Fasting on the Ayyam al-Beedh and their virtues

The Virtue of Fasting on the Ayyam al-Beedh

The Concept and Types of Fasting:
Fasting, in its simplest sense, means abstaining from eating, drinking, and marital relations from dawn until sunset, solely for the pleasure of Allah. It also includes refraining from all vain and frivolous activities. Fasting is an ancient form of worship and is categorized into three basic types:

·        Fardh (obligatory),

·        Wajib (compulsory),

·        and Nafl (voluntary).

Fasting on the Ayyam al-Beedh and their virtues

Farad (Obligatory) Fasts:

It is obligatory (Fardh) for every adult Muslim man and woman to fast for the entire month of Ramadan.

Wajib (Compulsory) Fasts:
Fasts taken as a vow (Nadhr) are considered Wajib. For instance, if someone vows that they will fast if a certain wish is fulfilled, and that wish comes true, then fasting becomes obligatory upon them. Similarly, those performing Hajj Tamattu or Hajj Qiran must fast for ten days if they cannot afford to offer the obligatory sacrifice.

Note: It is permissible to make vows for any good and lawful deed.

Nafal (Voluntary) Fasts:
Apart from Ramadan and vow-related fasts, there are voluntary fasts such as those on Ashura, the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, and the White Days (Ayyam al-Beedh).

What Are Ayyam al-Beedh (white days)?

Before understanding their significance, it is important to know what "Beedh" means and which days are included.

Meaning and Determination of Ayyam al-Beedh:
"Ayyam al-Beedh" literally means "white days" — days with bright full moonlight. Scholars have expressed various opinions regarding which days these are:

• Hazrat Imam Malik: The first three days of the lunar month.
• Hasan al-Basri: The 12th, 13th, and 14th of the Islamic month. 

Various Other Opinions Include:

• The first Sunday and Monday of each month, or
• The 1st, 10th, and 20th of the Islamic month, or
• The 1st, 11th, and 21st, or
• The last three days of every Islamic month, or
• The 13th, 14th, and 15th days of the Islamic month — which is the opinion of Imam Abu Hanifa, and this is considered the most reliable view.

Hadith Regarding the Fast of Ayyam al-Beedh

It is narrated that when cooked rabbit meat was presented to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, he invited his companions to eat. When he noticed one of them abstaining, he asked why. The companion replied that he was observing a voluntary fast. The Prophet ﷺ then said, "Why don't you fast on the White Days?"
(Musnad Imam Azam)

Virtues of Fasting on the Ayyam e Beedh:

1.     Hazrat Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ advised him to fast three days each month. (Sunan al-Nasa’i)

2.     Hazrat Abdullah ibn Amr (RA) reported the Prophet ﷺ said: “Fasting three days every month is like fasting the whole year.” (Sahih Muslim)

3.     Hazrat Ali (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: “The fasts of Ramadan and three fasts every month cleanse the heart from evil.” (Musnad Ahmad)

4.     Hazrat Maymunah bint Sa’d (RA) reported the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever is able should fast three days every month. One fast erases ten sins — just like water cleanses a cloth.” (Tabarani)

5.     Hazrat Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (RA) said the Prophet ﷺ recommended fasting on the 13th, 14th, and 15th of the lunar month. (Jami’ al-Tirmidhi)

6.     Hazrat Hafsah (RA) said the Prophet ﷺ never abandoned four things:

§  Fasting on Ashura

§  Fasting the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah

§  Fasting three days each month

§  Praying two Sunnah Rak’ahs before Fajr
(Sunan al-Nasa’i)

Fasting on Ayyam e Beedh  is Equivalent to Perpetual Fasting (Siyam al-Dahr):

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever fasts three days each month, it is as if they have fasted the whole year.” (Abu Dharr al-Ghifari RA)
This is supported by the Quranic verse:

"من جاء بالحسنة فله عشر امثالها"

Translation:

“Whoever comes with a good deed, he will have ten times the like thereof.”
(Surah Al-An'am, 6:160)

Since a month consists of three decades, fasting three days (each multiplied by ten) equals fasting the entire month — and doing this every month equals fasting the whole year.

(Source: Explanation of the Musnad of Imam Azam, Kitab al-Sayyam, pp. 466-467)

Note:
The regular practice of the Prophet ﷺ was to fast three days every month. However, he did not always restrict these fasts to the 13th, 14th, and 15th. He would fast on any three days of the month.