿah said that this ḥadīth has no basis, he was referring to this particular iteration of the report.
Secondly: al-Silafī records it in al-Ṭuyuriyyāt (manuscript, 1: 252) via al-Wāqidī. This al-Wāqidī, the Shaykh says, is accused of lying, and his name is Muḥammad b. ʿUmar b. Wāqid al-Aslamī.
In Summary
I (Salal) say: what is apparent from the above is that al-Albānī grades the ḥadīth ḥasan due to the following:
[1] Ibn Abī Ḥātim’s report in his al-ʿIlal: the only issue Abū Zurʿah had with the chain was Abū Ṭaqī stating that Baqiyyah reported the ḥadīth with explicit audition, which indicates he did not have an issue with the rest of the chain. al-Albānī disagrees with Abū Zurʿah’s view regarding the people of Ḥimṣ not differentiating between ambiguous and explicit forms of audition. Baqiyyah is mudallis and would do tadlīs via unknown and weak transmitters which is why Ibn Ḥajar includes him amongst the tadlīs practitioners whose reports are only accepted if they state explicit audition. See his Taʿrīf Ahl al-Taqdīs bi Marātib al-Mawṣūfīn bi al-Tadlīs, pages 14 and 49, ed. Dr. ʿĀṣim al-Qaryūtī.
[2] Abū Nuʿaym’s report in al-Ḥilyah: this chain does not contain explicit audition from Baqiyyah. But this is remedied by:
[3] Ibn al-Sunnī’s report which does contain explicit audition from Baqiyyah. The only issue is al-ʿAbbās b. Aḥmad al-Ḥimṣī who is ungraded. This is remedied by the above two chains which all indicate a fair basis for this report.
The Shaykh did not base the authenticity of the ḥadīth on the extremely weak chains from:
Ibn ʿAdī in al-Kāmil: two of its narrators are extremely weak (al-Sarī b. ʿĀṣim and Ḥafṣ b. ʿUmar al-Aylī).
al-Ṭabarānī’s report in al-Awsaṭ as it contains a liar (Hārūn b. Muḥammad).
al-Silafī’s report: it also contains a liar (al-Wāqidī).
The opinion that it is obligatory is also indicated by the ḥadīth, “The right of a Muslim over another Muslim are 6…when you meet him extend the greeting of salām to him…” Reported by Muslim (2162).
Salafi Knowledge 