Fasting beyond Ramadan: occasions, limits and where to begin

This introduction explains common voluntary fasts through Sunni hadith and scholarly guidance. It is not a year-long challenge, a live date announcement or a personal ruling. Begin by identifying the kind of fast, checking the date and considering any outstanding obligation before adding another entry to a calendar.

First distinguish voluntary fasting from what is owed

Ramadan fasting and voluntary fasting have different legal standing. Jordan’s General Iftaa’ Department lists Mondays and Thursdays, Arafah for non-pilgrims and Ashura among recommended fasts, distinguishing these from obligatory fasting. The Quran requires replacement days for Ramadan fasts missed through illness or travel. An attractive voluntary occasion does not erase those replacement days. Jordan, Summary for Rulings Regarding Fasting, page 6; Quran 2:185.

Before starting, ask whether the day is intended as a voluntary fast or as qada, a make-up fast. Do not assume that simply fasting on a significant date settles an outstanding obligation. Questions about combining intentions, when to intend the fast and what happens if it is interrupted need the relevant school-specific guidance, not an inference from a motivational post.

The guide to fasting in Islam provides the broader framework. For compensation questions, use the sourced Ramadan answers rather than treating a voluntary-fasting calendar as a substitute for that discussion.

Mondays and Thursdays: a recurring opportunity

A report in Jami’ al-Tirmidhi connects fasting on Monday and Thursday with the presentation of deeds. The linked edition gives Darussalam’s grading as hasan, not as a report from Sahih al-Bukhari or Sahih Muslim. Separately, a sahih report records the Prophet’s ﷺ explanation that Monday was the day of his birth. Jami’ al-Tirmidhi 747; Sahih Muslim 1162b.

These reports explain why those weekdays appear in many fasting reminders. They do not create an obligation to fast twice every week. Nor does a recurring weekday override a date on which fasting is prohibited, such as Eid.

For a beginner, the practical question is which occasion they understand and can appropriately undertake, not how many reminders they can collect. Choosing a manageable approach is an editorial suggestion, not a promise that a particular weekly pattern will improve health, concentration or spiritual standing.

Three days each month, and the thirteenth to fifteenth

Fasting three days of each month is mentioned in the Prophet’s ﷺ advice to Abdullah ibn Amr. That conversation also cautions against overburdening oneself and recognises the rights of one’s body, family and guests. Read in that context, the advice concerns balance as well as the number of fasting days. Sahih al-Bukhari 1975.

Another report specifies the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth for someone fasting three days of a month. The linked page gives Darussalam’s grading as hasan. These are lunar-month dates, not the thirteenth to fifteenth of a Gregorian month. Jami’ al-Tirmidhi 761.

Do not apply that reminder mechanically in Dhul Hijjah: its thirteenth falls within the days of Tashriq, discussed below. A general monthly recommendation must be read alongside the restrictions on particular days. If an automated calendar labels both recommendations, check the ruling rather than assuming the notifications have resolved the conflict.

Six days in Shawwal

Sahih Muslim records the virtue of following Ramadan with six fasts in Shawwal. This is the evidence for the familiar six-day observance, not an instruction to continue fasting on Eid itself. Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta explains that the six do not have to be consecutive and may be distributed through Shawwal. Sahih Muslim 1164a; Dar al-Ifta, fatwa 6186.

Outstanding Ramadan days need particular attention here. Jordan’s Iftaa’ Department permits someone who missed days for a valid excuse to observe the six before making up Ramadan; where days were missed without a valid excuse, it requires immediate make-up after Eid. The same answer permits combining intentions but recommends separate fasts and explicitly acknowledges scholarly disagreement. That is an attributed ruling, not proof that every school or scholar treats the sequence and reward identically. Jordan, question 4178.

If this affects your plans, give a qualified scholar the relevant facts: how many days are owed, why they were missed, and which legal guidance you follow. Then ask how the sequence or combination of fasts applies to your case. Keep the answer about obligation distinct from discussion of additional reward. Do not let a six-day checklist obscure the Ramadan days still requiring attention.

Muharram and Ashura

Sahih Muslim singles out fasting in Muharram for particular merit after Ramadan. Ashura is the tenth of Muharram; Jordan’s Iftaa’ Department recommends fasting the ninth, tenth and eleventh, or, if that is not possible, Ashura with the day before or after it; it also permits fasting Ashura alone. Sahih Muslim 1163a; Jordan, question 3532.

The primary report behind the ninth-day discussion records the Prophet’s ﷺ intention to fast the ninth in the following year and states that he died before that year arrived. It should not be retold as a report that he actually completed that later observance. Sahih Muslim 1134a.

The merit of Ashura is addressed in another report, which describes the hoped-for expiation associated with the fast. This overview does not turn reward language into a promise that fasting cancels every kind of wrongdoing or removes duties owed to other people. Sahih Muslim 1162a.

Check your community’s recognised date before planning. This is an account of Sunni voluntary-fasting practice, not a claim that every Muslim tradition observes Ashura in the same way, and not a replacement for the month’s broader historical discussion.

Arafah: distinguish non-pilgrims from pilgrims

The report in Sahih Muslim also describes the merit of fasting on Arafah. Jordan’s guidance identifies this as a recommended fast for those not performing Hajj. The pilgrimage context is important: a report from Umm al-Fadl describes the Prophet ﷺ drinking milk while at Arafah. Sahih Muslim 1162a; Jordan, Summary for Rulings Regarding Fasting, page 6; Sahih al-Bukhari 1988.

Do not send a general fasting reminder to a pilgrim as though their circumstances were identical to those at home. Similarly, when communities have different calendar announcements, follow qualified guidance on the relevant local date rather than treating this article as a ruling that settles the international date question.

Sha’ban is not a second obligatory Ramadan

Aisha reported seeing the Prophet ﷺ fast particularly often in Sha’ban, while saying she did not see him complete an entire month of fasting other than Ramadan. This supports recognising fasting in Sha’ban without turning the month into another universal month-long obligation. Sahih al-Bukhari 1969.

A separate report warns against preceding Ramadan with a day or two of fasting, while excepting someone whose established fasting practice coincides with those days. Do not turn uncertainty about Ramadan’s start into an improvised extra day “just in case.” Ask how the guidance applies to your intended fast rather than copying a date graphic without context. Sahih al-Bukhari 1914.

Days to leave out, and a Friday distinction

Fasting on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha is prohibited. The days of Tashriq, the eleventh through thirteenth of Dhul Hijjah, must also be excluded from an ordinary voluntary-fasting plan. A report describes them as days of eating and drinking. Sahih al-Bukhari 1990; Sahih Muslim 1141a; Dorar, prohibited fasting.

There is a specific pilgrimage exception concerning inability to provide the required sacrificial offering, recorded through Aisha and Ibn Umar. Dorar attributes its application to the Maliki and Hanbali schools and al-Shafi’i’s old position. It is not a general exception for someone wanting additional voluntary fasts. Sahih al-Bukhari 1997–1998; Dorar, prohibited fasting.

Friday requires a separate distinction from the prohibited days above; it is not subject to an Eid-style blanket ban. The hadith warns against fasting Friday alone without the day before or after. Dorar attributes dislike of singling it out, with an exception for an established pattern, to Shafi’is, Hanbalis and some Hanafis. Do not mislabel that as unanimity among all schools or say every Friday fast is forbidden. Sahih al-Bukhari 1985; Dorar, disliked fasting.

Before choosing a day, identify its evidence, confirm its date, exclude prohibited days and resolve outstanding obligations. That short check is more useful than the most crowded calendar. Voluntary worship deserves accurate understanding, not pressure to collect every possible occasion.

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Related reading: Intending to fast. The Islamic calendar.