individually,” for that resembles an attempt to correct the Wise Lawgiver, and its reprehensibility is self-evident.
I have had many discussions with shaykhs, academics, and students concerning this view. I would remind them of the aforementioned principle and example—fasting Monday or Thursday when it coincides with a day of Eid. They would reply, “Fasting on Eid is prohibited.” I would then explain to them: “This position of yours is itself compliance with the principle, so why do you not comply with it in the case of this hadith prohibiting fasting on Saturday?” They could not provide an answer, except for a few who were fair-minded—may Allah reward them well.
At times, I would reassure them and give them glad tidings: refraining from fasting on Saturday when it falls on the Day of Arafah or Ashura, for example, does not mean turning away from the merits of righteous deeds. Rather, it is part of the completeness of faith and compliance with his statement, peace and blessings be upon him: “You will never give up anything for Allah’s sake except that Allah will give you in exchange something better for you than it.” This is recorded in al-Da'ifah under hadith no. 5, with an authentic chain of transmission.
Moreover, some of those who debated with me raised this hadith concerning Friday as an objection to the hadith concerning Saturday. I reflected on the matter and it became clear to me—praise be to Allah—that there is no conflict. We say: whoever fasts Friday without having fasted Thursday must fast Saturday. This is an obligation upon him, so that he may escape the sin of contravening the prohibition against singling out Friday. In this case, he falls under the general purport of the Prophet’s statement, peace and blessings be upon him, in the hadith concerning Saturday: “Except for that which has been made obligatory upon you.”
This applies only to one who fasted Friday while unaware of the prohibition against singling it out, and who had not fasted Thursday along with it, as we have mentioned. But one who knows of the prohibition may not fast it, because in that case he would be fasting something that is neither required nor obligatory for him. Thus, in this situation, he does not fall under the general purport just mentioned. From this, the answer is also known concerning the case where Friday coincides with a day of special merit: it is not permissible to single it out for fasting, as has preceded—just as when such a day falls on Saturday—because this is not obligatory upon him.
As for the hadith, “He, peace and blessings be upon him, used to fast Saturday frequently,” it has been shown to be inauthentic in terms of