How to Reconcile the Hadith of Hafsah and the Hadith of A’ishah Regarding Fasting the First Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah
Question: How do we reconcile the hadith of Hafsah and the hadith of A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with them) regarding fasting during the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah? We find narrations indicating that the Prophet ﷺ used to fast the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah, while we also find the hadith of A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) in which she said that he never fasted them.
Summary:
Fasting the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah is recommended (mustahabb) and is not an innovation. The hadith of A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), in which she said, “He did not fast them,” does not indicate that fasting them is disliked. Rather, at most, it indicates that she did not see him fasting them, or that he left fasting them at times due to a particular reason. The hadith of Hafsah and other narrations affirm that he fasted them, and the principle is that the one who affirms is given precedence over the one who negates when the report is authentic.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, all praise is due to Allah, and may Peace and Blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
The General Evidence from the Qur’an
Allah the Exalted says:
From the Qur'an:
- [Al-Fajr: 1–2]
“By the dawn, and by the ten nights.”
From the Sunnah is the statement of the Prophet ﷺ:
From the Sunnah:
- Sahih al-Bukhari 969Narrated Ibn `Abbas:
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "No good deeds done on other days are superior to those done on these (first ten days of Dhul Hijja)."
Fasting is among the greatest righteous deeds, so it enters under the general meaning of this hadith. As for the hadith of A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), she said:
From the Sunnah:
- Sahih Muslim 1176'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported:
I never saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) fasting in the ten days of Dhu'I-Hijja.
The hadith of Hafsah states that: The Prophet ﷺ would not leave fasting the ten days.
The reconciliation between these narrations can be understood in several ways: First: A’ishah negated what she personally saw, but she did not negate that it occurred in reality. Second: The Prophet ﷺ may have fasted them in some years and left them in other years due to travel, illness, being occupied with other matters, or to avoid the people thinking that it was obligatory. Third: The principle is that the one who affirms is given precedence over the one who negates, because the one affirming possesses additional knowledge.
From the Scholars:
- As Ibn al-Qayyim said:
“The one who affirms is given precedence over the one who negates, if the report is authentic.”
From the Scholars:
- Imam al-Nawawi رحمه الله said in his commentary on Sahih Muslim:
The statement of A’ishah, “He did not fast the ten days,” is interpreted to mean that he did not fast them due to a particular reason, or that she did not see him fasting them. This does not necessarily mean that he did not fast them in reality.
From the Scholars:
- Shaykh Ibn Baz رحمه الله said:
The hadith of A’ishah is more authentic; however, the fact that the Prophet ﷺ did not fast the ten days does not indicate that fasting them is not virtuous, because circumstances may have arisen that prevented him from fasting.
The stronger view is that fasting the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah is recommended, especially the Day of ‘Arafah for those who are not performing Hajj. The hadith of A’ishah does not contradict the recommendation of fasting them, because it is either a negation of what she personally witnessed or is understood as referring to occasions when he left fasting them due to a particular reason. Whoever fasts them has done well, and whoever leaves them is not to be condemned. However, one should not claim that fasting them is an innovation.
And Allah knows best.
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