Will you give me information about the time of nafilah (supererogatory) fasting and sunnah fasting?

Are there certain days for fasting for the sake of Allah (nafilah fasting)? Or can we fast every day, except for eid days if we want to? Would we be wronging ourselves if we did so? When did the Prophet (pbuh) perform nafilah fasting, all year round or on certain days?

Dear Brother / Sister,

- It is sunnah to fast on the 9th and 10th or 10th and 11th days of the month of Muharram. This fasting is called Ashura fasting.

It is stated in the hadith that “Fasting on the day of Ashura will atone for the sins of the past year” (see: Tirmidhi, Sawm, 47). This fasting should be performed on the tenth day of Muharram, the day of Ashura, with the addition of one day before or after it because it is makruh to fast only on the tenth day of Muharram.

- Fasting on the 13th, 14th and 15th days of every lunar month is mandub. Those days are called ayyam al-bid. (see Tirmidhi, Sawm, 44; Abu Dawud, 68)

- It is sunnah to fast on Thursdays and Mondays of every week. (Tirmidhi, Sawm, 44; Nasai, Siyam, 36, 70; Ibn Majah, Siyam, 42)

It is also mandub to fast for six days in the month of Shawwal following Ramadan.

When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was asked about fasting on Monday, he said:

“This is the day I was born, the day I was sent as a Prophet and the day the Quran was revealed to me.” (Muslim, Siyam, 197)

He states the following about the six days of fasting in Shawwal:

“If a person performs the fasting of Ramadan and then adds six days of Shawwal to it, it will be as if he had fasted the whole year.” (Muslim, Siyam: 204; Tirmidhi, Sawm: 53; Abu Dawud, Sawm: 58)

- It is also mandub to fast every other day, as the Prophet Dawud (David) did. This type of fasting is called “Sawmu Dawud”.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“The most acceptable fast in the sight of Allah is the fast of my brother Dawud. He would eat one day and fast the next day.” (Ghazali, Ihya, 1/673)

Thus, he encouraged his ummah to fast like that.

- The month of Shaban is one of the most rewarding and virtuous months in terms of fasting. Our Prophet (pbuh) did not fast as much in any month as in the month of Shaban. When he was asked about the reason, he explained it as follows:

“This month is the month between Rajab and Ramadan when people are unaware of it. However, it is a month in which the deeds are presented to Allah. Therefore, I want my deeds to be presented to Allah while I am fasting.” (Nasai, Siyam, 70; Ibn Abu Shaybah, al-Musannaf, nr. 9858)

It is nafilah to fast on days other than the above-mentioned times, on days that are not makruh. The meaning of nafilah is worship that is done for virtue and thawab (reward) in addition to fard and wajib deeds though there is no religious obligation.

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