Will the one who fasts on the day of Arafah with an intention of qadhaa get the reward derived from fasting on the day of arafah? من صام يوم عرفة بنية القضاء هل يدرك الأجر المترتب على صيام يوم عرفة

Praise be to Allah, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family and his companions.

As to what follows:

Fasting on the day of arafah has the most blessings among voluntary fasts. There are no greater virtues mentioned on other voluntary fasts more than the ones mentioned for fasting on the day of arafah. Muslim narrates a hadith which was reported by Abu Qatada saying:

 “The Prophet said: I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of  Arafah may atone for the sins of the year after it, and the year before it.”[1]

This is a great virtue - expiating sins of 2 years - which is gained by the one who voluntarily fasts on the day of arafah with faith and hope for being rewarded. There is no difference of opinion regarding this.

The scholars are of 2 opinions regarding the one who fasts on the day of Arafah with an intention of qadah, kaffarah or nudhur, and at the same time with the intention of getting rewarded for fasting on the day of arafah.

1st: whoever fasts one day with the intention of fulfilling an obligation and at the same time with an intention of fasting voluntarily, his fasting is correct and he is rewarded for what he intended for. So whoever fasts on the day of arafah with the intention of qadah and at the same time with an intention of fasting voluntarily will get double fold reward; one for fasting on the day of arafah and the other for fasting qadah.

This is a view held by a group of scholars from Maliki and Shafi[2] schools of thought and others. Among the contemporary scholars, it is also the view held by our Shaykh Muhammad al-Uthaymin (may Allah have mercy on him) who said:

“If a person fasts on this day – day of arafah – with the intention of qadah (making up for days he didn’t fast in) Ramadhan then he will get 2 rewards:

The reward for fasting on the day of arafah as well as the reward for qadah.[3]

It isalso what is understood from the answer of our Shaykh Abd al-Aziz Ibn Baz whereby he said:

“If he fasts the day of arafah as qadah, and the 9 days as qadah, then it is good”[4]

This view is based on: that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) placed the reward of fasting on arafah on the action of fasting. So whichever intention one intends he will be rewarded for doing the action. This falls under what the scholars refer to as overlapping of intentions or merging of acts of worship. These are divided into 2 categories.

1.     Where the action is meant by itself: this cannot have any overlapping or merging, not only that but, each action should be done independently like the sunnah of Dhuhr or Maghrib,both of them are meant to be achieved by themselves.

2.     Where what is intended is mere action and not its essence: like tahiyatul masjid. What is intended by the saying of the Prophet (peace be on him):

“When anyone of you enters the mosque, he should perform two Rakah (of voluntary prayer) before sitting.”[5]

Is that one should not sit until he has performed 2 rakats, so this can be achieved by either restricted nafil or absolute nafil, the same applies for the day of arafah.

Our Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin said: “what is required on the day of arafah is for it to come while you are fasting, whether you intended it to be from among the 3 (white) days that are fasted every month, or you intended to fast just for the day of arafah.”[6]

2nd: when it comes to acts of worship, it is not correct to join the intention of a faradh with the intention of a voluntary act. So whoever fasts on the day of arafah with the intention of qadah and with the intention of fasting voluntarily on that day will not get the reward derived from fasting on the day of arafah. This is because the virtue of fasting on the day of arrafah is only achieved by having an intention of voluntarily fasting on the very day.

This is the view held by a group of scholars from the Maliki and Shafi schools of thought and others.[7]

This view is based on that: a voluntary intention and an obligatory intention cannot merge on a single act of worship because of the differences in rulings.

What appears to be more correct from these 2 opinions – and Allah knows best – is that whoever fasts on the day of arafah with both the intention of qadha and voluntary fasting on that day will get the reward of performing an obligatory act and a voluntary one.

This can be inferred from what was narrated by Bukhari and Muslim in a hadith reported by Umar Ibn al-Khatab (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) said:

“The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.”[8]

So whoever fasts on arafah with the intention of qadah and voluntary fast will be rewarded according to what he intended for the blessings of Allah are so vast.

The view that a voluntary intention and an obligatory intention cannot merge on a single act of worship is not accepted, because when a person enters the masjid and performs a faradh, it may be that he would have followed one commandment that is obligatory and another that is desirable.
And Allah knows best.

Your brother,
Dr. Khalid al-Muslih
5 / 12 / 1434 AH

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[1]Sahih Muslim: 1162

[2]Hashiyah Dasuqi (5/96), Hashiyah Iaanah twalibin (2/252), Al-Fataawa al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kuwaytiyyah (2/82)


[3]Majmu’ Fatawa Ibn Uthaymin (20/29)

[4]Majmu’ Fatawa Ibn Baz (15/406)

[5]Bukhari (1167) and Muslim (714)

[6]Majmu’ Fatawa Ibn Uthaymin (20/13)

[7]Bulghat al-Saalik liaqabil Masaalik (1/449), Mughni al-Muhtaj (5/186)

[8]Bukhari (1), Muslim (4962)